Acta Iuris Stetinensis

The Congress of Vienna is considered one of the most important events in the 19th century, which significantly influenced the shaping of international relations not only in the 19th century, but also in the following centuries. Diplomats played a decisive role in the ongoing deliberations, especially: the French aristocrat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord and the Austrian prince Klemens von Metternich. The former, thanks to his diplomatic talents, caused France to emerge victorious from the Congress of Vienna, although after the lost Napoleonic Wars it was treated as an aggressive, destabilizing force. The latter introduced an order in Europe based on the balance of power, from which a system of collective security evolved in the following century. While it seems that Talleyrand was the undisputed master of ad hoc diplomacy, Metternich undoubtedly “made history”. The main goal of this article is to demonstrate that the history of modern diplomacy leaves no doubt that the creation of a system of collective security, both in the past and today, remains a utopia. The basic research method is the historical and legal method, thanks to which it is possible to indicate the dynamics of political changes and their impact on the law.