Peter Viereck’s View of Metternich’s Conservative Internationalism

Abstract

This study is focussed on the political views of Clemens Metternich, the chancellor and foreign minister of the Hapsburg Empire. To be more precise, the article is concerned with Viereck’s interpretation of Metternich. Peter Viereck was one of the principle theoreticians of conservatism in twentieth-century America, who offered a markedly unorthodox analysis of Metternich’s conservatism, touching upon a number of crucial questions. He considers Metternich to be a “principle”, an exponent and guardian of prudential conservatism and conservative internationalism. He emphasizes Metternich’s efforts to tame the resurgent nationalism of the European nations and also his little-known attempts to reform the structure of the Hapsburg Empire. The approach adopted by this study is defined primarily by an interest in the history of political ideas.