ABSTRACT
This chapter details the standard International Relations (IR) narrative of the Congress of Vienna by focusing on the four key elements of its plot: that it maintained peace on the continent from 1815 to 1914; that it instituted a 'community of reason'; that it was made possible because of the crucial role played by 'statesmen'; that it ushered in a European political community. It therefore sketches the outlines of alternative readings of the Vienna settlement. By drawing attention to the interactions occurring in what Metternich referred to as the 'singular intimacy' of ballrooms, the chapter argues that the Concert system is best understood as shorthand for the connectivity and mutuality that emerged among those who danced at Vienna during the nine months of the Congress – a community of dancing practice. It therefore recalls the relationality – and, in particular, the social practices, reciprocal figurations, and personal interconnections – which have been excluded from the standard narrative.
