ABSTRACT
Castlereagh and Canning, who controlled the making of British foreign policy in the periods 1812-1822 and 1822-1827 respectively, thought of events in a global context appropriate to a country with a world-wide commercial and territorial empire. During the Congress of Vienna itself Austria, Great Britain and France came near to a breach with Russia and Prussia over the distribution of Polish and Saxon territory. Austria opposed the decision of the Russians, the British and the French in 1826-1827 to prevent the suppression of rebellion in the Ottoman Empire. A succession of dramatic events shook the faith in established ideas about international politics of British policy-makers, especially those newly in office. As in the war with Persia, the Russians had little to show for their efforts during the first year’s campaign, but made up for it the following year by a spectacular approach to the enemy capital.
