What should people in power do when their power is threatened?

The question above has been asked and answered throughout history, with every response being different, it is apparent that the answer must change over time. But in 1814, as the Napoleonic conquests began to reach their downfall, the congress of Vienna was determined to discover which answer would last for the longest time.  Eventually the answer came to them, to staying in power, was a balance of current power among all the nations.  This balance of power would insure that each great power would have nearly equal claims and shares over Europe, so that any nation that tried to grab power would be snuffed out by equally powerful nations that wanted to keep their opponents in check.  The congress of Vienna saw the formation of the German confederation, more territory taken from France to Austria and Russia, the formation of the Netherlands, and the returning or ceding of almost all captured French territory to other European powers.  By giving more territory to Austria, the already bloated Russian Empire could be guarded against, the Netherlands protected invasions of Scandinavia, and the German confederation led to a more unified form of the Holy Roman Empire.
In my own opinion, I believe that under the current circumstances at the time, the balance put forward was a wonderful way to end the conflict with power still unmatched.  The only thing I would change would be greater safeguards against the Russian and Ottoman Empires, but that's another story for another day...

http://fc.greensboroday.org/~ldrewicz/APEuro