The delegates at the Congress of Vienna (1814 - 1815) were motivated to a large degree by the desire to benefit Europe as a whole, reflected in the purpose in calling the Congress together and the settlement reached at Vienna in 1815. National interest was modified for the sake of the general interest of Europe. The Congress of Vienna, held in order to sketch out a plan to alter Europe politically and territorially, aimed to prevent the extensive expansion of any one great power, such as that Napoleon had brought about.
Reinstating conservative regimes, finding a balance of power among powerful European nations, containing France and reaching an agreement to cooperate with each other are goals of the Congress, and illustrate the altruistic attitude of the national representatives present and supported the overall purpose of preventing future widespread conflict.
Although separate ambitions of the winners at the Congress to gain territory were mostly fueled by naked self-interest, all were forced to compromise in order to establish a balance of