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The Haitian Revolution

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Arguably the most notable, iconic, and influential political revolution, besides maybe the French Revolution, was the Haitian Revolution that took place in the years 1791-1804. This date is moderately superficial though, for most historians would argue that the people of Haiti had been in a constant state of rebellion from their French and British colonizers since their inception as a product of Europe’s colonial fetish. Despite the magnitude of the Haitian Revolution’s role in history, you may be questioning why we, your chairs, feel the Haitian Revolution important enough to mention in a committee regarding the Congress of Vienna, an event occurring thousands of kilometers away from Haiti. The answer is this: without the Haitian Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars may have seen a much different, possibly more drawn-out end, which would in turn affect the existence of the Congress of Vienna, itself, as an attempt to salvage the continent left behind by Napoleon and his oh so grand wars....
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Interpretations of the French Revolution

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  As discussed in the topic synopsis, we can (somewhat sloppily) place most interpretations of the French Revolution into two categories: the Marxist and the Revisionist interpretations. In most cases, a single framework or theory is unlikely to explain everything or completely evade contradiction; thus, an effective method of establishing viewpoints can be to determine the best elements of a given model and combine it with the best elements of other models (though, of course, advanced thinkers often create entirely new models). Hence, it is not our contention that you should rigidly adhere to the basic tenets of a single interpretation, but rather that you consider the arguments in depth and craft your own opinions. The perspective you form regarding the causes of French Revolution should be critical to your position paper solutions and arguments at our conference, as preventing the carnage of another such event was of critical importance to delegates in Vienna, so further rea...
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The Federal Act & Constitutionalism

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Constitutionalism, best defined as a Locke and Machiavelli inspired idea believing that government is best functioning when limited in its powers by the existence of a mandated constitution, was a primary political theory present and debated prior to, during, and following the Congress of Vienna. Theorists who believe in the supremacy of constitutionalism as a political theory support a style of government that abides by a constitution, prioritizes a separation of power, adheres to the sovereignty of their citizens and of their democracy, and is amenable to review by a judiciary branch, among other similar characteristics.  The relevance of constitutionalism to the Congress of Vienna, and in turn to our committee, is that alongside the rise of liberalism, constitutionalism became a popular political theory among members and relevant actors in the Congress and in Europe at large. For example, Prince Metternich of the Austrian delegation was staunchly against constitutionalism in fav...
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Nadia Kazempoor- Introduction

  Hi everyone! My name is Nadia Kazempoor and I will be one of your Congress of Vienna vice chairs for BMUN LXIX this year. I am a freshman studying Political Science, with a concentration in International Relations but my academic interests range from history to journalism to rhetoric and linguistics. Also, fun fact: this is my 5th year in MUN, but the 1st year I won’t be competing myself.  Outside of BMUN, I am also in a pre-law fraternity on campus called Phi Alpha Delta, active in the Iranian Students Cultural Organization, and a member of the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. As for more hobbies, I love yoga, books, fashion, art, and most tasks that allow me to be creative! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at nadiakaz@berkeley.edu Best,  Nadia Kazempoor  P.S. If you’re into astrology, I am a quintessential Aries :p
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Andrew Reynoso - Introduction

               Esteemed delegates, honorable chairs, welcome to the Congress of Vienna at BMUN 69! My name is Andrew Reynoso; I am a sophomore studying physics and I will be your head chair this year! I selected these topics because I am increasingly alarmed by the setbacks democracy has suffered across the globe this year, and believed the Congress of Vienna was an excellent avenue to explore a crucial time in history where the modern economic engine and democratic process were constructed. I hope you find this subject as interesting as I do and push yourselves to think critically about the questions posed. Outside of MUN, you can find me studying quantum mechanics, lifting weights, and performing atomic interferometry research as I await the day Nintendo drops a second trailer for the Breath of the Wild sequel. Any preguntas can be sent to areynoso@bmun.org . Best, Andrew Reynoso
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Justin Qu - Introduction

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  Hi Delegates!  Welcome to CoV! My name is Justin Qu and I'll be serving as one of the vice-chairs. I am currently a junior double majoring in Computer Science and Economics and this will be my 6th year participating in MUN. Aside from MUN, I like to work on video-editing and rush through new Netflix releases. Now that everything is remote, I mostly watch lectures at home three weeks after I'm supposed to do so. I used to say that my hobby was procrastinating, but now it's my full-time job. If you have any questions (or memes you want to send me), please feel free to contact me at jqu@bmun.org! See you soon, Justin Qu
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War of Spanish Succession and Utrecht System

The War of Spanish Succession was the result of a struggle between major powers in Europe to install the next monarch in Spain after the death of Charles II, who was childless. The wholesale acquisition of the Spanish Empire by a single nation would greatly upset the balance of power in Europe. Before his passing, Charles II appointed his successor to be Phillip V, the grandson of Louis XIV. This, however, opposed a prior arrangement made between England, the Dutch Republic, and France to install Charles VI, the second son of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, and gift Spain's Italian territories to Austria and France. It is interesting to note that these deals were already being made while Charles II was alive, indicating that the other European nations were already worrying about the potential fallout of a new royal monarch in Spain far before Charles II' death. This proposed treaty would have effectively partitioned Spain and maintained the balance of power by dividing its te...
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