Napoleon’s dream died at Waterloo – and so did that of British democrats | Martin Kettle

This week marks Waterloo’s 200th anniversary, but there’s little to celebrate. It was an anti-liberal triumph for the forces of reaction, on both sides of the channel

What does the battle of Waterloo mean, 200 years on? Two things, but they are impossible to reconcile. First, part historic reality and part enduring symbol, the victory over Napoleon was a moment when a long war was ended, our island nation survived, and the invasion threat to Britain was lifted. Hence this week’s celebrations for our boys and their German allies.

And the second? That’s much tougher to celebrate. The second thing that Waterloo means is the victory of the feudal crowned heads of Europe over the forces of the French revolution. This Waterloo ushered in the repressive united Europe of the Vienna settlement: Castlereagh and Metternich, Louis XVIII and Charles X of France and Ferdinand VII of Spain, anti-liberal anti-democratic reactionaries set on consigning the Europe of republics and peoples to the history books.

Related: Waterloo: A German victory?

At Torbay there was fear of onshore popular sympathy if Napoleon were to set foot on English soil as he wished

Continue reading...