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The Final Act of Vienna, signed in June 1815, was a comprehensive treaty that reorganized Europe after the Napoleonic Wars. This agreement, finalized shortly before Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, aimed to reestablish a conservative political order. Key decisions included reducing France to its 1789 borders and strengthening its neighbors to prevent future aggression. A new Kingdom of Poland was created under Russian sovereignty, and the German states were loosely joined in a German Confederation influenced by Austria. Great Britain gained valuable colonies, and the treaty secured over fifty years of relative peace in Europe. However, the principle of nationality was largely ignored, with territories often exchanged without regard for their inhabitants' wishes.12

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