Holy Roman Empire

This huge amount of compensation is not so much the limit that the Kingdom of Sardinia can bear, but the limit that the British are willing to continue to invest.

……

On July 1848, 7, the Austrian ambassador to London and the Sardinian government in exile in the United Kingdom signed an armistice treaty.

The British bank consortium provided a loan to the Sardinian government, paying the Austrian war indemnity of 2 million guilders at one time, and the rest was paid in 20 years with an annual interest rate of 5%.

……

The decision to ask for money or not land was made by Franz. If there is no problem with the pig teammate of France, then everyone will join hands to carve up the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Austria can get the rich Genoa and Turin regions, which is indeed worth a shot.

But now the French are too busy to take care of themselves, and Austria can only go into battle alone.It is a pity that Austria has a bad appetite and cannot swallow the Kingdom of Sardinia in one bite.

If the Kingdom of Sardinia cannot be destroyed and only part of their territory is occupied, then they will face the threat of national uprising for a long time, and it will be difficult to transform these areas into national power.

Moreover, there are already enough Italian nationalities in Austria, and Franz does not want to continue to increase, which is not conducive to his national integration policy.

Austria made concessions on the issue of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and naturally received compensation.

For example: the British will support Austria's expansion in the Balkans and acquiesce in Austria's participation in overseas colonial expansion.

Compared with Italy, where the situation is complicated, after gaining the support of the British, Austria's expansion in the Balkans only needs to communicate with the Russians.

Overseas colonial expansion is even simpler. As long as Austria opens up colonies in a direction that does not conflict with the core interests of Britain and France, everything else is a minor problem.

It has to be said that Palmerston's judgment is very accurate, Austria's strategic center of gravity is no longer in Italy.

Now the dominant position is that the German faction headed by Prime Minister Felix advocates the expansion of power in the German region.

Followed by the Near East faction headed by the Minister of War, Prince Wendisch Gretz, advocated expansion to the Balkans.

And the colonial faction headed by Grand Duke Louis advocated the opening of overseas colonies.

The impact of the butterfly effect is huge. At this time in history, the Austrian government was busy suppressing the rebellion, and there were definitely not so many people who wanted to expand abroad.

There is one or more interest groups behind these strategies.On the surface, everyone has good reasons, but in practice, there are a series of problems.

Franz was not in a hurry to express his position. Politics often cannot only consider right and wrong, but also depends more on the interest groups involved and possible changes.

……

Palmerston's visit this time was not only for the Italian issue, but also for the mediation of the Pudan War. Austria also has a very important say on this issue.

"Mr. Metternich, I think it is necessary for our two countries to have more in-depth communication on the issue of the Pudan War.

The act of the Kingdom of Prussia initiating war without authorization should be condemned by the international community. As a peace-loving country, it is necessary for us to take more active measures. said Palmerston

"Of course, Mr. Palmerston. The Austrian government has long since stated its position:

The two principalities of Schleswig and Holstein are traditional German states, and Austria hopes that they will return to the federation.

However, they had to come back as independent states and not become part of the Kingdom of Prussia. " Metternich tentatively replied

Palmerston said solemnly: "Mr. Metternich, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein already belong to the Kingdom of Denmark. This is a matter of history.

The German region is just a place name, not a country.The German Confederation is just an alliance, and there is no so-called sovereignty! "

There is no doubt that the British are opposed to the unification of the German region.Once a unified empire emerges in Central Europe, the hegemony of the British Empire will be impacted again.

Palmerston directly stated his position in order to break the illusion that there might be a unified German region in Austria.

Metternich opposed the establishment of a Greater Germany. He believed that it was impossible to unify the German region. After testing out the attitude of the British, he would naturally not have any radical reactions.

"Mr. Palmerston, this problem is not about how we look at it, but the public opinion led by the Prussians. Now the Austrian government has been kidnapped by public opinion.

Having just experienced a domestic rebellion, we had to take into account the feelings of the people, and in this war we had to support the Prussians diplomatically. "

Metternich bit the word diplomacy very seriously, and Palmerston naturally heard the implication. Austria did not want Prussia to continue to grow, and its support for them was limited to diplomacy and would not take practical actions.

This answer does not satisfy him, but it is not unacceptable, it is nothing more than that in this Pudan War, Austria is ready to play soy sauce.

Seeking the participation of the Austrian government in jointly exerting pressure on Prussia failed. Palmerston did not continue to stay in Vienna and went straight to Berlin.

Chapter 111 The Forced National Policy

At the critical moment of the negotiations between Britain and Austria, his mother, Princess Sophie, brought him a piece of news, which attracted Franz's full attention.

Uncle Ferdinand I is about to abdicate early, so let him prepare for his early ascension to the throne.

Conscience of heaven and earth, Franz dares to swear in the name of God, there is nothing of his handwriting in it.As the legal heir of Austria, he was not in such a hurry to force his uncle to abdicate.

It was not Ferdinand I who actually made this decision, but a collective decision made by the Habsburg family.

Although Austria is known for its conservatism, after so many years, the public's tolerance for the mentally retarded emperor has reached its limit, and the Vienna rebellion has this factor.

For the Habsburg family, this was a disaster. The majesty of the monarch was demolished, and jokes were frequently made. If things go on like this, the status of the royal family will be shaken.

At this time, Franz turned out to be regent, took control of power in a short period of time, and quelled the domestic rebellion, which made many people see hope.

The power of the Austrian Empire is constantly declining, and the members of the royal family are also seeing it and worrying about it. It's just that these grand dukes are powerless and have no ability to turn the tide.

Franz's outstanding performance made their eyes shine. It seems that the Habsburg family is about to usher in a rejuvenation master.

Then everyone summed up in private and felt that Ferdinand I could not continue to be ashamed of the position of emperor. The Habsburg family had contracted the jokes of the aristocratic circle in recent decades.

For the sake of long-term interests, they unanimously decided to let Ferdinand I abdicate early and replace Franz with outstanding ability to reshape the glory of the Habsburg family.

After a decision was made, everyone took turns to persuade Ferdinand I to abdicate.No, it should be to persuade Empress Maria Anna to agree to the emperor's abdication.

Ferdinand I was sometimes sober and sometimes confused.Maybe he just agreed, but then he forgot. What he remembers most is the order to the chef: I am the emperor, and I want to eat dumplings.

When he is awake, he is not much different from normal, except that his reaction ability is a little slower and his IQ is a little lower than ordinary people. Once he gets sick, he doesn't know anything.

The most important thing is that he will fall ill several times a day, and no one knows when he will wake up and when he will fall ill.It was too unreliable to let him make a decision, so everyone decided to help him make the decision.

In order to avoid making jokes, everyone must convince Queen Maria Anna that as long as she does not object, Ferdinand I's own opinions can be ignored.

There is no doubt that Queen Maria Anna has never been a person with a strong desire for power, because her husband is unable to hold power, and the Vienna court is more like a cage for her.

Especially after the outbreak of the Vienna Revolution, she was even more terrified, for fear of following in the footsteps of Louis XVI.

Everyone happily reached an agreement to let Ferdinand I abdicate as soon as possible, and Franz took over to clean up the mess.

Yes, in the eyes of many people, the Austrian Empire is a mess.Although the rebellion has been quelled, domestic problems remain serious.

According to many people, one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the rebellion that spread across the country was the damage to the monarch's dignity, and Ferdinand I could no longer be recognized by the people of all ethnic groups in Austria.

Ascension to the throne early, Franz did not reject it.If the name is not correct, the words will not go well. There are many things that the emperor can do, which is much easier than the crown prince.

Perhaps it was enough to endure, and everyone unanimously chose to cut the mess quickly. The time for Ferdinand I's abdication was quickly determined, and the time for Franz's accession to the throne was also fixed, both on September 1848, 9. .

It was the end of June now, and there were only two more months left. Franz had to arrange domestic affairs to ensure that no jokes would be made during his enthronement ceremony.

……

Franz is generally satisfied with the results of the Anglo-Austrian negotiations.Not only did he get a fortune from the Kingdom of Sardinia, but he also won the support of the British on the Austrian Balkan issue, and he also got admission tickets for overseas colonization.

The only headache is the position of the British on the German issue. Like all the great powers, everyone opposes Austria's expansion into the German region.

Unlike the Kingdom of Prussia, Austria has too much influence in the German region, and the sign of the Habsburg dynasty is too loud.Once the German region is unified, the impact will be much greater.

Among other things, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium were all once the former places of the Habsburg dynasty, and the idea of ​​great unification prevailing in the German region also exists in these countries.

Does anyone know if Austria has a way to integrate them?No matter whether it works or not, no one wants to take risks.

Everyone is very afraid of the influence of the Habsburg dynasty. Once Austria prepares to unify the German region, it will encounter the same situation as Napoleon.

Even before the unification of the German region, the intervention forces of various countries have already set off.This conclusion hurt everyone, especially the Greater Germanists.

There is no way, an Austria with only 800 million core nationalities is our best ally, and an Austria with a core population of more than 5000 million is a European nightmare.

After the unification of the German region, Austria has surpassed Russia in terms of population and France in industry, and is completely a Central European giant.

The British saw it very clearly, so they encouraged Austria to expand to the Balkans. As long as the main ethnic group does not have an absolute advantage, internal friction is inevitable.

An Austria with serious internal conflicts cannot threaten the world hegemony of the British Empire, and everyone can still be good friends.

Franz comforted: "The position of the British was already expected, and it is not us that should be troubled now. The Kingdom of Prussia also wants to unify the German region, and they have even less choice.

Unable to expand to the German region, we can go to the Balkans, and we can also open up colonies, and the pace of Austria's progress will not stop. "

This is also self-consolation. Prussia is just an excuse. The Kingdom of Prussia in this era has not yet had the strength to unify the German region.

Austria itself has the strength to unify the German region, but the international environment does not allow it.

The British, who are most likely to stay out of the matter, strongly oppose the unification of Germany, let alone Russia next door. How can they sleep soundly on the side of the couch?

Without the annexation of the German region, Austria can only resolve domestic ethnic conflicts first, and then slowly accumulate strength by farming honestly.

The so-called expansion is just picking up some leftovers. In the Balkans, it had to make concessions to the Russians, and to open up overseas colonies had to compromise with Britain and France.

Felix suggested: "Since the British are opposed to the unification of the German region, how about we carve up the German region with the Kingdom of Prussia?

If we can annex South Germany, we can even pay some price. The worst is to give up the Italian region in exchange for the support of Britain and France, and cede Austrian Poland to the Russians in exchange for their understanding. "

Metternich sighed and said: "It's not that simple, many states in southern Germany are our allies, how do we expand?

If we attack our allies, do we still need our reputation?In future diplomacy, who would dare to ally with us? "

If he had known that the international situation would become what it is now, when the Vienna system was established, he would have sent the Wittelsbach family to Italy, and Austria would directly annex the Kingdom of Bavaria.

It's a pity that there is no if in history. In order to guard against the French, Austria supported the ally of the Kingdom of Bavaria as a buffer, but now this ally blocks Austria's expansion.

Before the rise of nationalism, everyone did not feel the importance of the main nation. After the Great Revolution, everyone understood the weakness of a multi-ethnic country.

Hungarians want independence, Italians want independence, Poles want independence, Czechs want autonomy...

Fortunately, nationalism did not permeate the whole society, and only the capitalists and some aristocrats raised their voices for independence, and Austria suppressed them.

The greatest wealth in South Germany is none other than the 500 million people.

If the southern German states with the same religious beliefs, language and culture were annexed, the main ethnic group in Austria would exceed half in an instant, and the crisis of division would be minimized.

Franz thought for a while and said, "Don't just think about expansion. To solve the ethnic problem, we can also think of ways internally.

There are more than 2000 million illiterate people in the entire Austrian Empire. How many of these people know which nationality they belong to?

The Ministry of Education compiled a textbook for me to connect the nationalities in various regions together to find out that they are the root of the Germanic nation.

It really has nothing to do with it, so just talk about ethnic integration, I don't believe that the eighteen generations of their ancestors have nothing to do with the Germanic nation?

As long as you don't know which nationality you are, tell them that you are Germanic.

For ethnic minorities with cultural heritage, the Austrian system is propagated to them.It is emphasized that everyone is of mixed blood and has multi-ethnic blood, which naturally includes Germanic blood. If you don’t believe it, let them go home and find their family history.

After so many years of ethnic integration, I don't believe how many pure blood ethnic groups are left?

First clarify the ethnic relationship, and then promote German to the whole country. It is wrong to promote Austrian and gradually replace local dialects. "

Franz is ready to play a rogue, if the main nation is not enough, then make it yourself.

Regardless of whether they are real Germans or not, try to fool around first, as long as they think they are.

One by one is counted as one. As long as the bureaucrats work hard, it won't be long before the Germanic nation will expand rapidly.

In history, the Kingdom of Prussia also underwent Germanization. Their own Germanic nation also did not dominate, and they relied on language assimilation to occupy a dominant position.

Chapter 112 The Poorest Compulsory Education Model

The bottom line of politicians is usually very low. Everyone has no objection to Franz's proposal. For the long-term stability of Austria, it is nothing to fool around.

Anyway, the high-level cabinet members are all nobles from the German region, and they are a Germanic nation with young roots, and the Germanization movement will not hurt their national feelings.

However, the Minister of Education was forced to tamper with the origin of history. It is difficult to explain the history of thousands of years ago, but what the hell is Austrian?

"Your Highness, what is Austrian?" Count Leo von Tus Hohen asked suspiciously

Franz explained: "The simple promotion of German can easily cause other ethnic minorities to feel unbalanced, in order to take care of their emotions.

I am going to gather Austrian linguists and historians to create a set of Austrian languages ​​with German as the core and the languages ​​of various ethnic minorities. "

Prime Minister Felix frowned and said, "Your Highness, German is the most commonly used language in Austria. If we learn another Austrian language, everyone will have to learn it again. Isn't that too troublesome?

Moreover, a unique Austrian language will deepen the gap between us and the German region, and benefit the traitors of Little Germanism! "

Franz laughed, and said: "It depends on how the Ministry of Education organizes the Austrian language? If we directly use German and only change a few unfamiliar nouns, it won't affect daily communication, right?

Isn't there a difference between German and German?As long as our Austrian language can be used normally with German, there is no so-called communication gap. "

Everyone's faces returned to normal. If they just changed the unfamiliar terms that ordinary people would never use in their lifetime, then there would be no problem.

Now the right to speak is in the hands of the Austrian government, and they have the final say on how to change it.The promotion of German became the promotion of Austrian, which is really just another wording.

Opposition?It seems that at this time, the Austrian opposition is at its weakest. Those who dare to make trouble met God in the rebellion, and the rest will stay at the stage of talking at most.