Chapter 421: Junkers VS Officials + Capitalists
In March 1867, Austria conducted arge-scale military exercise on the Austro-Prussian border, frightening the Prussians.
Having just finished the Russo-Prussian War, they were busy licking their wounds and had no courage for another Prusso-Austrian War.
If war broke out at this point, not only would they have to give up all the gains from the previous war, but even self-preservation would be difficult.
In the Berlin Pce, Foreign Minister Mackeit said, “The Austrians are just flexing their muscles. They won’t start a war at this time.
Once a war breaks out, the Russians will certainly continue the fight. The Russian government can just follow behind and reap the benefits, regaining Pnd and the Baltic region.
This is not what the Austrian government wants to see. A strong Russian Empire is not in their interests. The Austro-Russian alliance is just a temporary union of interests. Sooner orter, they will sh over European supremacy.
And then there is the current international situation, which the Austrian government cannot ignore. No European country wants to see a domineering Austria. If they start a war now, they will be isted.
If the French attack the Rhinnd after the war breaks out, will the Austrian government intervene or not?
If they intervene, it could very well lead to a full-scale war between France and Austria. If they don’t intervene, how can they im to be the leader of the German states?”Mackeit didn’t say the real reason why he was not afraid. Prussia was already exhausted and would definitely lose a war.
However, as long as the Prussian government was shameless enough, there was still a chance to pit Austria against France and reverse the current passive situation.
Once the French invaded the Rhinnd, the Prussian government could directly admit defeat and join the new Holy Roman Empire, demanding that Austria defend the territorial integrity of Germany.
This would ignite a Franco-Austrian War, and the situation would change. If the French gained the upper hand or the war dragged on, Prussia could switch sides again.
Don’t doubt the bottom line of politicians. As long as the interests are big enough, there is nothing they cannot do.
The backbone of the Kingdom of Prussia is the Junker aristocracy. Even if the Austrian government wanted to buy them off, it couldn’t afford the price.
Behind the scenes, the two sides have already been in contact. If Franz is willing topromise, the German territories can be unified at any time.
The Junker aristocrats oppose joining the new Holy Roman Empire only for the sake of their own interests. If Prussia can achieve the same status as Austria and guarantee their interests, then the two can merge at any time.
Obviously, this is impossible. If apromise is reached, the new Holy Roman Empire will be divided again.
A mountain cannot have two tigers. If there are two of them, then it will be Prussia leading a group of small principalities to fight against Austria within the empire.
From the very beginning, Franz had made a decision — the rights of the principalities had to be restricted.
After so many years of hard work, he had only just regained control of diplomacy, coinage,mand of the army, and some financial power. How could he hand it over again?
Minister of the Army and the Navy Roon questioned, “This is just your wishful thinking and does not represent the position of the Austrian government.
Moreover, Austria became the leader of Germany based on strength, not so-called public opinion. They gained strength first and then gained popr support.
The influence of nationalism is indeed great, but it is not enough to sway the decisions of the Austrian government. Exchanging the Rhinnd for the unification of Germany, is that really a loss for the Austrians?
Remember, Austria has always been wary of us. Among the many states of Germany, only we pose a threat to their strength.”
As the representative of the military, Roon was an advocate of the supremacy of the military. This was determined by the national conditions of the Kingdom of Prussia, and everyone became a supporter of it.
Roon did not value Austria’s influence. In his view, strength was paramount. Since Austria has sufficient strength, other problems do not matter.
As long as Germany can be unified, losing the Rhinnd is no big deal. At most, the people will curse them for a while. In the future, as long as it is recovered, these problems can all be washed away.
This was not just his personal opinion. Many people shared the same view. Some civil groups are even advocating the theory of “unification at a cost”, that is: paying a certain price in exchange for national unification.
Specifically, this included ceding the territory west of the Rhine River to the French and the Prussian Pnd to the Russians.
Some people have also carried out in-depth analysis, believing that this would shrink the Kingdom of Prussia by more than half, which would make the unified empire more stable.
This is the biggest concern of the Junker aristocrats. If Austria only annexes a shrunken version of the Kingdom of Prussia, they will really suffer heavy losses.
The Kingdom of Prussia isrger than all the other principalitiesbined excluding Austria. The existence of such arge principality will obviously weaken the authority of the central government.
If Austria wants to dominate the new Holy Roman Empire, it must suppress the Kingdom of Prussia and keep it within a controble range. The two sides are naturally opposed, and there is no possibility ofpromise.
This view does not include shrewd politicians. Only they can clearly see how dire the situation would be after Austria unified Germany.
Politically, istion would be inevitable, as a major Central European empire would naturally be viewed with hostility in Europe. Militarily, it would face enemies from all sides.
These enemies woulde from bothnd and sea. Needless to say onnd, by just looking at the map, they would know that they would have to simultaneously confront France and Russia.
The situation at sea is even worse. In the Mediterranean, the Austrian navy must fight against Britain and France; in the Baltic Sea, it must fight against the Russians; and in the Antic, it must fight against Britain and France at the same time.
This is without even considering smaller countries. In fact, Spain, Portugal, the Nethends, and the Nordic Federation will all be Austria’s enemies. This is determined by geopolitics.
Except for Switzend and Belgium, which are very likely to remain neutral, all that can be seen on the European continent are enemies, even the insignificant Montenegro and Greece are no exception.
No, Greece and Montenegro have already stood against Austria. Their dreams of bing powerful nations have been blocked by Austria.
If it were not for having too many external enemies, why would Franz bother suppressing Russia only to let a Greater France emerge? Isn’t it to reduce pressure and divert everyone’s attention?
Only when Russia declined could Austria escape the predicament of fighting on two fronts. Even in the event of a blunder that triggers a full-scale European war, the eastern front could be resolved in the shortest possible time.
Provoking French ambitions and deliberately allowing the emergence of Greater France needs no further exnation.
They too are amon enemy of Europe. With two behemoths appearing simultaneously, European governments would instantly be dumbfounded, unable to devise a response strategy in the short term.
In this stalemate between two powers, no matter which one falls, the other will be the superpower of Europe. Who knows what to do then?
During this hesitation, the situation will change.
To put it bluntly, this is a gamble. Franz is betting that after the unification of Germany, he can firstplete the internal integration. Then, through diplomatic means, he can provoke internal contradictions in Greater France, and eventually subjugate France with national strength.
The French, on the other hand, are betting that the French military is stronger and can directly defeat the unified Germany on the battlefield after establishing Greater France.
The existence of the Austro-French alliance, apart from mutual needs, also implies an intention to jointly eliminate otherpetitors. Neither side will be at ease to fight a decisive battle without first dealing with otherpetitors.
Although there is no idiom in Europe that says “while the snipe and the m are fighting, the fisherman benefits,” everyone understands this principle.
Obviously, this is not known by the Prussian government. If they had known that France and Austria had formed an alliance, they would probably have no intention of stirring up any “Greater Prussia” n, but would instead quickly find others to huddle together for warmth.
Foreign Minister Mackeit sneered, “By your reasoning, we should just hand over Silesia? Don’t forget, the Austrians have also proposed to purchase Prussian Saxony.
This kind ofpromise and concession will only embolden them. At what point do we draw the line? If we dopromise, how will the government exin it to the people?”
Chief of General Staff Moltke refuted, “Of course, it’s not a unteral cession. We can conduct an exchange of interests with Austria. Right now, we need Austria’s support or at least tacit permission…”
…
Looking at the crowd arguing endlessly, the atmosphere was very disharmonious. The military advocatedpromise, and the government advocated toughness. It seemed that the order was reversed.
This was indeed reversed. At first, it was the government officials who advocatedpromise, and the military advocated a tough response. However, with the change in the situation, this situation has reversed.
In fact, this is just a continuation of the power struggle in the Prussian government. The civilian officials are now at an absolute disadvantage in the power struggle within the government, with decision-making power falling into the hands of the military. Naturally, they were unwilling to ept defeat and sought to cause trouble.
In the face of power, many bottom lines ceased to exist. The civilian officials had reached a critical juncture of life and death. Once the London negotiations concluded, with the military bolstered by their great victory over Russia, their voice in the government would further strengthen.
With victory in hand, the military naturally advocated for stability. As for the aftereffects of ceding territory, they were not actually that severe.
Conceding territory also depends on how it is conceded. As long as it is done properly, the losses can be controlled within a certain range. What the Kingdom of Prussiacks now is notnd, but poption, especially Germans.
With East Prussia depopted, there is an urgent need for people to fill the void. The newly upied areas also require immigrants to stabilize the localities. By relocating the poption and finances from the cedednds, Austria could simply take over an empty territory.
This would still fulfill the agreement, leaving the Austrian government with no recourse. The initial agreement was only to cede Silesia, with no stiption about including the poption and property therein.
If they wanted to cause trouble, they could even leave behind a portion of the poption, transferring all local industries under their names, and then engage in non-violent non-cooperation.
In this society where private property is sacred and invible, whatw states that people cannot legally choose non-cooperation? The Austrian government would be powerless.
Of course, this powerlessness would only be temporary. People always find solutions, especially once they discard scruples. Many methods could then resolve the issue.
There was another unspoken reason behind the military’s shift in stance — the Junker nobility neededbor to cultivate theirnds. In this era, the degree of mechanization was still low, and agriculture’s demand forbor was far from trivial.
East Prussia was the Junker nobility’s stronghold, but now itcked people, leaving them unable to find sufficientbor to resume production.
There were also the newly upied areas, where a lot of thend would fall into the hands of the Junker nobles through post-war rewards, also requiringbor for cultivation.
Without locals, relying entirely on the indigenous poption for farming would pose a majornguage barrier issue.
Furthermore, noble governance over regional domains necessitates having an established foundation. Should the indigenous popce rise up in defiance, they would require individuals from their own ranks to quell such insurrection.
Silesia, wrested from Austrian control, was an industrialized region dominated by capitalist interests superseding those of thended aristocracy. Thus, its potential cession posed no threat of losses to the Junker nobility.
The Prussian Saxon region was also more or less the same, its economy developed quite well, however, their incorporation into the Kingdom of Prussia was too recent for the Junker aristocrats to establish a firm grip over the region.
The civilian officials are different. Topete with the military, they formed an alliance with the domestic capitalists. As the spokesperson for the interests of the bourgeoisie in the government, they naturally have to protect the interests of the bourgeoisie now.
In theory, if the poption and property are transferred, the losses of the Kingdom of Prussia can be minimized. Ordinary people can also receivepensation from the government, which seems to be a good idea.
However, the interests of the capitalists cannot be guaranteed. Factories cannot just be built anywhere. Even if all conditions are met, they will have to rebuild theirwork of contacts and salesworks after changing regions.
This is not something that the government’spensation can make up for. In the process of this change, they are very likely to be reced by others.