Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Chapter 15: Reformist

Translator: 549690339

The tumultuous civil service exams in the Austrian Empire continued until February 1849, when the final results came out, leaving some overjoyed and others in despair.

Franz heaved a sigh of relief that it had finally come to a smooth end. With this good start, the talent selection system of Austria underwent a significant change.

The Central Government now oversaw the unified selection of talents, deploying them to local positions, which greatly weakened the local power factions and strengthened centralization.

On February 6, 1849, the Austrian National Assembly officially convened, marking the beginning of all Austrian ethnic groups’ participation in governance and decision-making for the nation’s fate.

A total of 115 members from various Austrian ethnicities attended the meeting. Theoretically, seats were allocated based on population proportions, but considering practical scenarios, the number was increased by 15.

Since many Austrian ethnic groups lived in scattered settlements, Franz couldn’t possibly gather them all together. Therefore, the election of assembly members was based on regions.

Naturally, the candidates were nominated by the great His Majesty the Emperor, after which they were elected by local votes. If a certain ethnicity lacked representation, don’t worry or panic; it merely meant their interests had been represented.

Amid the cheers of the public, the Austrian National Assembly, the nominal supreme authority of Austria, was thus established.

The first matter addressed by the National Assembly upon its opening was the passage of the Austrian Compulsory Education Law. The highly anticipated compulsory education was finally enshrined into law in Austria.

The Government’s call for public suggestions also came to an end, with hundreds of thousands of proposals received in total, though most of them were redundant.

What surprised Franz was that there were so many opponents to compulsory education. Nearly half of the suggestions were advising the government not to waste resources and tax money.

Indeed, many saw compulsory education as a waste of resources and tax money.

They even cited examples, pointing out that the two great powers of the modern world—England and Russia—did not practice compulsory education, and the Kingdom of Prussia, which did, hadn’t become the world’s dominant power.

Franz, with his strong mental fortitude, decisively ignored these dissenting opinions.

The benefits of compulsory education in the Kingdom of Prussia might not be obvious now, but once the second Industrial Revolution unfolded, everyone would suddenly realize that the Kingdom of Prussia had a vast number of technical workers and engineers.

With a massive number of technical workers and engineers, Germany’s economy soared past the United Kingdom after the outbreak of the second Industrial Revolution.

After several rounds of screening, only five feasible proposals remained in Franz’s hands, including the sandbox-style teaching he had arranged for.

However, one of the proposals greatly angered Franz.

“Work-study compulsory education,” which basically meant making children undergoing compulsory education work in factories for half a day, then attend school for the other half, using their labor income to finance the costs of compulsory education.

On the surface, it seemed unobjectionable, but in reality, it was deeply problematic. If capitalists and schools colluded, compulsory education would likely turn into a source of cheap labor for capitalists.

Even if all children were assigned to state-owned enterprises, the outcome wouldn’t improve much, as the managers of these enterprises would also pursue profits. It wouldn’t be surprising if half a day’s work turned into a full day’s work after collusion.

Franz still had his integrity—exploiting children was something he could not do.

Moreover, if even the Kingdom of Prussia, poorer than Austria, could implement compulsory education, there was no reason why it couldn’t be pursued in his domain.

Decisively rejecting this proposal, Franz realized that there was always a scheme deeper than the last.

There was even a suggestion for Church-administered compulsory education, which meant entrusting compulsory education to the Church. The government would fund the Church, letting it handle compulsory education.

Franz really wanted to find the scoundrel who proposed this and tear them to pieces.

Indeed, it could save some costs, as churches were widespread, students could stay at home, avoiding school construction expenses; Clergy had other sources of income and didn’t live off salaries—just a bit of subsidy would suffice.

But what would be the consequences? Whether the next generation cultivated by the Church would remain loyal to the Emperor or to the Church was a serious concern.

Franz didn’t underestimate the power of religion. From the Middle Ages to the present, European governments have been striving to weaken the influence of religion. It would be absurd to go back in history.

These two seemingly feasible but nefarious proposals had hidden risks, and yet many people agreed with them. Franz couldn’t help but lament, “National quality education still needs to be strengthened!”

After excluding the two problematic proposals, Franz said, “Prime Minister, submit these three rather reliable suggestions to the Parliament for discussion. Select the one that’s most suitable for Austria’s national condition for compulsory education.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Prime Minister Felix.

The so-called discussion is nothing more than a formality; the will of the Emperor is the will of the Austrian National Assembly. It’s fine to have one’s own opinion, but it must not conflict with the Emperor’s.

Of course, Franz is also amenable to reason; he is willing to adopt any good suggestions as long as they are convincing.

Minister of Education Leo von Thun-Hohenstein, presented a thick document and said, “Your Majesty, the Ministry of Education has prepared the plan for obligatory education, please review it.”

Franz took the document, which was about two or three hundred pages thick; he didn’t rush to open it, as the amount of content was not something to be understood in a short time.

The Austrian Empire is a multi-ethnic state with very complex national conditions; the methods used to implement obligatory education in different ethnic areas vary.

Since many aspects are involved, the final plan naturally became thicker.

“Count Hohenberg, could you give a preliminary explanation of your plan, and how far it has progressed?” Franz asked with concern.

Count Hohenberg quickly replied, “Your Majesty, after conducting field research throughout the country, the Ministry of Education decided to implement obligatory education in phases, starting with densely populated urban areas and gradually extending to rural areas.

This year our goal is to start obligatory education in major cities like Vienna, Prague, Pecs… and strive to extend obligatory education nationally within five years.

The school locations in these major cities have essentially been determined, and considering budgetary issues, we are principally renovating existing buildings.

To date, we have completed the construction of 1,023 schools and recruited 34,216 teachers, who are undergoing urgent training and expected to be ready by May.

The Ministry of Education plans to officially start obligatory education in June of this year. During the early phase, considering school capacity, we will enroll students who voluntarily sign up, and after five years, we will enforce compulsory education for all eligible children.”

Franz nodded; his biggest fear was that officials, eager for political achievements, would rush projects and mess up the well-planned obligatory education.

“Has the Ministry of Education considered students from families with better financial conditions? They have their own money to pay for tuition and require better educational conditions.

They need not compete for resources with other children for obligatory education. Has the Ministry differentiated these students?” Franz asked doubtfully.

Poor education is naturally the privilege of the poor; surely the descendants of capitalists and the nobility shouldn’t also be going to class with their sand trays?

Count Hohenberg explained, “Your Majesty, Austria already has fee-paying schools, and we have not made significant changes to these; these schools are not incorporated into the obligatory education system.

Considering equitable selection, in the future, the Ministry of Education will gradually reduce the allocations granted to these schools. The Ministry will allocate education funds based on the number of students in all schools, using a unified standard.”

Perhaps this is not the best choice, but it is the most suitable one. The Austrian Central Government provides equal education funding for every student participating in obligatory education, taking the principle of fairness into account to the greatest extent.

Those who have money can spend it on better schools; these are their freedoms. After the government reduces grants to these fee-paying schools, naturally, the tuition will increase.

The times have changed; before, the Austrian Empire only needed to pay for the education of some two to three hundred thousand students, but now it must foot the bill for the education of millions of students, making educational disparity inevitable.

Of course, local finances also contribute to education funding; wealthier areas get a bit more, less affluent areas get less. The Central Government’s education funding allocations can only guarantee the most basic completion of obligatory education for students.

“Let’s proceed with this for now, and continue to solicit opinions from domestic education experts. As long as the suggestions are practical and beneficial for Austria, we can accept them,” Franz thought for a moment and said.

Since it was necessary to make a political show, it was essential to do everything properly. Since the initial phase involved consulting the public, naturally, this must continue.

Whether or not the suggestions are adopted in the end, at least after a round of lively debate, the relationship between the Austrian Government and experts and scholars in society has improved a lot.

Last year, the Austrian Government’s suppression of the rebellion created barriers between itself and cultural figures, but these have been gradually diminishing.

Many people’s dissatisfaction with the Austrian Government stems from a rigid system that hampers the country’s development, not because they don’t love the country or want to revolt.

In fact, Austria is quite conservative. Revolutionary ideas popular in France find it hard to take root here; people are seeking reform, not revolution.

In the Metternich Era, ‘reform’ was touted as a slogan every day, yet when it came to action, the government made no move, which left everyone extremely dissatisfied.

In Franz’s era, the Austrian Government’s reforms have been continuous, first with the abolition of serfdom, then the implementation of Labor Protection Laws, followed by civil service exams, promotion of obligatory education, and so on.

Although these reform measures leave much leeway and are not radically enforced, such progress already satisfies the reformists.

Aside from naive teenagers, no one expects perfect results immediately. Especially the older generation who prefer to boil the frog in warm water, making social changes step by step.