Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Chapter 94, The Point of No Return

Translator: 549690339

Munich

Ever since learning of Felix’s journey through the Germany Region, with the Kingdom of Bavaria as his last stop, Maximilian II had not slept well.

The other Sub-States could practice tai chi and delay, but as the last Sub-State, what could they do?

Undoubtedly, all the Sub-States hoped that Bavaria could stand up and stop Austria’s actions. As the leader of the smaller Sub-States, Bavaria could not avoid this role.

Especially after Maximilian II ascended to the throne, the implementation of the tripartite balance strategy had backed Bavaria into a corner.

The Kingdom of Prussia had become estranged from everyone. Frederick William IV played dumb without any pressure; after all, he was not afraid of offending others.

Bavaria was different; since it wanted to be the leader of the smaller Sub-States, it now had to come forward. Whether it was supporting or opposing Austria’s plan, it was better than acting like an ostrich.

Maximilian II said gravely, “Gentlemen, Felix will arrive in Munich before long, and we do not have much time left. Today we must make a choice.”

This was the price that had to be paid for previous diplomatic blunders. Previously deceived by the Prussians, they had proposed the Three-Part Germany Strategy, which had offended numerous smaller Sub-States.

At this point, the Bavarian Government could either side with Austria, join everyone in establishing the Holy Roman Group, and become a minor shareholder,

or stop Austria’s plan, express the inner voice of the numerous German States, and regain everyone’s support. After all, what maintained national relations was interest; as long as there were shared interests, everyone was friends.

Prime Minister of Bavaria, Auguste, analyzed, “Your Majesty, stopping the Austrians’ plan is easy, but the consequences are very serious.

Firstly, we would greatly offend Austria, and it would be difficult to restore the friendly relations between our two countries; secondly, the hurdle of our domestic public is not easy to cross. Most people now hope for the peaceful unification of the German Region.

Although we all know that unification of the German Region is impossible in reality, as the people who personally close this door, we will inevitably be condemned by public opinion.”

Auguste had already sensed the danger. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrians had come up with the German Federal Parliament, all to block the French invasion.

Unexpectedly, after the French had been quiet for decades, Austria’s efforts had gone to waste. Now that the French had rearmed, Bavaria’s western flank was no longer secure.

Not nurturing relations with the Austrians to the east now was asking for disaster to strike at any moment; after all, Maximilian II had been making nothing but foolish decisions since his accession.

Ambition needed the support of strength, and the tripartite balance in the Germany Region was exactly what England, France, and Russia most hoped for. International support was not lacking, but unfortunately, the strength of the Kingdom of Bavaria was limited, and they were unable to put plans into practice.

Theoretically, if the strength of the Kingdom of Bavaria were doubled and they had support from the great powers, they could have made a solid effort.

Now, Maximilian II’s efforts were a bit premature. Lacking sufficient strength of their own and having lost the support of many smaller Sub-States, their negotiating power within The Federation had become almost negligible.

Finance Minister Bazel objected, “Prime Minister, these pressures are all things we can withstand. Once we accept Austria’s terms, the Holy Roman Empire would be revived.

Times have changed, and now nationalism has awakened. The Central Government is no longer a rubber stamp; they can use public opinion to pressure us into submission.

Austria is already the largest Sub-State in the Germany Region, whether it’s population, land area, or even the economy, they’re comparable to all our Sub-States combined.

If they gain control of the Central Government’s powers, with justice on their side, we will have no choice but to comply.

Perhaps at the beginning, it would only be about unifying our Currency and abolishing customs duties, which doesn’t seem like would cost us much.

But over time, you’ll find that the command authority of the military, fiscal control, and foreign policy will all fall into the hands of the Central Government. At best, we’ll end up as a highly autonomous government.”

This was bound to happen sooner or later; any Central Government would find ways to centralize power.

And it just so happens that the many German States are not a united front; take the Free Cities for example, they wouldn’t mind becoming highly autonomous regions, which for the capitalists, is a good thing.

Most smaller Sub-States are more willing to compromise, as they see certain powers as dispensable. But for the larger Sub-States, these are tangible benefits.

From this perspective, the royal family stands to lose the most. With an Emperor above them, they’re no longer supreme. If certain policies are unpopular with the public, they could even run to the Central Government to lodge complaints.

Under the combined pressure from within and without, it won’t be long before the royal family’s power dwindles to nearly nothing. The Cabinet Government will also gradually devolve into a provincial government, with a significant decrease in its authority.

Therefore, the bureaucratic groups of each principality were firm opponents.

Prime Minister Auguste shook his head and said, “Mr. Bazel, I think you misunderstand. I am merely opposed to directly standing against Austria, not that we should support them.

There are so many who do not wish to see the Holy Roman Empire reemerge, is there a need for us to jump out and attract hatred? Why should we bear the brunt alone when the benefits are to be shared by all?

Our current stance should be to maintain consistency with the majority of the German States. If everyone is not opposed to the Austrians’ plan, then we are not opposed either.

Either all the state governments go down together, or we all return to the era of the Empire together.”

“Your Excellency the Prime Minister, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy. Now, each German Nation wants us to take the lead, and even England, France, and Russia hope we stand against them.

It seems impossible to muddle through; at the very least, we cannot justify it diplomatically.” Foreign Minister Bakhaus objected.

In simple terms, even if the Kingdom of Bavaria wants to shrink back, there are so many higher-ups forcing them forward. The Bavarian Government isn’t powerful enough to treat the great powers’ opinions as nothing.

Maximilian II frowned. Why should everyone, because of a situation instigated by the Austrians, exert pressure on them? It’s just bullying the softer target.

The Kingdom of Prussia does not want to take the lead themselves, so they push the Kingdom of Bavaria forward; England and France can’t frighten Austria nor influence Prussian Government decisions, so they corner and bully them instead.

The Russians push them out to oppose, purely to complicate matters for Austria and delay the allies’ unification efforts.

All these factors combined pushed the Bavarian Government to the very front lines. Facing diplomatic pressure, even the vehemently opposing Prime Minister Auguste had to relent.

With the support of the great powers, the Kingdom of Bavaria could maintain its position within the Federation; fundamentally, they are but a small country, on par in comprehensive national power with Belgium.

But a small country is still a small country, with limited territory and population, forced to depend on major countries for survival.

This is also why Maximilian II wanted to integrate the many small states of Germany. Only by uniting these small states could they become a medium-sized country, possessing the ability to be independent.

A well-developed medium-sized country can also be a small powerhouse, just like the current Kingdom of Prussia, which has stepped over the threshold of the great powers with the strength of a medium-sized country.

To accomplish this, Bavaria first had to secure the support of the great powers; without England, France, and Russia restraining Austria and Prussia, where would Bavaria get the chance to integrate the numerous small German States?

In the time of great ideological clashes, Maximilian II also proposed the Little Germany plan with Bavaria at the core, but regretfully even the Bavarian people lacked interest.

The reason is very simple—too small, failing to meet the expected value of the “great nation dream”.

Any people with grandeur in their ancestry harbor a dream of a great nation; how could the German People be without one? Since it is a great nation dream, it must be sufficiently grand—that is why Austria is now popular.

The renewed Holy Roman Empire would indeed be vast; should it be established, it would exceed 1.1 million square kilometers in area, surpassing all aspects of their neighbors—the French—which satisfies many adolescent dreams of a great nation.

The Teuton-French conflict is the result of the Habsburg dynasty’s centuries of struggle against the French. The historical Prussia-France war was merely a continuation of this conflict.

To surpass the French, this also held special sentiment for the German People. This is also why, after the Prussia-France war, Prussia could unify the loose German Confederation.

With satisfied vanity, a sense of national pride emerged, and identification with the country increased, and then Germany transitioned from a regional term to a nation.

Maximilian II said with a cold laugh, “Since everyone wants Bavaria to oppose Austria, then we can only proceed.

This is also an opportunity. As long as we stand against Austria, we can obtain the support of the great powers. Then, integrating the principalities in the German region will no longer be a dream.

England, France, and Russia do not wish to see the emergence of a colossal German Empire. Our plan aligns well with their interests. With their support, the probability of ultimate success is very high.”

Unable to contend with a greater force, Maximilian II pinched his nose and conceded. He indulged in his beautiful aspirations, unaware that with this step, he was entering a point of no return.