Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 225:

Chapter 225: Chapter 112, Dark Days

Translator: 549690339

The unexpected developments at the Paris meeting reached Franz’s hands, and Metternich explained his own views, while the high-ranking officials of the Vienna Government also offered their suggestions.

In general, it meant seizing the opportunity when the situation was favorable. According to Austria’s original plans, they intended to annex the South Germany Region. Now, although they could not keep Baden, they had gained Saxony.

In terms of territorial area, both were more or less equal, but clearly the Saxon region was of greater importance to Austria. Setting aside industry, it had a population several hundred thousand more than the Baden Duchy did.

The plan to divide Germany into three parts was part of Austria’s unification plans and was first proposed by Metternich, with preparations beginning several years prior.

However, the original ideal plan was to integrate the small states of the Northern Germany Region into a new nation, blocking Prussia from unifying the Northern Germany Region.

Undoubtedly, if the plan had been proposed by Austria, it would have failed 100 percent. Without even thinking, the Prussian Government would likely have rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work.

Therefore, this grand task could only be entrusted to the British. Initially, the Austrian Government had to be sufficiently submissive to make the Prussian Government believe that under international pressure, Austria would admit defeat and retreat from the Germany Region.

Once Austria was out of the picture, there would be no suspense in the Kingdom of Prussia’s unification of the Germany Region. Under such temptation, Frederick William IV could not resist, missing the opportunity for a two-part Germany.

Franz did not have the ability to command the British, but he could make them believe that a three-part Germany was in their best interest, or more precisely, make the capitalists in London believe that a three-part Germany could protect their market.

To intervene in the London Government’s decision-making, Austria did not possess such capability; at best, they could only bribe some experts and scholars to manipulate public opinion.

It could not even be associated with Austria; from start to finish, it was all done by the Bavarian Government, with all the money and effort coming from Maximilian II.

The theory of a three-part Germany was first introduced to Maximilian II, and historically it was the Kingdom of Bavaria that proposed the concept of a three-part Germany, but it was not successful due to insufficient power.

On the surface, Austria’s Foreign Ministry seemed to have done nothing. In reality, Metternich had done a lot.

To convince the Bavarian Government that with the support of the major powers, a three-part Germany could be successful, the Austrian Government had to spend millions of shields on propaganda funds every year.

Austria controlled the beginning but could not control the end. The notion of manipulating the decisions of a nation’s government was unreliable from the start, and attempting to control the pace was simply a dream.

Without much hesitation, Franz made the decision, “Send a telegram to the Vienna Government, we can make concessions, but not too obviously, we still need to use the pressure from other countries to force the Prussian Government to give up the Rhineland region.”

Originally, the establishment of a new nation was to restrain the Kingdom of Prussia. Now, the British had come up with the outlandish idea of a strategic buffer, suggesting a land swap between the Kingdom of Prussia and this new state.

This must be supported. Throughout history, most famous diplomatic anecdotes began with outlandish ideas. If there’s nothing unexpected, how can it be considered a classic?

The Rhineland might not seem very well-known, but change the term to the Ruhr District or the Rhine-Ruhr, and it becomes clear to everyone.

It holds 80% of Germany’s hard coal, 90% of its coke, 60% of its steel, and is the most important center for machine manufacturing in the Germany Region, known as the “industrial heart of Germany”.

Without the Rhineland, was it possible for the Kingdom of Prussia to rise like it did historically?

Obviously not.

Of course, the importance of the Rhineland in this era wasn’t as great as in later times; the industrialization of the area had only just begun in the mid-19th century.

Otherwise, Napoleon III would have recklessly charged in when Austria annexed the South German Region.

Even if the proposal failed and the Kingdom of Prussia refused to exchange territories, it wouldn’t matter. When France ran short of coal in the future, Napoleon III would definitely provoke the Franco-Prussian War.

Even if he didn’t want to fight, French capitalists would find a way to start a war, and if that wasn’t enough, Austria could still add fuel to the flames.

If the Prussians won, Austria would share this nascent nation with them; if the French won, then even better for Austria—they could swallow the new nation in one gulp, perfectly balancing the French annexation of the Rhineland industrial region!

Berlin

Ever since the British proposal had been made, the Prussian Government had been in an uproar. Frederick William IV cursed out loud; no one was a fool, after all, the main reason they had mixed with the British was for profit, wasn’t it?

Now, great, Austria might have been kicked out, but they took away a large inheritance. The Kingdom of Prussia not only failed to gain any benefits, but was also kicked out of the German region.

The reason didn’t need to be speculated upon; he knew it—interests.

The nascent regime would surely lean towards England, and after Belgium, the London Government had driven another nail into the European Continent.

Cloaked in the name of strategic buffer, this buffer not only limited Austria, but also cut off the path to great power status for the Kingdom of Prussia.

Frederick William IV angrily asked, “What about Austria, what’s their reaction? Are they really tolerating the British doing as they please?”

Foreign Minister Andrea replied, “Your Majesty, Austria’s stance is very conflicted, seemingly indecisive. They don’t want to give up the Baden Duchy, but they also don’t want to cause negotiations to collapse because of this.

All the pressure has now fallen on us. Whether we agree to the land exchange or not, this new state is going to emerge.”

To put it simply, this state, which aligns with the interests of the great powers, will be born. However, the Kingdom of Prussia can refuse the land exchange proposal, as there is no coercion from the other states to agree.

“If we now join hands with Austria, what is the likelihood of successfully dividing the German region?” Frederick William IV asked with concern.

What England, not England, in front of interests, Frederick William IV still summoned the courage to take a risk.

“Your Majesty, the precondition is that the Austrians are willing to join hands with us. The situation has changed. This time, aside from the Baden Duchy, Austria has almost obtained everything they wanted.

What benefits are there for them to join us now? Unless we make significant concessions in the distribution of benefits!” Foreign Minister Andrea replied.

Frederick William IV fell silent. If concessions continued to the point where Austria annexed the central German region, the foundation of the Kingdom of Prussia would be too small.

A small territory, a low population, meant that the potential for development was limited. To dream of being a great power, one must first have suitable size!

According to Austria’s original proposal, the Kingdom of Prussia, which would have annexed the Northern Germany region, would have a population exceeding twenty million and a territory nearly 380,000 square kilometers, at the cost of offending England and France.

Starting a war now, which would similarly offend England and France, would yield much less benefit; naturally, Frederick William IV was not content.

“Your Majesty, the opportunity has already passed; it would be better to wait for the next one,” Joseph von Radovich pondered. “Europe cannot maintain balance forever. War is inevitable as soon as there is an imbalance of power between England, Russia, France, and Austria.”

Friedrich Wilhelm IV paced back and forth before speaking, “What about the issue of exchanging territories, then? Should we refuse?”

“Your Majesty,” the Prime Minister responded, “from a strategic standpoint, if we exchange the Rhineland region, our territory will become more centralized, ensuring greater national security and avoiding a border with the French.

But the resources of the Rhineland region are also very important to us. Even if we acquired the economically developed Hamburg area, we would be at a loss,” answered Joseph von Radovich.

It was a dilemma. Joseph von Radovich suspected that the United Kingdom’s proposal was not well-intentioned. Of course, the main target may not necessarily be the Kingdom of Prussia but more likely to incite conflict between France and Austria.

Once the Rhineland fell into the hands of this new nation, Austria would certainly not accept France’s ambitions there, and with a push from the British, the two would end up fighting.

If the Prussian Government refused the land exchange, then the situation could change. It might not be Austria on the front line but the Kingdom of Prussia instead.

This was just his intuition; his rationality told him this was not reliable. Thanks to the reputation of Emperor Napoleon, any expansion by the French would provoke a strong reaction from everyone, and Napoleon III would not be so foolish.

While the Prussians were hesitating, Metternich also had a headache. The many states of the German region were all waiting for Austria’s response.

Theoretically, the German Federation had not been dissolved yet, and the governments of the states were waiting for Austria to decide whether to dissolve the Federal Assembly or not.

The British proposal to divide Germany into three parts was not kept secret; by now, almost everyone knew. For these state governments, forming a new nation would naturally secure their interests even more.

However, they were all seasoned politicians and would not show any signs of excitement at this time. On the contrary, everyone’s face was clouded with gloom, as if they were all opposing the dissolution of the German Federation.

Facing a bunch of actors, all Metternich felt was a headache. Knowing full well they were putting on a show, he was obliged to play along.

Without playing the part to completion, how would he explain it to the domestic public? The unification of Germany had failed, but we did our best; look, we’re lobbying, no, visiting foreign dignitaries every day, even though nobody sees us.

Others might avoid these individuals, but Metternich could not escape. He could only grit his teeth and meet with them as they all lamented the difficulties of unifying Germany and then harshly criticized the interfering countries before returning to their homes.

In any case, everyone here was a supporter of the unification of the German region; nobody was selfish, or at least that was the appearance.

In such circumstances, Metternich had to visit the representatives of the different states every day, striving to gain their support.

As of now, Austria had obtained the understanding and support of Naples, the Papal State, Tuscany, and others.

Even Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, and other countries’ attitudes had shifted. Taking religious beliefs into account, they recognized the merger of Austria with the states of the South German region.

As the saying goes, “strike while the iron is hot,” as enthusiasm wanes on second efforts and fades on the third. The interfering Allied Forces, yet to form, had been weakened and disintegrated unnoticed.

On October 1, 1853, the Paris conference, which had lasted for more than a month, came to an end. With Metternich’s persistence, Austria successfully annexed areas such as Bavaria, Saxon, Württemberg, Frankfurt, and Hesse-Darmstadt.

(The Kingdom of Bavaria has lost a detached territory, the Palatinate.)

It acquired approximately 114,000 square kilometers, increasing the population by about nine and a half million, taking the first step on the road to German unification.

Under the principle of consensus among the major powers, the remaining German regional states, with the exception of the Kingdom of Prussia, were merged into the German Federation Empire, restoring the ancient elective monarchy tradition.

The territorial exchange between the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Federation Empire is currently at a stalemate; the Prussian Government’s appetites are large, facing resistance from numerous Sub-States, especially the governments of the territories in question, which strongly oppose it.

If it were only the governments opposing, the matter might still be suppressible, but the public’s reaction has been even more volatile. Most of the Kingdom of Prussia’s embassies in the Germany Region have been besieged by citizens.

This intense reaction has directly shaken the Prussian Government’s resolve to exchange territories. Frederick William IV has no desire to rule over a mob; the lesson of the Berlin revolution has not been forgotten.

Compared to stable governance, national strategy can take a back seat, moreover, the potential for development in the Rhineland region is indeed significant, and the Prussian Government is truly reluctant to let it go.

If the benefits were indeed significant, then an exchange might not be out of the question, but clearly, that is not possible now; the German Federal Government only agrees to an equal area exchange, which, of course, the Prussian Government does not accept.

If it wasn’t for the fact that everyone needed to save face for the great powers, perhaps negotiations would have ended by now.

Having received the final resolutions from the Paris Conference, Franz heaved a deep sigh of relief, but naturally, he did not show his joy.

In the eyes of the outside world, Emperor Franz is now seething with rage. To protest the unfair treatment by the Paris Conference, he even wrote a very pretentious essay, “The Day of Dimness”.

“Today is the dimmest day of my life, the Germany Region has been forcibly divided by a band of shameless robbers and a national traitor.

Even God frowned, and the sunlight, which fell on the ground, was reduced to a few weak and frail beams.

A roaring wind is approaching and a storm is coming. Is great Germany ready?

Ready to face this wind and rain, ready for this moment of darkness.

This is a world for the strong, my subjects, you must be resilient. The howling wind cannot topple us, the torrential rain cannot suppress us.

The only thing that can defeat us is ourselves! Only by growing strong and bravely facing everything can we move beyond the days of dimness, for after the storm, one can always see a rainbow.

Before he returned to Vienna, Franz’s article had already made its way to the Germany Region, and even though telegraph fees at that time were exorbitant, he did not skimp.

Propaganda naturally needed to seize the initiative, and in this regard, Franz had plenty of experience. Right now, it’s likely that not many people in the Germany Region are in good spirits, so Franz naturally has to stand with the people.

As part of his plans for the future, he must now call for everyone to hold on, never to submit to reality. The division is only temporary, and the unification of the Germany Region is merely a matter of time.

Cheating one person at a time, as long as the flag of unity stands, it effectively opens a backdoor for Austria’s future expansion.

Influenced by Franz, the Vienna Government also cancelled its originally planned celebrations, as if the entire government were mourning the division of the Germany Region.