Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Restoring Confidence in the Market?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In Vienna Bolton Manor, more than a dozen well-dressed dignitaries gathered together. Despite their attempts to control it, they couldn’t conceal the nouveau riche aura that they exuded.

A middle-aged man dressed in extravagant clothes hesitantly asked, “Mr. Owen, can these bumpkins really be of use? Even if we provide them with weapons, a rabble won’t make much of a difference, right?”

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive. The dignified man sitting at the head of the table slowly stood up and, with a slight smile and deliberate speech, said:

“Mr. Love, relying on them alone won’t suffice! But it’s not just us who want a revolution in Austria at this time!

Has everyone felt the extent of the damage this economic crisis has inflicted on Austria?

It could be said that capitalists at all eight levels in Austria have suffered severe losses, with hundreds of thousands left unemployed.

With the Vienna Government doing nothing, what choice do we have other than revolution if we want to survive?”

That is the crux of the issue. At this point, the vast majority of capitalists have been cornered, yet many are not even aware of it.

Right now, many Austrian capitalists have stockpiled a large quantity of goods, and if they can’t sell them off soon, the financial chain will break.

The current problem is, who can we sell these goods to?

Ordinary people can’t afford them, and at this time in Austria, there are far too few people with purchasing power.

Bankers have never been easy to talk to, acting as advanced-stage vampires of the bourgeoisie, always devouring without leaving anything behind.

If the capitalists don’t want to be finished, breaking the existing order to survive the crisis at the expense of the nobility is their only choice.

There are also a vast number of unemployed workers facing the same issue. They may not want to revolt, but a hungry belly can’t lie.

When people are hungry, they lose their reason, and with just a little instigation, a revolution can erupt in minutes.

Compared to history, the social contradictions in Austria have changed. It’s no longer about the people demanding reforms from the government and resorting to revolution upon failure; they are now being driven towards revolution by reality.

An elderly man, about fifty or sixty years old, shook his head and said, “Mr. Owen, if we use the bumpkins to start a revolt and they decide to establish a proletarian government that revolutionizes us as well, what then?”

This was the concern for all capitalists. In this era, proletarian ideologies had already begun to sprout. If a proletarian government got established, it would spell the end for them.

Mr. Owen said with a smile, “This problem is easily solved. Our French counterparts have already helped us with this difficult issue. After successfully seizing the powers of revolution, as long as we take over immediately, there won’t be a problem.

Currently, there are nearly 120,000 workers in Vienna, and under our deliberate control, union organizations are fragmented by industry and factory into hundreds of entities.

As long as they are not united, the new government that is established will inevitably be dominated by us. Surely, you don’t think any of these bumpkins are capable of organizing them?”

Organize them? In an age where communication relies on shouting, it is questionable whether members of the different union organizations even know each other.

These union organizations are predominantly spontaneous and lack compelling authority over their members. Who knows how many capitalist stooges are buried within them.

To organize all the workers is not something that can be achieved overnight. As long as we establish a government first and take control of national authority, the overall situation will be settled.

This can be seen from the February Revolution in France. After their victory, the capitalists took power immediately. Their first order of business wasn’t to bother with the previous government’s troubles but instead to suppress the working classes that had taken part in the revolution.

In the eyes of the capitalists, the notion of integrity was long gone.

Late at night, lights blazed in the Vienna Government headquarters, where Prime Minister Metternich was worrying about the current situation. At this point, at least one interest group had to make sacrifices.

Whether to take a swing at the capitalists, the nobility, or the general populace was a tough multiple-choice question.

Having controlled Austria’s political sphere for over twenty years, Prime Minister Metternich was inevitably bound by rules, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so troubled now.

The Paris Revolution had erupted, and there were undercurrents stirring in Austria, but Prime Minister Metternich’s outlook remained stuck a decade in the past. He believed that conservative Austria was different from open France.

Apart from increasing vigilance in the Italian Area and Galicia Area, he did not believe Vienna was in any danger. In his view, if there were to be a revolution, it would break out elsewhere first, such as in Hungary.

“Your Excellency Prime Minister, from the current situation, the opposition will not compromise this time. They might even plan a large-scale demonstration!” Archduke Louis said with a somber expression.

If it was merely about bringing down Prime Minister Metternich, he would wholeheartedly support it. But the idea that the Regency Council should roll over and hand over power to a parliamentary government after constitutional reforms was fucking nonsensical.

Even if it meant seeing an undesirable Metternich, Archduke Louis had to stand with him at this time, as everyone’s political lives were tied together.

Prime Minister Metternich sighed and then said slowly, “That’s right, they won’t back down unless we fully accept their conditions. Now, our enemy is probably still continuing to rally troops, and tomorrow I will face an even larger marching opposition!

Unless we strike first and arrest the leaders of this incident, command the troops to enter the city, and block all the intersections to prevent their collusion!”

He was old now and lacked the boldness of his youth; otherwise, he would not be hesitating and would have already given the arrest order.

“Then let’s arrest them now. If we let them mess around like this, we won’t be able to control the situation later!” Archduke Louis said without hesitation.

After all, the order would come from the Prime Minister, and except for Metternich taking the fall, he would not need to take responsibility.

Metternich said with a wry smile, “That’s just a temporary solution, not a cure. If the domestic economy does not improve, today’s issues will keep recurring.

Abolish serfdom, gentlemen. At this time, we need to create a market, even if it is only on paper. We must restore confidence in the market!”

Indeed, at this time, announcing the nationwide abolition of serfdom could restore confidence for many people. After all, it would add more than twenty million in purchasing power at once, even though it was minimal..