Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 62
Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Founding a Nation
Translator: 549690339
Kossuth could dispatch people to block the official representatives of Austria, but they were powerless against those secretly siding with Austria.
The Hungarian Revolution was not achieved through bloodshed, meaning a large number of people inclined towards the Vienna Government remained within the country. Kossuth had thought of purging these elements, but it was simply not feasible. (The losses of a few individuals were negligible)
The internal relations within the Kingdom of Hungary were intricate and interconnected; the nascent Hungarian authority was fragile and could not withstand turmoil.
Vienna
Upon receiving the news that Hungary had expelled the Austrian representatives, everyone knew that war was on the countdown. The Austrian Government could not possibly let Hungary become independent.
“Prime Minister, how is the preparation of materials going?”
After entering the Age of Hot Weapons, war depended on materials, and now Austria had to take care of the Italian battlefield as well. Franz’s greatest concern was logistical support.
“Your Highness, the campaign to quell the Hungarian rebellion has not yet started; at present we are prioritizing the Italian battlefield. If the number of troops we deploy exceeds two hundred thousand, we will not be able to guarantee the supply of logistics,” Felix said after some thought.
This was not a case of Austria not having the strategic materials—as one of the great powers, Vienna was not short of such supplies. The key issue was the inability to ensure that materials could be delivered on time to the troops that needed them.
The first major problem was transportation. To sustain the combat efforts of several hundred thousand troops and to consider post-war refugee relief demanded the massive transportation of materials.
From its establishment, the new Cabinet had been working hard for this. After suppressing the rebellion in Vienna, Austria had entered a wartime economic system, with all government departments striving for the war effort.
“We can’t wait any longer. The Hungarians have rejected our goodwill, and now all eyes are on us.
Military action can be delayed, but a political offensive cannot be postponed. Do you have any suggestions?” Franz said seriously.
Everyone was a politician and naturally understood the concept of a chain reaction. If the Vienna Government ignored Hungary’s declaration of independence, wouldn’t other careerists eagerly follow suit?
No, it seemed that by this time, the careerists in other regions had already been doomed. If not for Franz’s deliberate tolerance, the Hungarians would not have succeeded in achieving their independence so smoothly.
In history, Hungarian independence was built on the complete occupation of the Austrian Italian Region, the Revolutionary Party’s capture of Vienna, and an internal civil war in Austria that left the government too preoccupied to manage its own affairs.
At that time, everyone thought Austria was doomed, so they toughened their resolves and went ahead with the revolution.
Even in rebellion, they did not forget to report back to the Emperor, providing an explanation for the rebellion and leaving themselves a way out.
The battle in Italy continues, the insurgencies in Austrian regions have been suppressed, and the Vienna Government still possesses strong power.
Capitalists and nobility are not desperadoes; they all have homes and businesses. Under normal circumstances, they would not jump out to seek death, yet the Hungarian Revolution still succeeded.
On the surface, it seemed that the surge of Hungarian nationalism under the persistent efforts of Kossuth and others was the key to success.
In reality, the astute knew that this was highly abnormal. The Vienna Government’s response was too slow. If they had sent troops to suppress the rebellion sooner, the Hungarian Republic would not have had time to establish itself.
Austria had a standing army of 350,000, the Vienna Government had mobilized 200,000 reservists and expanded the City Defense Army by 30,000, while the Italian battlefield had consumed only 100,000 men.
In the Galicia Region, Austria deployed 40,000 troops; in the Bohemian region, 50,000; and in the Slovenia Region, 20,000.
Within the Kingdom of Hungary, there were still 120,000 Austrian troops stationed in regions like Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Transylvania.
Even if some of the troops had been influenced by Hungarian nationalism, the vast majority remained loyal to the Emperor. If they had suppressed the unrest in the first instance, the situation would now be quite different.
“Your Highness, I think we need to immediately declare the Hungarian Government illegal and convert Croatia, Transylvania, and Slovakia into directly governed provinces of the empire,” Foreign Minister Metternich said with a murderous air.
Even a wall plasterer can kill. Dividing the Kingdom of Hungary was something he had always wanted to do but dared not; now the opportunity had presented itself.
The Hungarians dared to rebel; there was nothing more to say, they must be split apart! Missing this rare opportunity meant it would be harder to come by another chance later.
The Austrian Empire was a multi-ethnic country, and the Kingdom of Hungary was also multi-ethnic; the desire of the Hungarians for independence did not mean the Croatians, Romanians, or Slovak people wanted to become independent with them.
“Mr. Metternich is correct, but at the same time as we divide the Kingdom of Hungary, we can now make an early public announcement of the ‘Ethnic Equality Bill’ that we are drafting.
Are the Hungarians not advocating nationalism? We, too, can utilize this, by classifying all serfs and commoners in the Hungarian Region as part of the
Austrian Ethnicity, directly undermining their foundation,” suggested Finance Minister Karl.
Franz’s eyes lit up at the suggestion of the Finance Minister, which was tantamount to artificially creating a nationality, effectively dividing the Hungarian nobility from the commoners.
If history books were opened, it would be clear that nationalities are artificially divided based on culture, language, history, geography, economy, and such factors.
If one were to discuss bloodlines, it would be a false proposition. Throughout the changes in human history, virtually all nationalities are of mixed blood, and these cannot be clearly separated.
Of course, the nobility would never admit that their bloodline was the same as the commoners, just as the “Hungarian nationality” currently refused to acknowledge serfs as their members.
Due to educational standards, most serfs in Southern Europe at that time had no nationality, or rather, no one had told them to which nationality they belonged.
In Franz’s view, this was an opportunity, a chance to integrate Austria.
“Mr. Carl, I don’t think this has any positive significance. There are already many nationalities in Austria, and adding another will only make our rule more complicated!” Archduke Louis said with a frown.
He had perceived Carl’s insinuation. The creation of an Austrian Ethnic group was a pretense; the real purpose was to assimilate all the ethnic groups of Austria together.
However, this was not what Archduke Louis wished for. Once all the ethnic groups in Austria were merged, the Germans would no longer be an exception. This would symbolize a division between Austria and Germany, a disaster for proponents of Greater Germany..
