Chapter 19: Turmoil
Chapter 19 The Turmoil
It has to be said that Chancellor Metternich still has some ability, the Austrian government at this time is also very strong, the bourgeoisie’s strikes are not yet able to intimidate them.
The big nobles at this time but support the government, their energy is not in any way smaller than the capitalists, other materials may not have much in their hands, but only food.
All of them are big landowners, and they have a large group of serfs at home, so who doesn’t have some grain in their family? There is no problem for the government to buy a batch of grain from them and ship it over to save their lives.
The capitalists of the conspiracy, want to keep secret simply can not do, as early as before the outbreak of the crisis, the Vienna government has funded from the hands of the nobles to buy a number of grain as a reserve.
As soon as the strike began, the government sold grain to the public, ensuring Vienna’s food supply, only the prosperity of the past is gone. Looking at the depressed market, many in the government were anxious.
Interior Minister Fischer said with difficulty, “Your Excellency the Prime Minister, this can’t go on like this, although the problem of food has been solved, other supplies are still in short supply.
Moreover, now that the capitalists have closed their factories and the workers have lost their income, I’m afraid that the money in their hands will soon run out, and then it will be ……”
Metternich sneered, “Don’t worry, this situation won’t last long, you know that now that the market is on strike, the capitalists are losing gold coins every day, and the small merchants won’t be able to hold out for a few days!
However, it’s true that we can’t just sit back and do nothing, aren’t there nobles participating in the strike, I’ll ask the Archdukes of Louis to go and work on them, and if they side with the capitalists, then they’ll be removed from the nobility.
As long as there is someone to take the lead, the later things are easy, the capitalists are not ironclad, even if they are no longer dissatisfied, they won’t be able to get along with the money!”
……
It was also true that the strike storm lasted for less than a week only, and ended with the capitalists’ defeat.
The nobles who participated in the strike were the first to be convinced.
What about the honor of the nobility?
For the sake of a little profit, they actually degenerated to the point of being in the company of capitalists, which was simply a disgrace to the nobility.
In any case, most of the nobles in this era have not yet become capitalists. Looking at the tycoons engaged in commerce and industry, they have long been unbalanced in their hearts, and at this time, of course, they should righteously accuse them.
Noble banquets no longer invite them to participate, they invite others, people also righteously refused, friends and relatives have come to do ideological work.
Radical nobles have already clamored to kick this part of the degenerate nobles out of the noble circle, which immediately scared a lot of people.
Although the Austrian capitalists are rich, but there is no political status ah! It’s not easy to get a hereditary title, so what if they lose it?
The nobles who could not resist the pressure had to draw a line with the capitalists and quit the strike.
There are even those who think: improve the treatment of workers, improve the treatment of workers, the big deal is that I will use serfs later!
Well, such fools were only a minority, and most people knew that once they compromised, labor costs were bound to rise in the future.
Want to use serfs? Dream on, do you really think that society’s daily call for the abolition of serfdom is just chanting slogans that won’t become reality?
Someone has taken the lead, and the profit-seeking nature of capitalists has doomed the alliance they have entered into, which cannot be sustained in the long run.
We are not impartial people, looking at someone open for business to make money, other people will naturally be unbalanced in their hearts, why do we risk killing our heads to fight for the interests of you to sit back and enjoy the benefits?
The first wave of counterattack launched by the bourgeoisie was quickly defeated because it was not organized closely enough and did not have any binding effect on its members.
Franz was not surprised by all this. Unless it was possible to cut off the supply of food, coal, the necessities of life, it would be very difficult to compromise the Vienna government in a short time.
These are the capitalists can not do, this period of Austria’s aristocracy is too strong, food, coal are people on the fiefdom of the production, the capitalists do not sell, people will not be transported to sell it?
Do you have a purchase contract? At this time, you still expect people to abide by the rules of the game? As the rule maker, they have the right to change the rules!
Franz knew that this matter was not over, the capitalists would not be willing to lose, if the government was not prepared, then they would have to suffer a big loss in the next economic war.
Thinking of this, Franz secretly regretted, I should have known to stockpile a number of supplies, in the capitalists strike, the prices in Vienna but nearly doubled.
“Raul, how much grain is left inside my estate that I can take out and sell?”
“Grand Duke, according to your instructions, we didn’t sell any of this year’s grain, but when the strike storm broke out some time ago, we also sold a million and a half pounds of wheat to the government for emergencies, and after leaving behind enough food for consumption, there are still about three million and eighty-six million pounds left.” Raul replied
(1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms)
The grain sold to the government, Franz is naturally aware of, his estate and only thirty kilometers from Vienna, encountered that kind of crisis situation, as the crown prince of the empire Franz is still very temperate.
Three million eight hundred and sixty-six million pounds, this number sounds great, converted into tons, then seventeen hundred and fifty tons, sold out but two or three thousand gold coins.
This is also after deducting the production costs, only Franz can get the revenue, all the royal family’s estates have been released serfs, labor costs is also a small expense.
“Make preparations, once the price of wheat rises more than twenty percent, just sell these grains!” Franz said thoughtfully
He knew that the capitalists would not let up, speculating on prices was one of the most commonly used means, and the price of grain in Vienna was bound to skyrocket.
Industrialization had already begun, and now the wheat could only be sold to flour mills, and no matter how high the price of grain soared in the market, the purchase price offered by flour mills would not be too high.
The biggest advantage of Franz’s estate is its proximity to Vienna, but at a time when a rebellion could break out at any time, this becomes a disadvantage, and a bad one will be scourged by the rebels.
At this time to hoard a large amount of food, that is in the risk, even if you know that next year the Hungarian revolution broke out, the Austrian food prices will skyrocket, he can only bear the pain to sell.
Next capitalists and the government’s game, speculate high prices really come money fast, but unfortunately Franz’s identity doomed him can not play, otherwise the aristocrats follow the example, Metternich Prime Minister will not be able to top.
(End of chapter)