Chapter 613: Bewilderment
Chapter 600 Bewilderment
After entering the end of the 19th century, the colonization wave had also reached its end stage. The lands around the world that were suitable for colonization had been carved up, and all that was left were some edges and hard bones.
With the deepening of colonial expansion, the buffer between countries no longer existed, and international conflicts were increasing.
In particular, the competition for the remaining land became even more heated. This situation has continued until the “Anglo-Boer War”, Britain and Austria in South Africa after a serious PK, everyone realized the horror of war, only gradually calm down.
The essence of European colonization is to make money, not the so-called expansion of the territory. At the same time in the colonization competition, we must first consider the input and return of the problem.
Britain, France and Austria were all big winners in the colonial era, even the French Empire with the least colonies, that was ten million square kilometers to start with.
As vested interests, Britain, France and Austria are all well-fed. The pursuit of colonies has not been so fervent, the most fertile areas have been divided up, the remaining edges of the region is not worth the three countries to fight on.
The British took the initiative to propose the alliance of the three countries, in addition to dividing the French and Austrian alliance, but also to ease the contradiction with the French and Austrian meaning.
Open the map to know, Britain, France and Austria has occupied half of the earth, as long as the three countries do not have internal problems, this hegemony simply can not be shaken.
For those with vested interests, stability is the best option. We are all wearing shoes now, and can’t play around as much as we did when we were barefoot.
The three-legged tripod is the most stable structure, and until the balance is broken, it is difficult for the world situation to be chaotic. Including the Prussian-Russian conflict, in fact, it is also the three countries deliberately let out.
Three countries together to divide the world, than four or five countries together to divide the world, can get their hands on more benefits.
Prussia and Russia are not weak, if not against each other, they also have the strength to participate in the division of the world, which is all the old empires do not want to see.
Under the common will of the three countries, the Prussian-Russian conflict will not be solved. Just like the Franco-German conflict in the original time and space, there is no possibility of détente without a winner and a loser.
……
Vienna Palace, Franz also has high expectations for this trilateral meeting. Don’t look at Britain, France and Austria against each other, but in the core issue of the position is still the same.
For example: to maintain stability in Europe, to combat the challengers of the nascent empire, and to consolidate the world hegemony of the three countries.
If we look at the ratio of hegemony, Britain, France and Austria were basically 4.2:3.0:2.8. Simply based on the figures, Austria seemed to be at a disadvantage, which was not in line with its national strength at all.
However, the so-called hegemony is essentially the power of international discourse. Austria joined the colonial expansion much later than Britain and France, and naturally its influence abroad was not as great as that of Britain and France.
This is not overnight to be able to change, anyway, as long as the substance of the interests in hand is enough, international influence Franz is not in a hurry.
Foreign Minister Weissenberg handed over a document: ”Your Majesty, this is the draft of the first day of negotiations. There are two main parts:
One, to clarify the sphere of influence of each country in the form of a treaty to reduce international conflicts, and other colonial countries may be invited to participate at a later stage;
The second, joint suppression of potential rivals, and the British also graded them according to the size of the threat.
In the first tier were the Russian Empire and the United States of America;
In the second tier were the Popish Confederation, the Confederate States of America, and Spain;
In the third tier there were more: the Nordic Confederation, the German Federal Empire, Brazil, Argentina ……
All in all, except for the countries in the first and second echelons, the rest are not enough to worry about. These countries may have potential for development, but they can’t see anyone rising in the short term.”
There is no doubt that this threat report is simply cobbled together. Now the British heart really worried about the threat of only France and Austria, other countries from them is still too far away.
Really want to let the British, French and Austrian three countries to work together in good faith, unless the Russian Empire opened up and swallowed the Pupo Federation in one bite, then there is still the possibility of triggering the three countries to panic, and join forces to attack.
Otherwise, everyone would just pay lip service or make things difficult diplomatically. Directly targeting is usually impossible, the relationship between the three countries isn’t that good yet, and it’s too hard to want everyone to completely drop their guard and cooperate.
Franz took the document, “It’s better to talk about the division of spheres of influence first! What can we gain from those areas, and what do we need to pay?
To suppress the fledgling powers, it’s not an overnight problem, we just need to not let the US unify and prevent Prussia and Russia from splitting up is enough.”
It wasn’t that Franz didn’t know the importance of suppressing his rivals, the problem was that the strength of these countries was so limited right now that people simply didn’t realize the threat.
That the British were able to bring it up so early was already considered strategic. It’s just that all these threats exist only in the future and are full of uncertainty, while the benefits of dividing spheres of influence are in the immediate future.
Politics can’t be taken for granted, and no one can afford to ignore immediate benefits just to combat possible future enemies.
Instead of worrying about potential rivals, it is better to consider the immediate ones first. While it is good to have a superior vision and to see beyond the problems, all this presupposes that Austria remains strong.
If it is not strong enough to share the world’s hegemony, then even if all these potential rivals are taken out, it is just doing someone else’s work for them.
Weissenberg replied, “The scope involved this time is so wide that it covers almost the entire world. It includes the Mediterranean Sea, West Asia, the South Ocean, the Far East, Africa, South America, and other regions.
Those involving our interests are mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean, Africa, the South Ocean, South America, and areas such as West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.”
Franz’s heart was stunned, if this plan became a reality, then the international situation would change radically again.
The division of spheres of influence by the major colonial empires through treaty situations may not seem to serve much purpose, but in reality, as long as an agreement is reached, conflicts between countries will be reduced by a large portion.
Even if there was a conflict, everyone could have the three major powers intervene to mediate, greatly reducing the likelihood of a war breaking out.
Judging from this, it was completely unlike John Bull’s style. When did the British, become so peace-loving?
Well, Franz admitted that he was biased against the British, but this was a conclusion that was drawn from countless cases piled on top of each other.
In recent centuries, more than half of the wars in Europe had something to do with the British, and it really had nothing to do with being peace-loving.
“Any idea why, why the British suddenly want to reduce international conflict?”
Ask for kudos, help the poor helpless author, the stats are so pathetic ????
(End of chapter)