Chapter 225:
Chapter 220 The Deal
The sudden pause in the Near East War instantly woke up many in the Austrian government. There was no surprise, the powers were not fools and would not let the unified German Empire come out to grab food from them.
This was expected by Franz, unlike the historical existential empire,, the current Austria looked much stronger.
In shocking the European countries, naturally, there is no shortage of scorn from everyone. This time diplomacy is very important, a savage is not a wise man.
Berlin
Metternich proposed to the Prussian government to divide up the German region, no doubt the Prussians were not stupid, and it was difficult for both sides to come to an agreement.
Austria’s annexation of the South German region is easy, Prussia to annex the North German region but very troublesome, this is the problem of soft power.
****ist Prussia, powerful only military strength, in culture, most German states can despise them.
This is also the reason why the Kingdom of Prussia is easy to attract black, in the cultural world they have no voice, culturally not recognized by everyone.
Of course they could learn to force everyone to agree by force as they did in history. But the current government of Frederick William IV was too wimpy to take that step.
The countries united to call off German unification, and Austria suffered an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma. If Prussia jumped out at this time, the pressure on Austria was relieved, and they themselves suffered.
The North German region is different from the South German region, most of the South German countries are Austria’s little brother, a long time by the Austrian influence, which is why Franz advocated the use of political means of unification.
The North German region also had the hand of the British, Prussia wanted to annex these regions, Hanover was a hurdle that could not be crossed.
After a Danish incident, the Berlin government knew that the Great Powers were not to be trifled with, and even if the British would not be as direct as the Russians, people’s navies came out to block the door was also very scary.
Metternich said calmly, “Your Majesty, the North German region is the most prosperous region in Germany, and even though the territory is slightly smaller, their economic strength is not weak at all.”
The economic strength of the North German region was indeed not weak, the total amount was more than half of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was a place Frederick William IV could only dream of.
Frederick William IV shook his head and said, “Your Excellency the Prime Minister, although the economy of the North German region is good, it is still not as good as that of the South German region, both in terms of population base and territorial area there is a huge difference.
Considering the complex situation in the North German region, it would be difficult for the Kingdom of Prussia to annex these states, which is very unfair, and Prussia needs to obtain Saxony as compensation.”
Obviously, the Prussian government had recognized the importance of population during this period.
Metternich replied coldly, “Your Majesty, strength determines power. Once that line is exceeded, it means disaster!”
Fair, how could it be? Austria paid such a big price and ended up letting the Kingdom of Prussia gain the same benefit, do you really think the Vienna government is stupid?
……
The Prussian government didn’t dare to mess with the British, but wanted to be compensated in Central Germany, which was obviously not acceptable to Austria. The last negotiation between Prussia and Austria naturally ended in a disagreement.
Metternich’s goal had been achieved, the Prussians moved to get a piece of meat at the very moment of the division of the German region, which meant that it was impossible for them to cooperate closely with Britain and France.
If, as Britain and France proposed, the German region was divided into three, and the states other than Prussia and Austria were merged into one country, what would the Prussians have to gain?
Prussia couldn’t just scrap herself in order to limit Austria, could she? Once this state was established, the Kingdom of Prussia had a lot to lose.
Without the South German region, Austria would still be a continental power; without the North German region, the Kingdom of Prussia would not be able to keep its current status as a quasi-power.
The complete industrial system was gone, and the German Customs Union, which was the lifeblood of Prussia’s economy, also ceased to exist.
A Prussian kingdom with a population of 13 or 14 million could not support an independent economy, not even in the 19th century.
North Germany is not a large area, but the population is quite a lot, once the annexation of this area, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia will be more than 20 million people, this figure has already exceeded England, the total economic volume is to increase by 60% to 70%.
The bait has been put down, Metternich is not afraid of the Prussians are not moved. In the end, whether the Prussians ate meat, or got into a mess, it is none of his business.
……
Paris in 1853 still retained a part of its medieval flavor, with a dark tide of new forces in the corners of the classical city, and a large number of immigrants streaming in with dreams of making a living.
The soaring population brings not only economic development, but also mountains of garbage and feces, and streets that are always congested.
A wide ditch bisects the street and blocks the road on both sides. All it takes is a light rain and the road is going to be built on a rickety bridge.
The livestock slaughterhouse was located in the center of the city, and blood flowed like a stream onto the road, condensing on the soles of the shoes before the leather shoes stained scarlet.
This is the Paris in Metternich’s eyes, accustomed to the neatness of Vienna, see the dirty Paris, he is really difficult to like up.
The most unacceptable is still in the gutter from time to time appeared in the infanticide, cruel society forced the public moral degradation, in order to survive the bottom of the population had to artificially control the birth rate …… children and grandchildren of the peasant-style family, has been silenced in this place.
Here is a prosperous cosmopolitan city, here is the landmark city of Europe, here is also a sea of evil, this is the 19th century Paris.
Versailles.
Metternich and Napoleon III had a secret meeting. Interest is always the best catalyst for national relations, and the run-up to the Revolution was the honeymoon period for Franco-Austrian relations.
After the Revolution, relations between France and Austria took a turn for the worse. After the accession of Napoleon III, relations between France and Austria warmed up for a while, but with the outbreak of the Near East War, relations between the two countries fell to the freezing point again.
Now the two can talk and laugh together, or because of the interests of the same continental countries, France and Austria have a lot in common with each other.
There is nothing that the interests can not be solved, if the interests can not be solved, it must be that the interests are not big enough.
Napoleon III is not a saint without desire, so he has very great expectations for the arrival of Metternich, which means interests.
Metternich got right to the point and said, “Your Majesty, on the European continent France and Austria are perfectly capable of cooperating with each other and taking what they need.
‘Confrontation between the two countries’, that’s what the British policy of continental balance requires, and it’s not in the interests of either of our countries.
My visit to Paris this time is to have an in-depth communication with your country to resolve the dispute that has arisen between the two countries at the moment.”
“What do you need from us and what can we gain?” Napoleon III asked dryly
In reality the higher the level of negotiation, the simpler it tends to be. Everyone was extremely busy and didn’t have that much time to pull their punches.
Usually high-level meetings were short, and to achieve results in a limited amount of time, it was much easier to talk directly about benefits to reach a consensus.
Metternich directly stated the conditions, “Your Majesty, Austria wishes to obtain your country’s recognition of the New Holy Roman Empire, in return Austria will support your country’s expansion in the Kingdom of Sardinia and Central Europe.”
Napoleon III thought for a moment and said, “It seems that the unification of the German region is just a cover, your real purpose is only to annex the South German region, now your goal has been achieved, right?”
Metternich replied seriously, “Yes, Your Majesty! It’s too difficult to unify the German region, everyone doesn’t want us to succeed, and Austria has no plans to challenge the world yet.”
Napoleon III was in deep thought, the call for the unification of the German region was very loud, the South German region Austria had already eaten, it was obvious that it would not be easily spit out.
Standing in the position of France, he naturally did not want Austria to be able to continue to grow, but now want to interfere and very difficult.
Do not look at the Near East war temporarily truce, Napoleon III is very clear, Britain, France and Russia are still no easing of contradictions, as long as the Russians do not stop, they can not give in.
Relying on diplomatic pressure to make Austria back down? Napoleon III can certainly say, don’t dream. In this era, we all look at the strength to speak, Austria has shown muscle, no overwhelming their strength, do not expect them to compromise.
He had to admit that Austria had chosen a good opportunity to take advantage of the fierce fighting between Britain, France and Russia to take the South German region in one fell swoop, creating an established fact.
Napoleon III said cautiously, “Your country will have to cede the land west of the Rhine to France, and at the same time, your country must also withdraw from the Italian region.
The sphere of influence of the new Holy Roman Empire is limited to the current franchise countries and must not continue to expand into the German region.
Your country must not continue to support the Russians in the Near East War. If your country can do these things, we can recognize the legitimacy of the New Holy Roman Empire.”
How is it possible to agree to Napoleon III’s demands? Paying such a big price to reap a South Germany, Austria is not working for nothing.
Metternich shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, your appetite is too big, this has exceeded Austria’s bottom line.
Other than the New Holy Roman Empire not continuing to expand in the German region, other conditions are unacceptable to us.
First of all, there is a covenant between Russia and Austria, it is impossible for us to turn our backs on our allies, there is no need to talk about this issue.
Secondly, withdrawing from the Italian region is also impossible, the most we can promise is that we will not continue our expansion in the Italian region.
The German lands west of the Rhine are negotiable, but not now, we must consider the feelings of the populace.
In reality we don’t have much territory west of the Rhine, and it’s not very valuable, it might be better for your country to make up for it elsewhere.”
Having gotten Metternich’s own admission that a covenant existed between Russia and Austria, Napoleon III’s heart sank to the bottom, meaning that intervention was out of the question.
Do not look at all the countries in Europe have come to join in the fun, in fact, most of the countries are just to brush up their presence in the international arena, really if they are asked to send troops, one or two will have to beat a retreat.
As long as the Russians supported Austria, then the intervention coalition could not be organized. Unless the war in the Near East is stopped immediately and Britain and France draw back their troops on the front line, they will have the strength to intervene in Austria.
Whether the British would do it or not, Napoleon III did not know, but in any case he himself would never do it. Having paid such a great price, the war had come to this, and without a great victory, he simply could not close it.
This was about his own political life, there was no way Napoleon III would gamble his throne just to intervene in Austria, it wasn’t worth it.
Since there was a deal between Russia and Austria and Metternich was secretly present in Paris, what about London? If the Austrians had convinced the British, it wouldn’t have mattered whether there was French recognition or not.
After thinking about this, Napoleon III helplessly realized that at this time he did not have much of a choice, unless France did not expand in the future, it was the best option to make an exchange of interests now.
France’s mineral resources are insufficient, the German Rhine region of mineral resources, has always been the existence of the French coveted, especially the local rich coal resources.
Most of these areas are currently under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was one of the triggers of the historical Franco-Prussian War, which was provoked by Napoleon III after the Prussians failed to fulfill their prior commitments.
……
Maximizing profit is the essence of any politician, and Napoleon III was no exception, and now he needed to gain a share in Austria to consolidate his still unstable kingdom.
After much bargaining, on August 6, 1853, Metternich and Napoleon III signed the Outline of the Treatment of the Franco-Austrian Question of Italy, the Franco-Austrian Treaty on the Division of the Spheres of Influence in Central Europe, and the Franco-Austrian Mutual Assistance Confidentiality Pact at the Palace of Versailles.
The first two treaties, which only agreed on the spheres of influence of the two countries outside of each other, set out many potentially controversial areas in a treaty.
It was the latter secret treaty that was the centerpiece of this negotiation, according to the agreement: France supported the establishment of the new Holy Roman Empire, and Austria would support the French in acquiring the area west of the Rhine, and parts of Italy. (including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Rhineland, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Sicily)
Franz was always generous when it came to being generous at the expense of others, and if the French dared to ask for it, they would likewise not refuse Metternich even if they had to include the Netherlands and North German regions.
Anyway, this support on the promise just stays in words, and it’s not like there is any actual benefit to pay.
Napoleon III does not know? Obviously impossible, but he had confidence in the strength of France, and thought he would have no problem at all taking these regions.
As long as the Austrians were able to honor their agreement, pay lip service to their support, and not come along with other countries to interfere, they had a great deal of success.
The ideal should always be there, in case it is realized.
Having the pact made in advance also eliminates an adversary in advance in case a future operation is to be carried out.
Of course, Napoleon III is not stupid, will not just really believe the Austrian government’s commitment, so many targets, even if they want to take action, but also can not be a leap of faith.
Road to take one step at a time, meat to eat one bite at a time, as long as not greedy, these goals of the French is still very likely to be realized.
In short, everything depends on strength. As long as France is strong enough, these small goals can be realized. On the contrary, if the strength is not enough, even if the Austrians fulfill their promises, they do not have the appetite to eat it.
(End of chapter)