Chapter 233: Dark Days

  Chapter 228 Dark Days

The change of heart at the Paris conference was passed on to Franz, Metternich stated his views, and the top government officials sitting in Vienna made suggestions.

The general idea is to take what you can get, according to Austria’s initial plan was to annex the South German region, now Baden can not keep, but there is an additional Saxony.

Territorial area of the two are about the same, obviously the Saxony region is more important to Austria, leaving aside the industrial not to mention, at least the population than the Duchy of Baden to hundreds of thousands more.

The plan for a three-part Germany was part of the Austrian unification plan, first proposed by Metternich and laid out several years earlier.

Only the ideal plan at the beginning was to integrate the small states in the North German region and create a new state to block Prussia’s unification of the North German region.

There is no doubt that this plan would have failed 100% if it had been proposed by Austria. The Prussian government probably would have rolled up its sleeves and done it without even thinking about it.

So this big task can only be given to the British to fulfill. The Austrian government must also be sufficiently goose-stepping in the early stages to make the Prussian government think that under international pressure Austria will concede defeat and withdraw from the German region.

Once Austria was out of the picture, the unification of the German region by the Kingdom of Prussia was not in doubt. Under this temptation, Frederick William IV did not hold back and missed the opportunity to divide Germany in two.

Franz did not have the ability to command the English to move, and could only make the English think that a three-part Germany would be in their best interest, or rather, make the capitalists in London think that a three-part Germany would preserve their market.

Austria was not capable of interfering with the resolutions of the London government, but at best of bribing some experts and scholars to build up public opinion.

Austria could not even be associated with the Bavarian government, and it was Maximilian II who contributed the money and effort.

Three German theory, the first to fool is Maximilian II, history is also the Bavarian Kingdom put forward the idea of three German, but the lack of strength did not succeed.

On the surface, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have done nothing, in fact, Metternich did a lot of things.

In order to convince the Bavarian government that a three-part Germany could be successful as long as the Great Powers supported it. The Austrian government had to throw millions of guilders into propaganda every year.

Austria controlled the beginning, but not the end. Manipulating the decisions of a government is inherently unreliable, and trying to control the tempo is simply a dream.

Without hesitating for long, Franz made a decision, “Send a telegram to the Vienna government, concessions can be made, but don’t make it too obvious, we also need to utilize the pressure of various countries to force the Prussian government to give up the Rhineland region.”

Originally, the establishment of a new country was to hold the Kingdom of Prussia in check, and now the British actually whimsically proposed a strategic buffer to allow the Kingdom of Prussia and this newborn country to exchange land.

This has to be supported. Throughout history most of the famous diplomatic allusions start with whimsy. If it’s not unexpected, then is it even a classic?

Rhineland doesn’t seem to be very well known, change the term to Ruhr, or Rheinland, and everyone knows it.

It is home to 80% of Germany’s hard coal, 90% of its coke, 60% of its iron and steel, and is also the most important center of mechanical engineering in the German region, known as the “heart of German industry”.

Without the Rhineland, would the Kingdom of Prussia have been able to rise as it did in history?

Obviously not.

Of course, the Rhineland was not yet as important in this era as it was in later times, and local industry was only just beginning to take off in the mid-19th century.

Otherwise, Napoleon III would have gone up there recklessly regardless when Austria was encroaching on the South German region.

Even if the proposal failed and the Kingdom of Prussia refused to exchange land. No matter, when France lacks coal in the future, Napoleon III will certainly provoke the Franco-Prussian War.

Even if he does not want to fight, the French capitalists will find a way to start the war, really can not Austria can also add a fire.

If the Prussians win, Austria will divide this newborn country with them; if the French win, then it is better for Austria to annex this newborn country in one breath, which is just the right balance for the French who have appropriated the Rhineland industrial zone!

……

Berlin

The Prussian government blew up since the British proposal came out. Frederick William IV was furious and cursed, no one is a fool, they follow the British, the main purpose is not for profit?

Now it is good, Austria is kicked out, but people also took away a large amount of heritage. The Kingdom of Prussia not only did not get any benefits, but also followed the kicked out of the German region.

What is the reason for this, he knows without thinking – interest.

The newborn regime will certainly be pro-British in the future, and after i.e. Belgium, the London government has put another nail in the coffin of the European continent.

The beautiful name is a strategic buffer, in fact, this buffer, not only just limit Austria, but also cut off the Kingdom of Prussia’s path to great power.

Frederick William IV asked angrily, “What about Austria, what is their reaction, are they just going to allow the British to do whatever they want?”

Foreign Minister Andrea replied, “Your Majesty, Austria’s attitude is ambivalent and seems to be hesitant, they neither want to give up the Duchy of Baden, nor do they want to cause the negotiations to break down as a result.

The pressure is now all on us, and whether we agree to the land exchange or not, this newborn nation will be born.”

Simply put, this state that is in the interest of the great powers will be born, but the Kingdom of Prussia can refuse the land exchange offer, and the states are not forcing them to agree.

“If we join forces with Austria now, what is the success rate of dividing the German region?” Frederick William IV asked with concern

What England is not England, in front of the interests Frederick William IV still raised the courage, want to let go.

“Your Majesty, the prerequisite is that the Austrians are willing to join forces with us, the situation has changed, except for the Baden duchy Austria got almost everything it wanted this time.

What interests do they have in joining forces with us at this time? Unless we make major concessions in the distribution of benefits!” Foreign Minister Andrea replied

Frederick William IV was silent, if since the concessions went on, once Austria annexed the central German region, the Prussian Kingdom’s base would be too small.

A small territory and a small population meant that in the development potential was limited. The dream of a great power, first of all, must be big enough ah!

According to the initial Austrian proposal, the annexation of the North German region of the Kingdom of Prussia has a population of more than 20 million people, the territory is close to 380,000 square kilometers, the price is to offend Britain and France.

Now provoke a war, the same is to offend Britain and France, but the benefit harvest is much smaller, Frederick William IV natural reluctance.

“Your Majesty, the time has now been missed, so why not wait for the next opportunity! The European continent cannot be balanced forever, as long as the strength of Britain, Russia, France and Austria is out of balance, war is inevitable.” Joseph von Radowitz said thoughtfully

After wandering around for a while, Frederick William IV spoke up, “What about the question of land exchange, should we refuse?”

“Your Majesty, strategically speaking, our exchange of the Rhineland region would allow the country to become more centralized, more secure in its defense, and avoid a border with the French.

But the resources of the Rhineland region are also very important to us, that is even if we exchange it for the economically developed Hamburg region, we still lose out.” Prime Minister Josef von Radowitz replied

It was a dilemma, and Joseph von Radowitz suspected that the British offer was inherently unsettling. Of course it was not necessarily aimed at the Kingdom of Prussia, but more likely to provoke a Franco-Austrian conflict.

Once the Rhineland fell into the hands of this newborn country, the future of the French to play here, Austria certainly can not accept ah, the British to add strength, the two sides fought.

If the Prussian government refuses to exchange land, then the situation has changed, then the top may not be Austria, but the Kingdom of Prussia.

This was only his guess by intuition, and reason told him that it was not plausible. Thanks to the prestige of Napoleon the Great, now whenever the French expanded abroad, it would cause a strong reaction from everyone, and Napoleon III would not be so unwise.

……

While the Prussians were hesitating, Metternich had a headache. The many states in the German region were waiting for Austria’s reply.

Theoretically now that the German Confederation had not been dissolved, the governments of the states were waiting for Austria to make a stand on whether or not to dissolve the Bundestag.

The British proposal for a three-part Germany had not been kept secret and was now almost universal. For these state governments, their interests were naturally more secure in the formation of a new state.

But everyone was old enough not to show any expression of surprise at this time, but instead one face was sad, as if they were all against the dissolution of the German Confederation.

Facing a bunch of acting men, Metternich only felt his head was big. Knowing that they were putting on a show, Metternich had to play along with them.

How could he explain to the people at home if he didn’t put on a good show?

The unification of Germany was aborted, but we all tried our best, don’t believe you see we are harassing every day, no it’s visiting the dignitaries, although we can’t see anyone.

Everyone else could have done without them, but Metternich couldn’t avoid them. We can only receive them with a stiff upper lip, we all sigh together once again, the hardships of German unification, and then we scold these interfering countries, and go back to our own homes.

In short, here are all advocates of the unification of the German region, absolutely no self-interested people, at least it seems so.

Under these circumstances, Metternich also had to visit the representatives of the various countries every day in an effort to gain everyone’s support.

As of now, Austria has gained the understanding and support of Naples, the Papal States, Tuscany, and others.

Even the attitudes of Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Holland, etc. have changed, and in consideration of religious beliefs, everyone recognizes the merger of Austria and the South German regional states.

As the saying goes, one drumbeat is not enough. The interventionist allied forces, which had not yet been established, were already divided and disintegrated without everyone noticing.

On October 1, 1853, the Paris Conference, which had lasted for more than a month, came to an end, and at the insistence of Metternich, Austria succeeded in annexing the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg, Frankfurt, and Hesse Darmstadt.

(Bavaria had one less enclave, Pulfatz.)

The increase in land area was about 114,000 square kilometers of land and the increase in population was about 9.5 million, taking the first step on the road to German unification.

Under the principle of unity among the Great Powers, the remaining German states, except for the Prussian monarchy, were united to form the German Federal Empire, restoring the ancient tradition of elective empire.

The question of the exchange of territories between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Federal Empire of Germany was currently at a standstill. The Prussian government’s appetite was too great and was resisted by many states, especially the governments of the exchanged regions, which were even more vehemently opposed to it.

If only the government opposed it, then the states could still forcefully press it, the problem is that the civil reaction is even more intense. The vast majority of the embassies of the Kingdom of Prussia in the German region were besieged by the people.

This fierce reaction directly shook the Prussian government’s determination to exchange land. Frederick William IV did not want to rule a mob of people himself, and the lessons of the Berlin Revolution were not yet forgotten by him.

Compared with the stability of the rule, the national strategy could be put on the back burner. Besides, the development potential of the Rhineland region was really great, and the Prussian government could not afford to throw it out.

If the interest is really too big, then also not sorry can not be exchanged, obviously now impossible, the German federal government just agreed to equal area exchange, the Prussian government of course did not agree.

If not everyone take into account the face of the Great Powers, perhaps now the negotiations are over.

Received the final resolution of the Paris conference, Franz deeply relieved, of course, his elation, did not show.

Again the outside world, Franz the Great is now exactly angry. In order to protest against the unjust treatment of the Paris Conference, he also wrote a very pretentious essay, “Dim Days”.

“Today is the dimmest day of my life, the German region has been forcibly divided by a group of shameless robbers and a national thief.

God is frowning, and the sun’s rays reach the ground, and only the thin few soft rays of light remain.

The wind is howling, the storm is coming, is the great Germany ready?

Ready for the wind and the rain, ready for the dim hour.

This is the world of the strong. Be strong, my people. The winds will not blow us down, the rain will not crush us.

The only one who can defeat us is always ourselves! Only by being strong and facing all this bravely, the dark days will always pass, and the rainbow will always be seen after the storm.

……”

Before the people returned to Vienna, Franz’s article was first transmitted to the German region, and even if the telegraph fee in these days was an astronomical one, he did not skimp on it.

Public opinion propaganda should naturally seize the opportunity, this Franz is very experienced. At this time, the people in Germany were not in a good mood, and Franz naturally had to stand with the people.

In order to plan for the future, this time he must also call on everyone to hold on, absolutely can not yield to the reality, the split is only temporary, the unification of the German region is only a matter of time.

Lying one to another, as long as the flag of unification does not fall, it is equivalent to open a back door for the future expansion of Austria.

Influenced by Franz, the Vienna government also canceled the originally prepared celebrations, and it seemed as if the whole government was grieving over the division of the German region.

Still owe 17 chapters, tomorrow Dragon Boat Festival, wish everyone a happy holiday!

(End of chapter)