Holy Roman Empire

This is harmless, and it still cannot stop the enthusiasm of the people.August is no exception. He always directs his son's hobbies to scientific research.

Obviously, the little guy didn't buy it that much. He shook his head and said, "No, the laboratory is too boring. How can it compare to galloping the world on a horse? My ambition is to become a great soldier."

Looking at his dancing son, August could only accept this reality helplessly.Not a top student, it is too difficult to become a scientist, and becoming a soldier is also a good choice.

The traditions of the German region are strong, and becoming an excellent soldier is the goal of most people.

Don't look at August as a doctor. In fact, he was also a soldier, but he has retired.

In the national military service system, basically every adult male will serve in the army.Men who have not served in the military are vulnerable to discrimination in society.

Now Austria's service rate is still as high as 95%, and the remaining 5.00% are naturally defective products.Even if ordinary people cannot enter the regular army, they will enter the reserve service.

This is not just an obligation, but also a right of everyone. The legal definition is: every citizen has the right and obligation to defend the country, and the right to perform military service is also one of the civil rights.

This is not Franz's fault, but the core of Austria's constitution: rights and obligations are equal.

Not serving in the military also means not fulfilling the rights and obligations of defending the country, and naturally losing political rights, including a series of social benefits.

There are not many social benefits now, and it is not clear how much impact it will have. The future will be different.

Now the issue of unemployment assistance and pensions has been put on the agenda.Napoleon III had set a precedent, and Franz had to follow suit.

Just as Austria was the first to formulate labor protection laws back then, it is now standard in European countries, including the Russian Empire.

From this point of view, the fighting power of the proletariat in Europe is still very strong.Everyone is very active in fighting for their own rights.

The lack of communication is mainly due to the burden of the enterprise.To increase these two expenditures, it is natural to increase taxes, otherwise, what do you get if you have no money?

It is not surprising that Napoleon III will lose the throne. Most of the hats put on his head by later generations are false. There is only one real reason: the capitalists have suffered from Napoleon III for a long time.

The socialist emperor also had a price, and it is definitely not an understatement in the history books.Whether it's rebuilding Paris or improving working-class welfare, money is needed.

Economic development can certainly increase tax revenue, but the accompanying expenditure also increases.When Napoleon III took the throne, France's fiscal deficit was as high as 10 billion francs.

Up to now, not only has the expenses been smoothed out, but there is still room to provide benefits to the workers. The money is not just printed notes.

The problem can be seen from the tax changes before and after he took the throne.During the Orleans Dynasty, the tax paid by the big capitalists was less than 30.00% of the fiscal revenue, but now it has exceeded [-]% of the fiscal revenue.

Whether it is unemployment benefits or retirement pensions, the money comes from the pockets of capitalists.

Just look at his establishment of the two major central banks in France, the "Land Credit Bank" and the "Mobile Credit Bank", as well as the establishment of land banks in Paris and the provinces, and you will know how much meat the financial capitalists have cut.

Don't forget the lessons learned from the past, Franz is doing the same thing, and even going one step further.It's just that the fighting power of the Austrian capitalists is not good, and they are politically suppressed by the nobles.

In order to reduce pressure, Franz recruited big capitalists from time to time.No matter how much power they have, these people become members of the ruling class, and the class position changes.

It is impossible for them to take out their hard-earned rights and share them with their original bourgeois companions.

Capitalists and capitalists are naturally opposed to each other, and competition has torn this group apart. As long as monopoly consortiums are not allowed to appear, this group will not have the strength to fight against the government.

……

Christmas Eve in 1868 left a shocking scene for this era. The scene of "the city that never sleeps" that exists in science fiction has become a reality in Vienna.

The telegraph is definitely one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century. Thanks to the efficient transmission speed of the telegraph, the news of "Vienna = the city that never sleeps" grabbed the front pages of European newspapers the next day.

This Christmas, there is only one "city that never sleeps" in the eyes of European people.

Electric lighting has long appeared in continental Europe, but many people dare not even think about lighting up a city.

In fact, not all of Vienna is lit up, but street lamps are installed, and many residents still use oil lamps for lighting in their homes.

Naturally, the newspapers would not elaborate on these issues, but simply mentioned them in one stroke, making everyone in Europe take it for granted that electric lighting has been popularized in Vienna.

It is enough for a small country to watch the excitement, and everyone has a good attitude. Vienna is the wealthiest city in Europe, and it is normal for it to become the city that never sleeps first.

It is different in the eyes of some people. For the British and French people of this era, this cannot be tolerated.

London

Chapter 12 The Beacon of Freedom Must Be Lighted

As the capital of the United Kingdom, London has been at the forefront of the world since the first industrial revolution.

It has too many auras, for example: the largest city in the world, the most prosperous city, and it is also the political center, financial center, commercial center, and industrial center of the world...

Overnight, it seemed to become a small country place. This sudden change made the proud Londoners unbearable.

They have the capital of arrogance in this era, as the British newspaper described:

The plains of North America and Russia are our cornfields;

Austria is our breadbasket;

Canada and the Baltic are our forests;

Australia Argentina is our pasture;

Peru, Mexico brought its silver;

The Far East grows tea for us;

And our coffee, sugar cane, and spice plantations spread throughout the Indies;

Spain and France are our vineyards;

The Mediterranean is our orchard;

The Confederate States of America are our cotton fields;

……

Therefore, the places outside of London are all rural areas, and the areas outside the British Isles are all backward areas. Only the British can undertake the sacred mission of leading human progress.

With this understanding, the emergence of Vienna, the city that never sleeps, has an impact on the people of London.

The pressure of public opinion surged towards the new government overwhelmingly, and the Benjamin Disraeli government only felt the pressure was enormous.

Now they are very envious of John Russell's cabinet who has stepped down. Don't think that they resigned early. In fact, John Russell's cabinet is only two months away, and its two terms will expire.

At the end of their term, they encountered an economic crisis. Of course, they will not sweep the end for their competitors.The early resignation of John Russell's cabinet puts all the blame on the next government.

Originally in the economy, life in Benjamin Disraeli's cabinet was very difficult.Internationally, the battle for the Spanish throne and the Polish throne have involved everyone's nerves.

Now there is another city that never sleeps, which makes Prime Minister Benjamin even more troublesome.Electric lights are not considered high-tech, and they have been using them for a long time, but it is not easy to spread them to the whole city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asked: "My Chancellor, is there a budget yet?"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Molitor replied solemnly: "A preliminary estimate is that the popularization of electric lights in London will require an investment of at least 7500 million pounds, and the popularization of electric lights in the British Isles will require an investment of 4.4 million pounds. Considering the actual situation, the investment may be even greater.

This is only the investment in equipment, and there will be more investment in electricity costs in the future.For the street lighting system in London alone, we need 15 generators, and at least 30 people are required to provide logistical support for this. "

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli waved his hand and interrupted: "Stop it, just tell me that London cannot popularize electric equipment. But why can the Austrians do it?

Even though Vienna is much smaller than London, it is still a metropolis with a population of over one million.I don't believe that the Vienna government will invest desperately for the sake of saving face. "

Finance Minister Molitor explained: "It is said that the Austrians have adopted high-power power generation equipment to ensure the lighting system in Vienna, only two hundred generators are enough.

This kind of high-power generator reduces the cost of power generation by 80.00%, and the maintenance personnel required are greatly reduced. Only about three or four thousand workers are needed to maintain this power network.

In fact, the lighting system in Vienna is a masterpiece of the Austrian New Energy Power Company, and it is said that there is royal investment.

The city government of Vienna only needs to pay the electricity fee, which costs about 10 pounds per month, to use this power supply network worth more than 700 million pounds. "

Molitor also has a headache. The British Electric Company is a salty fish. It is only keen on providing electricity to the rich, and has no interest in building a lighting system for the whole city.

If he hadn't read the newspapers, he would not have known that the revolution in generator technology had already happened.If you just set up a street lighting system, then gnashing your teeth will pass.

Obviously, this is impossible.The citizens of London need a more considerate home delivery service, which requires a significant increase in investment.

The simple electricity bill of 10 pounds obviously cannot support the Austrian new energy power company. Even if it enjoys tax-free treatment, this is still far from enough.

Now it is just for staking the land and directly investing in the construction of a complete power supply network, which also means monopolizing the power market in Vienna.

There is no industry in Vienna, and the ultimate profit point of the power company is residential and commercial electricity consumption. These high-quality customers are the long-term cash cows.

Compared with the previous electricity fee of 8 shillings per kilowatt-hour, the electricity fee in Vienna has now been reduced to 1.5 shillings. This is the advantage of the power supply network, which greatly reduces the loss of electricity during transmission.

There is no doubt that this price is a huge profit, but if the new technology wants to be promoted, it still needs to be spawned by huge profits.

If you want to further reduce electricity prices, you must wait until electricity is fully popularized.Otherwise, who will pay for this power supply network?

The Vienna government cannot afford this expense. Once the government contributes, it is not a problem for a city, but for nationwide popularization, which is the core of the fairness system.

We are all taxpayers, so why should we supply power to big cities first?

If the central government does not invest, who can afford the initial investment from the local government?

Is it a loan?If you really want to do that, I'm afraid it won't be long before the local governments of Austria will go bankrupt collectively.

It is a dream to expect the bureaucracy to control costs.It is better to leave it to the free development of enterprises first, and then go back and consider the issue of popularization after the further development of technology.

The British also encountered the same problem. If the central government does not allocate funds, the London City Government cannot afford it at all, and the people in other areas do not agree to the allocation.

You don't have to wait for the people to make trouble, and you won't be able to pass the congressional hurdle.Originally, the capital occupies a lot of resources, and the central government's further financial tilt will intensify conflicts and conflicts, and may even lead to the division of the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rubbed his forehead and said helplessly: "Then leave this issue to the London City Government! The Austrian government has not allocated funds, so what qualifications do they have to ask us to allocate funds?

As for what they do, that is their own business.It is unacceptable for the municipal government to fail to fulfill its responsibilities for local construction and shift its responsibility to the central government. "

Kicking the ball is the most common method used by politicians.Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli would have ignored him if it wasn't for the pressure of public opinion outside.

The cabinet's involvement in this matter is only to express its importance, and it does not mean that it will intervene.

If the investment is small, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is still happy to make a wave of political achievements and make the British Isles shine.

Now that the investment is so big, forget it!If this big project is launched blindly, the British fiscal revenue may not be enough to fill this hole.

……

In Paris, the tragic Paris city government was once again surrounded by demonstrators, which is enough to prove that the Parisians understand the rules.

Renovating urban infrastructure is the responsibility of the municipal government, and the central government cannot be made to pay for it.

Including Napoleon III's transformation of Paris, the funds were mainly borne by the Paris city government, rather than being dumped to the French central government.

In this regard, the French are very clear, and the accounts have always been separated.Local governments also have their own fiscal revenue, rather than relying entirely on central government appropriations.

For example, the salaries of municipal government employees and the operating expenses of various government agencies are borne by local governments themselves.

Otherwise, the fiscal revenue of the central governments of various countries in this era is not enough to maintain the operation of the government.

Of course, some European countries are still directly managed by the central government, but they are all small countries with small land area and small population, so they don't need so many institutions.

If the local government cannot afford administrative expenses, the central government may still subsidize it. For example, the Austrian government once subsidized the province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, otherwise this poor province would not even be able to pay the salaries of civil servants.

There are exceptions, such as the United States.That is, each state plays with each other. If you have money, you can spend it yourself. If you don’t have money, you can figure it out yourself. Anyway, don’t count on the central government.

Looking at the protesting crowd outside, the mayor of Paris, Barco, was heartbroken.You must know that the reconstruction project in Paris has already burdened the Paris government with huge debts, and they are almost out of breath.

The talkative party said it easily, improving public infrastructure will help develop the economy and get rid of the economic crisis.

In fact, it all costs money.What to invest if you have no money?Napoleon III ordered the reconstruction of Paris, and it was not the city government of Paris that was paying for it.

The high debts must also be repaid. In order to increase fiscal revenue, the Paris city government has raised taxes many times.

This tax cannot be counted on ordinary people. They don't have much money themselves, and the bulk of the tax still falls on enterprises.

Napoleon III encouraged the development of industry, so financial capitalists bear most of the taxes.Frankly speaking, this tax distribution model is reasonable.

The profit of the financial industry is higher than that of the manufacturing industry, and there is nothing wrong with high profits and high taxes. Therefore, this period is the golden period of French industrial development.

There are also many electric power companies in France, but unfortunately none of them are large-scale.Usually, a power company only has a few hundred customers, and those with thousands of customers are all big companies.

After interviewing these power companies, Mayor Barco directly gave up on letting them undertake the important task of building the power supply system in Paris.

It's all nonsense to say anything without the strength. Without money and technology, who dares to let them do it?

There are many capitalists who are interested in taking on this important task, but the appetite of these predators is too great, which directly makes Barco daunted.

For example: Rothschild, a financial tycoon, intends to invest. He not only asks for free, but also asks the Paris government to bear half of the construction cost for free.

Bearing half of the construction costs free of charge, it is better to go directly to the state.Obviously, the capitalists are aware of the pressure of public opinion and want to get the most out of it.

As a beacon of the free world, how can it not be lit?The attitude of the people of Paris has already explained everything.

Franz probably never dreamed that investing in the construction of the Vienna power system would bring so much trouble to Britain and France.

It's no use even knowing, he can't help.The popularization of electricity in this era is still a bit ahead of schedule.It is the best time to wait for the generator technology to go further and the copper smelting technology to reach a higher level.

Now the cost of promotion is too high, and it can be promoted in a special city like Vienna. If you change to other cities, you can't pay for it, you are lucky.

At 1.5 shillings per kilowatt-hour, only [-]% of the people in Austria can afford it, and the ratio is almost the same in Britain and France.

The situation in Vienna is special. It is not an industrial city, and the pillar industries are all relatively high-income industries.People's income is higher, and most people can afford electricity.