Holy Roman Empire

I have to say that this time the Russians did a very strict job of keeping secrets, they deceived everyone, and everyone made up their own minds.

"The Russians probably never imagined in their dreams that the Prussians actually persisted this time, and now they are also riding a tiger.

However, the Holy Roman Alliance established by Austria is also a problem. With Metternich, an old fox, it may be difficult to unite all countries to exert pressure. said John Russell, frowning.

Palmerston said with a smile: "Why do we have to force the Austrians to dissolve the alliance? We are not the ones who should be most anxious about the establishment of this alliance.

Russia, Prussia, France, which one of them is not more anxious than us?

Especially the Prussians, they were in a stalemate with the Russians. Originally, Austria was the best mediator, but now Austria has come up with this alliance again. The alliance of the three Nordic courts may come to an end.

Is it necessary for us to help them continue this alliance? "

At the same time, Prussia had conflicts with Russia and Austria, and naturally it could not survive in the Triple Alliance.

In order to split up this alliance, the British have put in a lot of hard work, and now they are only on the verge of finishing. Naturally, they will not renew the alliance.

"It seems to be very beneficial to us, but we still have to be wary of Austria. The old fox Metternich is best at balance, and the influence of the Habsburg dynasty is deeply rooted.

They cannot be allowed to turn this economic alliance into an empire.Otherwise, our interests in the Mediterranean cannot be guaranteed. "John Russell said cautiously

This is not unfounded worry. Everyone knows that the Habsburg family is best at marriage. Internal marriages are carried out within the framework of the alliance. After a few generations, they merge into one family. This is how the Austrian Empire came about.

If Franz knew what the British thought, he would want to laugh.It's okay to form an alliance with the Italian state, but forget it if it annexes the Italian state. He doesn't want to ask for trouble.

"Don't worry, Prime Minister. The Austrians will not have this chance. If they dare to take the first step, this alliance will fall apart.

On the contrary, the Pudan War is a trouble, and the Prussian government is still insisting on it due to public opinion. I am worried that they will anger the Russians, and a war may break out between the two sides.

If the Kingdom of Prussia was crippled by the Russians, without internal control, Austria might really dare to unify the German region. ’ said Palmerston, after a moment’s thought

In many cases, imperial countries cannot be analyzed only from the perspective of interests. If the tsar is angered, it is really possible to fight a war regardless of the consequences.

"Be prepared to mediate. Once the situation gets out of control, put pressure on the Prussian government and force them to compromise." John Russell said fiercely

There is no way to put diplomatic pressure on the Russians, and they will ignore them at all, and they can only bully Prussia, a soft persimmon.

Although the relationship between Britain and Prussia is very good, this does not allow the United Kingdom to support Prussia unconditionally.In the face of interests, it is nonsense to have a relationship with the British.

……

Vienna

Since the establishment of the Holy Roman Alliance, Franz has not slept well for several days, and there is no way to go too smoothly, which seems very abnormal.

It is natural for the Russians not to intervene. The two parties have made a secret agreement. If it cannot be kept secret, the Russians can directly support Austria.

But the performance of other countries surprised Franz.Forget about small neutral countries. They have no right to speak.

But the performance of Britain and France made Franz feel strange.

He can barely understand the performance of the French government. To fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home, and Austria has not invaded France. It is difficult for them to fight against the enemy.

The British did nothing but protest.According to the prior analysis, at this time the British should have brought in the French and a bunch of younger brothers to put pressure on Austria.

This kind of playing cards not according to the script made Franz very headache.Metternich, the foreign minister, is still presiding over work in Rome, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave two answers:

1. The British were busy with colonial expansion and had no time to take care of Austria;

2. The British want to stir up conflicts between Prussia and Austria, Russia and Austria, and disintegrate the Triple Alliance between Prussia, Austria and Russia.

Except for a few cabinet members, the others did not know the contents of the respective secret agreements between Austria, Britain, France and Russia, so it was naturally impossible to conduct a comprehensive analysis.

At this time, Franz suddenly discovered that Austria had signed so many secret agreements in just over a year, which was simply unbelievable.

Had it not been for the Foreign Minister Metternich, Franz suspected that the Austrian government would have collapsed long ago.

Historically, Austria also tried to walk a tightrope between Britain, France and Russia, but in the end it failed to grasp the balance and turned all three possible allies of Britain, France and Russia into enemies.

Thinking about it makes Franz shudder. Don't look at Austria's current situation is much better than in history, but once the diplomatic game collapses, it will fall into isolation in an instant.

Consequences, do you still need to think about it?

Naturally, he is a man with his tail between his legs, and lives peacefully at home farming.Quietly watched Prussia unify the German region, and then challenged the world order with them.

Theoretically, the Austrian Empire, which has completed its internal reforms, will be much stronger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire in history. Maybe Germany and Austria can join forces to launch a counterattack.

However, this kind of thing is obviously impossible to happen. Franz is already prepared. If the situation goes out of control, then Russia and Austria will join forces to fight against Britain, France and the United States.

From a purely military analysis, the possibility of failure is very small. At most, both sides will suffer. When Russia and Austria run out of money, the war will end.

Historically, the Russians singled out Britain and France and lost the Crimean War not because of military failures, but because the government ran out of money. If they had money, they could continue to fight.

Only 30 troops were lost, which was nothing to Mao Xiong. Even if the number was increased tenfold, they still had enough gray animals.

Chapter 22 My Day and Three Reflections on Myself

After reflecting on Austria's foreign policy, Franz decisively decided to farm with peace of mind in the days to come.

Austria has been in the limelight recently. It laid down the Kingdom of Sardinia in twos and fives, extorted a sum of war reparations, and then interfered with the Papal State to consolidate its hegemony in the Italian region.

Now another Holy Roman Alliance has been created. Everyone knows that this alliance is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Just look at the reaction in the German region.

The Holy Roman Alliance and the Holy Roman Empire, that is, the gap between two words, it is easy to associate.

If it weren't for the participation of the Italian states and the base camp in Rome, it is estimated that many people would not be able to sleep.

Even so, in the eyes of many German nationalists, this is a prelude to Austria's desire to unify the German region.

The seed has been planted, and the rest is waiting to take root and germinate.If you want to harvest, let's wait until the strength arrives.

On June 1849, 6, compulsory education in Austria officially kicked off. Children aged 1 to 6 can enroll in any compulsory education school.

Austria’s compulsory education has copied some of Prussia’s successful experience. The core purpose of both sides is the same, and the management methods can naturally be used for reference.

The purpose of Prussia: "Through the schools strictly controlled by the government, resist the spread of revolutionary ideas, and train loyal and brave citizens."

The purpose of Austria is similar, but to put it another way, the purpose of education is to take "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism" as the leading idea and adopt semi-military management.

Since everyone thinks this is appropriate, Franz will naturally not object.The national conditions are different and the times are different. Many things of later generations are not applicable in this era.

For example, now, Franz is still worried that compulsory education will be overcrowded at the beginning. After all, only more than 1000 schools will not be able to accommodate so many students.

Facts have proved that he thought too much, and many people at the bottom have little interest in compulsory education.People who live in the city or the surrounding area are okay, they have a wider horizon and know that it is easier to find a job after studying.

In remote mountainous areas, many people have never traveled a hundred miles since they were young, so they don't know the use of reading at all.

The people’s mindset has not yet changed, and Franz couldn’t help but be thankful that he didn’t make his own decision to turn the tithe into an education surcharge. Otherwise, it is estimated that many people would say that they don’t need compulsory education, so they wouldn’t pay the tax.

Don't doubt, it is not uncommon for European people to resist taxes on the grounds that they don't need it. As long as the revolutionaries instigate and the nobles add fuel to the flames, it may become a nationwide anti-tax movement.

Fortunately, there is no tuition fee for compulsory education in Austria. As long as the government makes a mandatory order, they will implement it.

Although one and a half labor force is missing, isn't it also missing a mouth?Everyone will still be able to calculate this account. The school is a boarding system. Except for holidays, they don't have to bear the expenses of their children at other times.

"Are there any statistics on the enrollment of new students?" Franz asked with concern

"Your Majesty, preliminary statistics have been obtained. The total number of students enrolled at the start of this semester is 124.6 million, which is one-fifth less than what we expected." Minister of Education, Earl Leo von Tus Hohen replied

The education rate in Austria in this era was actually not as low as Franz originally imagined. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the number of primary school students in 1848 exceeded 230 million, and the number of middle school students exceeded 5.

Of course, the distribution of educated people is also very uneven. The economically developed regions of Austria and Bohemia with the highest enrollment rate reached 1842% in 94, while the enrollment rate of Galicia next door was only 27%, and the lowest province Dalma Tia is less than 5%.

Of course, this data is not perfect. Only free people are counted, and serfs are excluded.

And enrolling in school does not mean that you really receive education. Many free church schools cheat donations under the guise of education.

The students come and go freely, and the teachers are also free to teach in class. They can teach whatever they want. Not many people can learn knowledge.

Due to the corruption of local governments, many public schools do not receive funds in a timely manner, and teachers' wages are in arrears from time to time.

Not long ago, when the local education system was strictly inspected by education, there was a school with 15 teachers. In fact, there was only one teacher, and this teacher was responsible for the courses of all grades in this school.

What's even more weird is that there are schools, teachers, and students, but the inspectors can't find where the school is.

These defrauding of government education funds is no longer an exception. The more remote the place, the more serious the situation.

This point has been confirmed by many sources in later generations. Only 1865% of the soldiers recruited by Austria in Galicia in 4.5 were able to write simply, which is far from the original enrollment rate.

Franz has not had time to deal with the chaos in the education system.He has just come to power, and domestic stability is paramount, but that doesn't mean it's over.

The compulsory education being promoted now is a test, and those who are unfavorable in doing things and those who dare to stretch out their hands are just dealt with together.

The anti-corruption can only start now. If we want to settle the old scores, we will conduct a major investigation of the Austrian government, and we will find that out of ten officials killed nine of them, and some slipped through the net.

This is the commonality of all old empires. Faced with this situation, Franz is also very helpless. He can't arrest everyone, can he?

He was not Emperor Chongzhen, and he couldn't tolerate sand in his eyes.As long as you are able to handle affairs, you can let go of personal integrity issues first, and write down the issues in a small notebook, so that you will not be in a hurry in the future.

"Why is there such a difference?" Franz asked with concern

"Your Majesty, most of the schools for compulsory education are concentrated in cities, and our enrollment is only for cities or surrounding areas.

These areas are precisely the areas with the best education. We recruit students at this time, and we missed the season, and those who have conditions for admission have already entered the school.

Our Ministry of Education has counted all the students who can enter this year, but as long as the family conditions are passable, they will not choose to let their children enter compulsory education schools. ’ explained Count Leo von Tus Hohen

There is no way, who made compulsory education in Austria poor education?

In order to save money, all unnecessary facilities were saved, and even the teachers were fresh from Xinshou Village, so the quality of education can only be said to be better than nothing.

There are many children in this era. Based on the population base of Austria, the number of primary school students in Austria in this era should be around 600 million, which is considered to have basically completed compulsory education for all.

"Since this is the case, the Ministry of Education and the local government should work together to fill up the gap in student sources, so as not to waste resources.

At the same time, the teaching management system of church schools must be regulated. If they want to defraud education funds in the name of the school, let them go to jail. " Franz thought for a while and said

If it wasn't for fear of bad influence, Franz would learn from the Prussian government and directly snatch the right to education from the church.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. From now on, all students in Austria must take the unified examination organized by the Ministry of Education every year. As long as students fail in a large area, these rubbish schools will be banned.

At the same time, we will also send people to the school for inspection from time to time. Once it is found that the teaching materials are not issued uniformly by education, we will hold the teachers and school administrators accountable for education. ’ replied Count Leo von Tus Hohen

Now the Austrian government is not rich in finances and teachers, and is unable to fully spread out compulsory education. In the future, these church schools will all be banned.

In Austria, only the voice of the emperor is enough. The church only needs to serve God well. If they are full of energy, they can go to the colonies to vent their energy. They don’t need to worry about the problems of the next generation.

Now that the boss has made a decision, the Ministry of Education will naturally work hard in this direction.Most typically, starting in 1850, the Austrian government would end funding for church schools.

If they can not accept government funding, rely on church funds for education, and meet the management requirements of the Ministry of Education.

Franz has no objection, such enthusiastic people should be commended, and he doesn't mind giving these people an education medal.

In any country, there are always a group of silently dedicated people, and Austria is naturally no exception. It is always bad to cut it off with a knife.

Chapter 23 Core Industries

What are the core industries in Austria?

Franz still has no answer in his mind. The resources of the Austrian Empire are still very rich, and there is almost no shortage of anything in the initial stage of industrialization.

Historically, neither Austria nor the Austro-Hungarian Empire initiated colonial expansion, which was related to the abundance of local resources.

Of course, this is limited to the early stage. From the perspective of development, Austria's domestic resources are not enough.

Take the iron and steel industry as an example. In the era when the annual output of steel in various countries was [-] tons, [-] tons, and [-] million tons, Austria had no shortage of resources, and it could barely keep up in the era of [-] million tons. It is difficult to continue in the era of [-] million tons.

This is a long-term problem, at least for decades, Franz will not need to worry about this problem.

Theoretically, most industries can become Austria's pillar industries, such as: agriculture and agricultural product processing, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, military industry, railways, shipbuilding, textiles...

This is the advantage of a solid foundation. Before Lombardy and Venice were not lost, the industrial volume of Austria was very close to that of the French.

It's not surprising that Austria in this era is a combination of Austria-Hungary + half of Italy, and Lombardy + Venice is worth half of Italy.

Franz would not say the stupid thing about all industries going hand in hand. The world is so competitive, if the government can't give policy preference to certain industries, can you guarantee to defeat your competitors?

Not to mention Austria, even the British, as the only industrial country in the world, have not developed in an all-round way, focusing on the financial industry, shipbuilding industry, and textile industry.

This multiple-choice question is not easy to do. Once a choice is made, it will be a national policy that has not changed for decades, and the domestic economic development will change accordingly.

There are many factors that determine the country's pillar industries, including: resources, markets, industry advantages, interest groups, national development direction, international situation...

free economy?market economy?

Just talk about it, don't take it seriously, or prepare to cry.

In any successful country, the pillar industries have received policy support, such as: tax cuts, the introduction of policies that are conducive to the development of the industry...

Schönbrunn Palace

Franz was walking on the square with Felix, discussing the direction of Austria's development along the way.

"Prime Minister, where do you think Austria's future strategic focus will be?" Franz asked