Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 462: Bribery and Persuasion

The three-nation negotiations quickly reached a stalemate. The French demanded the annexation of Italy, while Austria proposed the incorporation of the German Federal Empire. These demands were unacceptable to the British.

This essentially meant unleashing two powerful empires at the same time. Even though France and Austria were already major empires, the British were unwilling to see them grow any stronger.

Britain’s position as the world’s leading power would be threatened if both France and Austria achieved their strategic goals.

It’s important to note that France and Austria had never formally acknowledged Britain’s supremacy. Voices within both nations continuously called for a challenge to British naval dominance.

The situation was no longer like twenty years ago, when British industrial output surpassed that of all of Europe combined, making Britain the undisputed leader.

However, this gap had been steadily narrowing with the completion of the industrial revolutions in other countries. Thanks to its vast human resources, Austria’s annual industrial output was now nearly on par with Britain’s.

France, too, was not far behind. If France were to annex Italy, it was estimated that within three to five years, its industrial output could surpass that of Britain.

This was the advantage of having a large landmass and a sizable population. While their per capita output might still lag behind, their sheer numbers made up for it.

Austria’s population had already reached 69.76 million and was expected to surpass 70 million within the year. If France annexed Italy, its total population would exceed 54 million.

In contrast, the total population of the British Isles was only 32 million. Although their birth rate of 3.5% was significantly higher than that of France, it still lagged behind Austria’s.

In the short term, these differences may not be apparent, but over time, the consequences could be disastrous.

There is never a shortage of smart people in this world, and the impact of population on national power is evident to some.

However, many in the British government were misled by Malthus’ “An Essay on the Principle of Population,” ignoring the advancements in productivity brought by the industrial age and the increased population capacity during the colonial era.

The Great Famine occurred under this theory, with government bureaucrats believing that the British Isles were already overpopulated, leading them to deliberately allow the famine to happen.

The theory wasn’t entirely wrong; the land does have a limited capacity to support a population. However, Malthus’ calculations were based on standards from the previous century and the feudal era.

The industrial age is different. According to Austrian population experts, Austria could support double its current population, and the colonies could sustain an additional 200 million people.

Franz didn’t know if this estimate was scientifically accurate, but he used it as a basis to encourage population growth.

Of course, the main issue with the British wasn’t the lack of people of British descent but the limited population in their homeland. There were plenty of English people overseas; otherwise, the colonial empire couldn’t have been sustained.

The stalemate in the negotiations was expected. Alliances between major powers involve too many interests and cannot be sorted out quickly. It’s normal for such negotiations to drag on for years.

The Franco-Austrian alliance itself took many years to form. Discussions on this topic have been ongoing since the French Revolution of 1848.

Midway through, due to changes in the French regime, the alliance was temporarily halted. However, by the late 1860s, the evolving international situation provided an opportunity for France and Austria to draw closer together.

Negotiations aside, underhanded tactics continued, though both sides tacitly toned them down.

Franz canceled the plan to occupy British South Africa, and the British abandoned their strategy of joining forces with Portugal to expel Austria from South Africa.

Yet, the struggle over the two Boer Republics persisted. It’s no longer accurate to call them Boer Republics, as German had quietly become the dominant language there.

There was no need for promotion; the language became mainstream simply because so many people spoke it. The governments of the two Boer Republics were helpless in this matter. They didn’t desire this outcome but had no means to change it.

The Boer people, from their inception, were steeped in a strong Germanic influence that was impossible to erase.

Even the Netherlands of this era was deeply influenced by Germanic culture, so it was even more so for this mixed-race nation.

Around 1830, approximately 12,000 Dutch settlers, unwilling to live under British rule, migrated and established the two Boer Republics.

To increase their population, they accepted European immigrants. Over a decade, about 8,000 immigrants from Germanic regions arrived, along with some French missionaries, leading to the birth of the Boer nation.

By the mid-19th century, the combined population of the two Boer Republics had exceeded 30,000.

Starting in 1856, the history of the Boer Republics changed dramatically as a large influx of German immigrants altered the demographic structure of these two countries.

Rejecting German immigrants was not an option, as half of the Boer population had German ancestry, and such a move could easily lead to internal conflict.

So, the plan shifted to assimilation. Despite the efforts of the two Boer Republic governments, they couldn’t withstand the sheer number of immigrants from German-speaking regions.

In the end, assimilation was successful, but it went in the opposite direction of the original plan. With the increasing Anglo-Boer conflicts, the two Boer Republics had to align themselves with Austria for support.

This political shift led the governments of the two Boer Republics to abandon their initial plans, making German the dominant language.

As the situation developed, the two Boer Republics essentially became Germanic states, and aligning with Austria became inevitable.

Franz placed great importance on the South African region. Aside from its fertile land, the underground gold reserves were a crucial part of Austria’s future strategic interests.

No one would give up monetary hegemony. The British were working on the “Pound-Gold System,” the French on the “Franc System,” and Austria was no exception, establishing the “Guilder-Gold System.”

To become the ultimate victor in this race, it was not only necessary to have a strong industrial base but also to hold the largest gold reserves. Without enough gold, there was no contest for gold standard dominance.

This wasn’t about ambition. Franz initially had no intention of competing with the British for monetary hegemony, but as Austria’s power grew, the stakes and interests compelled Austria to move forward.

Even if the government remains inactive, capital will still move on its own. Although the struggle for international monetary hegemony hasn’t reached its most desperate point, the financial capitalists of the three nations are already at each other’s throats.

Unlike the overt struggle for global supremacy, the fight for monetary dominance is much more subtle. The battle has already begun without ordinary people noticing.

In the original timeline, the British took advantage of the Franco-Prussian War to severely weaken France and secure their ultimate victory.

Of course, even as the loser, France managed to gain a piece of the pie, with the franc becoming a major international hard currency second only to the pound. Other countries, however, were left struggling.

As a rising power, the German Empire found itself unable to gather enough gold when it attempted a gold standard reform, ultimately being forced to compromise with the British.

In the current contest for monetary supremacy among Britain, France, and Austria, the gold-poor French have already bowed out. Despite forming the Latin Monetary Union with Switzerland, Belgium, and the Italian states, they couldn’t change their fortunes.

John Bull already possesses the gold of Australia and Canada, while Austria has secured most of the gold from West Africa, and the French, lacking sufficient gold, still cling to the bimetallic standard of gold and silver.

If it weren’t for the fact that the French had nothing worth Franz’s interest, he might have considered revealing Alaska’s gold and striking a deal with Napoleon III.

After all, with control over South African gold, Austria’s “Guilder-Gold System” would be secure. However, Austria alone didn’t have the power to monopolize monetary hegemony.

No, it should be said that anything Franz coveted, the French wouldn’t give, and anything the French could offer, Franz didn’t want.

Thus, no deal could be made. If a time traveler were to look at the map, they would see that more than half of the world’s top ten gold mines are in Austrian-controlled territories.

…

After the fresh rain, the air was exceptionally crisp. However, the dark clouds above President Pretorius’ head hadn’t dispersed, and a few more wrinkles had appeared on his forehead.

He was also a prominent figure in Africa during this era. In 1857, he became president of the Transvaal Republic, and in 1859, he was elected president of the Orange Free State, simultaneously holding the presidency of two countries—a historical first.

Born in 1819, Pretorius became president before turning thirty, reaching the pinnacle of his career. This should have been his time to shine.

However, the reality was quite the opposite. Now in his third term, President Pretorius had long lost his initial vigor, left only with a face full of worry.

The movement he led to merge the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State had failed once again. Unlike before, this time it was a complete failure, with no chance for another attempt.

There was no way around it; the Austrian government opposed the establishment of a South African Republic. The Boer Republic elites, who had already aligned with Austria, didn’t hesitate to sell out the government.

Now both sides were negotiating the price. As long as the benefits were right, the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State would soon become history, and his presidential term would end prematurely.

Pretorius had planned to merge the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State to establish the South African Republic, then join the Holy Roman Empire as a single country.

Unfortunately, this plan was opposed by the Austrian government. The Emperor didn’t want to see a republic emerge, a reason that left him speechless.

Barring any unexpected events, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State would become part of Austrian Africa, and then become members of the empire through integration.

Everyone has their own interests, and the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State are small countries without any bargaining power.

As newly established countries, people’s sense of identity wasn’t strong to begin with, especially among the newly arrived German immigrants who identified more with the Holy Roman Empire than with the republics.

There were too many clever people who understood that fighting for the interests of a newborn country would yield less personal benefit than fighting for their own interests.

Opportunities to enter the nobility were rare and couldn’t be missed. As for the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, how could these emerging countries compare to the Holy Roman Empire?

If they didn’t agree? Then their agreement wouldn’t be needed; someone below would take their place.

Public opinion wasn’t an issue either. The crowds demonstrating outside proved that joining the Holy Roman Empire aligned with the public will.

The clever Pretorius wouldn’t try to stop a moving train. With Austria’s influence in the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, replacing a president would be far too easy.

It wasn’t that he didn’t try. After taking office, Pretorius worked hard to introduce Dutch immigrants to reduce Austrian influence, but the Dutch government opposed it.

The reason was simple: the Netherlands, being a small country with a limited population, was busy expanding in Southeast Asia. They didn’t have enough people to send to Indonesia, let alone support them.

In this situation, Pretorius was powerless. Investing in them clearly wouldn’t yield returns. Caught between Britain and Austria, the Boer republics’ fate was sealed from the beginning.

President Pretorius asked with concern, “Caren, how are the negotiations with the Austrians going?”

As president, not even being qualified to join the negotiation table was truly a tragedy.

There was no choice. Who told President Pretorius to insist on merging the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State to establish the South African Republic before negotiating with the Austrians?

The Austrian government simply ignored him, bypassing the president to negotiate directly with the power players within the Boer republics.

There was nothing to be done. Even President Pretorius’ confidants didn’t reject Austria’s solicitation.

In the face of benefits, everyone’s integrity diminished. Those who actively cooperated had the chance to become nobles and maintain their ruling position in the new era.

If they chose the wrong side, they would be marginalized in the new round of power reshuffling.

In this age where the strong devoured the weak, once eliminated, they didn’t need others to act; yesterday’s companions would swallow up their interests.

Pretorius was, after all, the president. As a figurehead, as long as he didn’t openly oppose, the Austrian government would arrange for him properly for the sake of appearances. This was why he could stay in his position.

It’s worth noting that Pretorius became president not just because of his father’s political legacy, but also due to his own political acumen.

He understood the principle that you can’t swim against the tide. Since he couldn’t stop it, he had to find a way to participate. Staying informed about the negotiation process was thus essential.