African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1512 Vienna Conspiracy

Since 1931, undercurrents have been surging in Central Europe, namely Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Economically, due to the impact of the world economic crisis, all industries in these two countries have declined and people's lives have become difficult.

Politically, the monarchy systems of the two countries have increasingly caused dissatisfaction among the people of the two countries. Of course, the current economic problems of the two countries have little to do with whether they are monarchies. After all, this economic crisis can be said to have swept the entire capitalist world.

To go further, the entire world market was affected, but by 1931, looking around the world, even the relatively closed Soviet market could not completely avoid participating in international trade.

Therefore, in today's world, no matter what political system is in place, it is inevitable to be affected by the world economic crisis.

The special thing about Germany and Austria-Hungary is that the emperor is the first person in charge. Therefore, they have to take the blame for any economic problems, even if they have little to do with them. In the UK, the worst that can happen is to change the prime minister. In the United States and France, the supreme leader is re-elected, so as to temporarily ease the anger and dissatisfaction of the people.

Under normal circumstances, the emperors of the two countries might have adopted various methods to delay, but this time the social movement in Central Europe was fierce.

……

Vienna.

1931 was definitely a bad year for Austria. As time went on, the official statistics of unemployed people in Vienna alone reached more than , not including the hidden unemployed people who had lost their source of income.

Today, the unemployment rate in Austria as a whole is soaring towards 20 percent, and the situation in the more industrially developed Bohemian industrial area is even more turbulent.

Unlike the previous Hungary, Hungary was ultimately an agricultural region, so even if the Labor Party regime was established, it was eventually completely suppressed by the imperial government.

But Austria is different. It has a higher level of industrialization and a large base of workers. Since 1930, a large number of unemployed workers have joined the Austrian Labor Party without hesitation. As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Workers without economic sources find it difficult to survive and are not afraid to fight the government at all.

Coupled with the success of the Soviet model and the dire situation of the entire capitalist world, to be honest, even the most determined capitalist fighters had their faith shaken by the Soviet Union's "capitalist collapse theory" at this time.

Even the bourgeoisie, which considers itself "democratic", is at a disadvantage in the ideological competition with the Labour Party, not to mention that the monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire seems to be one level behind the former.

Not surprisingly, Vienna, with a population of nearly two million in 1931, became the center of the European labor movement.

In the first half of the year alone, the Austrian Labor Party planned three unprecedented rebellions in an attempt to overthrow the Austro-Hungarian government, each one larger than the last.

To this end, Emperor Rudolf, who personally participated in and commanded the First World War and the suppression of the Hungarian Rebellion, attempted to suppress the Labor Party with iron-blooded means.

At the same time, in order to maintain his rule, Emperor Rudolf tried to promote social reforms to help the empire survive the most dangerous phase of the economic crisis. Regardless of the Labor Party, Rudolf's reforms severely offended the bourgeoisie of the empire.

In this situation, Alfred Frauenfeld, an extreme nationalist of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, came into the sight of the Austrian bourgeoisie.

Frauenfeld's life experience is quite similar to that of Rudolf of Germany. Both of them participated in World War I. The only difference is that Rudolf, also an Austrian, joined the German army, while Frauenfeld served in the Austro-Hungarian army. Both of them had excellent speaking skills.

This enabled the Austro-Hungarian National Party led by Frauenfeld to rise rapidly during the economic crisis and become one of the important political forces in Vienna.

An important political idea of ​​the Austro-Hungarian National Party was to achieve the unification of Germany and Austria and establish a Greater German Empire.

At this time, Frauenfeld was meeting secretly with several important figures in Austria.

"Mr. Schneider, I wonder what is the purpose of your meeting with us this time?" Frauenfeld asked a wealthy middle-aged man.

This wealthy middle-aged man was one of the famous entrepreneurs in Vienna. His name was Schneider and he held a high status among Viennese businessmen.

"Mr. Frauenfeld, don't be nervous. I'm here this time on behalf of the entire Austrian business community. I want to discuss a big deal with you. This is related to the future fate of the Germans in the Empire. I just don't know if you have the courage to cooperate with us."

As soon as Schneider opened his mouth, Frauenfeld knew what was going on. The Austrian bourgeoisie was having a hard time now. On the one hand, there was the economic crisis, on the other hand, there was the Labor Party and the working class, and finally there was Emperor Rudolf's reforms.

Business was bad, factories and assets were threatened by workers organized by the Labor Party, and finally, even the nobility suppressed them. These factors combined to make the Austrian bourgeoisie very uneasy.

As a result, Frauenfeld and the Austrian National Party he led came into the sight of the Austrian bourgeoisie.

Schneider went on to say: "Your Excellency must also know that the Labor Party is rampant now, and the imperial government is extremely incompetent and corrupt. Austria can be said to be in a precarious situation. Therefore, we need people of insight to stand up and lead the Germans to solve the hidden dangers of the empire."

"We believe that you are the best candidate, so we hope to work with you to create a great event and find a way out for the future of the German nation. Only the National Party can lead us to achieve this goal."

Frauenfeld had no interest in Schneider's provocation. He said, "Mr. Schneider, you'd better not waste my time. If you have anything to say, just say it directly, otherwise I will send you away."

Faced with a madman with extreme ideas like Frauenfeld, Schneider was full of complaints in his heart, but he could only helplessly tell him the purpose of his trip.

"We hope that Lord Frauenfeld will overthrow the current imperial government."

Schneider's words were shocking, but Frauenfeld did not make things difficult for the "traitor" in front of him. Instead, he asked with interest: "What's the reason?"

Schneider said confidently: "The reason is simple. Under the current imperial system, there is no room for you and the Austrian National Party to go further. We are different from Germany. The main ethnic group in Germany is the great German nation."

"However, the Germans in the empire are concentrated only in the area centered on Austria, and they account for less than 30% of the national population."

"This means that your party's political ambitions and ideals will never become the mainstream of the empire under this situation." "After all, the empire is a country composed of multiple regions and ethnic groups, and the experience of the world war tells us that such a country without a dominant ethnic group has no combat effectiveness and cohesion."

"This is not good for the development and progress of the empire, and it is not good for your party to become the center of power in the empire. At the same time, under the monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is impossible for you to realize your political ambitions. After all, the imperial election is almost a mere formality. Without the approval of His Majesty the Emperor, to put it bluntly, you will never be able to become the Prime Minister of the Empire."

Frauenfeld's face turned grim, although as an extreme nationalist, he always believed that the German nation was superior to others.

But as Schneider said, his party was at its peak in Austria, but it was limited to Austria, not the entire empire.

Even if the Hungarians, Slavs and Czechs did not mind their political slogans and supported them to enter the upper echelons of the imperial government, there was still the emperor above the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

As long as Emperor Rudolf is unwilling, it would be difficult for him to enter the cabinet, let alone the prime minister of the imperial government.

This is different from Germany because of the conflict between the Junkers and William II during World War I, which led to them greatly strengthening the power of parliament and the prime minister. Today, the appointment of the German prime minister is nominally appointed by the German emperor, but in fact, as long as the resolution of parliament is passed, William II himself cannot interfere.

After all, the Junkers almost sidelined William II in the late stage of World War I, and they did not want to be liquidated by William II later, so they imposed a lot of restrictions.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was completely different. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the interests of the nobility as a whole were consistent with those of the emperor. Even Rudolf's reforms did not affect the interests of the nobility. Moreover, due to the level of development, there was a relatively clear boundary between the nobility and the bourgeoisie in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, unlike Germany, where the bourgeois Junkers were also widespread and common.

This is also the reason why Austrian big capitalists like Schneider had to take risks. Rudolf's butcher knife was about to fall, and they could only look for partners, or agents to take a gamble.

As for them personally taking part, they certainly don't have the courage to do so. After all, they are wearing shoes, so how could they fight to the death?

If it were in the past, they might have instigated the petty bourgeoisie, workers, peasants and other groups to confront the government.

But this trick no longer works now, or perhaps because of the existence of the Labour Party, they dare not incite citizens and workers to boycott the government.

Workers with organization and goals are completely different from workers who were not organized before. The former could easily turn the Austro-Hungarian Empire into an "Austrian Union" like the Soviet Union.

If we are not careful, all our efforts may become a wedding dress for the Labour Party and send them to the guillotine, which would be ridiculous.

As for the army, it was firmly controlled by the nobles, so they could not find anyone to cooperate with. Especially recently, when Rudolf had just bribed the nobles once, the aristocratic officers of the army were even more firmly supporting Emperor Rudolf.

Frauenfeld also understood the current situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so he said to Schneider: "You may have found the wrong person, although our National Party is very influential in Austria."

"But the Empire is not just Austria, not to mention that we are just a political party, and His Majesty the Emperor has the army and police at his disposal. How can we possibly go against His Majesty the Emperor?"

Schneider seemed to be giving him advice and said, "Your Excellency, you have fallen into a misunderstanding on this point. We are not trying to overthrow His Majesty the Emperor, but to overthrow the current imperial government and realize a constitutional system like that of Britain."

"This way, the difficulty of this coup will be greatly reduced, and you will have the opportunity to become the Prime Minister of the Empire and finally realize your political ambitions."

"After all, your party has many supporters in Austria, including workers, soldiers, farmers, citizens, etc. You represent the voice of the Austrian people, and we are also financially capable and willing to support your party in leading Austria and Germany to become great again."

Schneider and others took a fancy to the Austrian National Party's extensive influence in Austria. Among the political parties in Austria today, apart from the Labor Party, there is the National Party.

The Labor Party was obviously not within their consideration, so only the Austrian National Party could be used, especially since their party had all kinds of elements, including the military, especially the middle and lower-level officers and grassroots soldiers of the military, which made the successful coup feasible.

Frauenfeld said: "It's not enough for Austria alone, what about other nations?"

Other ethnic groups and regions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were obviously not interested in the Austrian National Party, which could have led to the division of the empire.

Schneider said: "This is not a problem at all. After all, one of your party's goals is to achieve the unification of the entire German region. Therefore, as long as Germany and Austria merge in the future, the ethnic issues of the empire will no longer exist."

That being said, it is difficult to do. After all, the Austrians today are not like they were in the past. Because of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they can only be vassals of Germany. Therefore, the issue of who will merge with whom is difficult to resolve.

In his previous life, Frauenfeld was willing to join the German National Party because Austria did not have the ability to compete with Germany. As for now, it seems that there is no such thing.

This was an awkward situation because the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not Austria, and even if the Austrian National Party could seize power, they would not be able to compete with the German National Party.

However, Schneider obviously would not give up easily. He encouraged, "If you don't launch a coup, your party and you can only play around with the people of Austria. So it's better to cooperate with the German National Party. Adolf is very likely to become the new German Prime Minister in the next German election."

"Perhaps you can start a cooperation. When the two countries merge, at the very least you can become the fourth most powerful person in the Greater German Empire, second only to the two emperors and Adolf, and become one of the most powerful people in the Greater German Empire in the future."

What Schneider said is very strange. After all, one empire and two emperors are very abstract in themselves. However, if they are two mascots, it is not unacceptable.

Frauenfeld thought about it seriously. He felt that Schneider's bold idea was feasible. After all, if the two countries merged, the Greater German Empire would be formed. If Germany merged with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, even if other nations opposed it, it would be of no avail. After all, the Germans in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire together accounted for the majority of the empire.

At the same time, other ethnic groups can also be integrated. You can refer to Germany. The population of Germany is close to 70 million. It is impossible that these 70 million Germans were originally all Germans. For example, there were many former Poles in East Prussia.

Therefore, as long as the main ethnic group of the Greater German Empire exists, ethnic issues will naturally not cause any trouble.

Frauenfeld pondered for a moment before saying, "German annexation is the general trend, but all this has to wait until Adolf becomes the German Chancellor. With our own strength, let alone overthrowing the government, even if we seize power, the empire may disintegrate the next day. These are all our German lands, so we must not allow this to happen."

(End of this chapter)