African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1536 Artuzov's Plan
Without the Soviet Union, the current political order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire could actually remain stable, but the Soviet Union clearly had no intention of letting go of Austro-Hungary, Germany's powerful ally.

In a private residence in Vienna, Soviet official Artuzov was gathering intelligence on the Austro-Hungarian Empire with his subordinates. Half a year had passed since Artuzov arrived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This key member of the Soviet intelligence service was born in the early 1990s. His father was Italian and his mother was Russian, which made him very adept at foreign intelligence work.

“Now, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is in a fragile balance. The entire Austro-Hungarian Empire has become the most unstable factor in Europe. We need to give all the nationalities and the common people within the Austro-Hungarian Empire an opportunity to decide their own destiny,” Artuzov said, pacing back and forth in the room.

"However, after long-term observation, I believe that Austria is not suitable as the fuse to ignite gunpowder, but rather a highly industrialized region like Bohemia is more suitable for the development of social movements."

Artuzov made this judgment because of the circumstances of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where the division of industries was very clear.

Hungary is responsible for agriculture, the Czech Republic for industry, and Austria is particularly well-developed in the service sector, such as finance, catering, and culture.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was actually quite well-designed in terms of its industrial structure. Each region had its own tasks, which formed a complete industrial chain and a self-sustaining large market. This was the economic foundation that enabled the Austro-Hungarian Empire to maintain its position as a major European power.

Of course, the people of various ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were not really happy with the Habsburgs' arrangement. They all felt that they were the ones who were losing out, and many believed that they could develop better if they were freed from the control of the Habsburgs and Austrians.

In the absence of a dominant ethnic group, this alienation and disunity among the various ethnic groups and regions within the empire was the most fatal flaw for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Artuzov saw this and therefore intended to exploit it, plunging this powerful Central European nation into chaos and turmoil.

He said, "There is no feasibility of establishing a unified workers' government in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and that is not our primary goal."

"Our minimum objective in coming to Austria-Hungary this time is to weaken it. Compared to building a unified workers' government, it is more feasible to dismantle Austria-Hungary."

"Within the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bohemia was the most feasible option. Bohemia had a higher level of industrialization and a large working-class population. At the same time, the large number of Czechs in Bohemia created a natural barrier between them and the Austrians."

"Therefore, the focus of our work this time should be on the Bohemian industrial region, and through the Bohemian workers' movement, to ignite the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"In comparison, although Austria's economy is also quite good, its industrial scale is not as large as Bohemia's. Austria is mainly composed of middle-class people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who do not have the value to be won over."

Austria's position within the Austro-Hungarian Empire was similar to that of the United States in the world in the previous era, controlling the three major weapons of finance, military, and culture, and siphoning the wealth of the entire empire.

Therefore, even though Austria's industrial scale and strength were far inferior to Bohemia's, Austrians could still live quite comfortably, of course, only in comparison to other regions within the empire.

However, this "injustice" is actually the best outcome for the people of the entire empire. Under a unified empire, no matter how greedy Austria is, it is impossible for it to be completely stingy and give back to the economic development of other regions within the empire.

In the past, after the Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated in World War I, and even into the 21st century, the wealthy countries within the former empire remained wealthy while the poor remained poor, which speaks volumes.

Moreover, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, even people in relatively underdeveloped regions could enjoy the welfare benefits of citizens of a major power. This was also very important. For example, Hungarian businessmen could avoid many troubles by investing overseas under the banner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At the same time, the imperial framework can effectively maintain the integrity of their territory, without having to worry about the threat of external enemies.

In conclusion, the Austro-Hungarian Empire played a significant role in maintaining regional stability and promoting local economic development.

But this is what neighboring countries don't want to see. A powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire would only make its neighbors uneasy, especially the Soviet Union.

Artuzov said, "The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the weakest link in the Central Powers, and the Central Powers were the biggest threat to the Soviet Union. Therefore, weakening and dividing the Central Powers was especially important for the Soviet Union."

"Now that Adolf has come to power in Germany, this is a very dangerous sign, because Adolf and his national party are a group of extreme militants and nationalists."

"In the future, Germany will inevitably embark on the path of expanding its military and invading the Soviet Union again. Since Germany is the leader of the Allied camp, we must do our best to clip Germany's wings."

Germany's wing was naturally the Austro-Hungarian Empire. World War I had already proven that a united Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire was enough to challenge the whole of Europe, which was something the Soviet Union did not want to see.

Therefore, the Soviet Union was willing to try any method that could dismantle and weaken this alliance, even if it meant dismembering the Austro-Hungarian Empire and breaking it into pieces.

Artuzov's deputy, Sergei, also expressed his support for Artuzov's assessment: "Germany and Austria-Hungary are the greatest obstacles to the world's workers' movement and the strongholds of the mixture of feudalism and capitalism on the European continent."

"Over the years, the relationship between the Soviet Union and Germany and Austria-Hungary has determined that there is no possibility of peaceful coexistence between the two sides. After the German economy recovers, it will inevitably launch a war against the Soviet Union."

"Therefore, we must weaken the power of Germany and its allies as much as possible. I think we should not only work on the internal affairs of Austria-Hungary, but also bring in countries that have poor relations with Austria-Hungary to hinder Austria-Hungary's ability to overcome this crisis."

The Austro-Hungarian Empire had many aggrieved parties, especially Poland, Serbia, and Italy, which had direct territorial conflicts and deep-seated historical grievances with the empire.

Sergei said, "Poland is Germany's lackey, while Austria-Hungary is Germany's ally. If a conflict breaks out between the two countries, no matter which country Germany sides with, it will inevitably offend the other country, which will then cause internal divisions within the alliance."

"Similarly, there are Romania, Bulgaria, and Western Ukraine. Their relationship with Austria-Hungary is only superficial, but the current strength of Austria-Hungary has made them behave themselves."

“However, as long as problems arise in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I think they will be eager to join this feast and seize more benefits.” Sergei’s words made Artuzov’s eyes light up. He said, “Your idea is very good. To successfully dismantle the Austro-Hungarian Empire, relying solely on internal turmoil still carries the risk of being suppressed by the Habsburgs. But if at this time, we can successfully provoke conflicts between the countries surrounding the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then without a doubt, our chances of success will greatly increase.”

"However, this means we will have to modify our plans and contact comrades in neighboring countries to help us achieve this."

"At the same time, I think Italy should be a key focus of our strategy. Among the Austro-Hungarian Empire's neighbors, Italy is second only to Germany in strength, and it has deep-seated conflicts with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They have always wanted to restore the territories of Eastern Lombardy and Venice."

"Meanwhile, Benito, the leader of Italy's National Party, was also ambitious and even attempted to build a new Roman Empire."

"If we can make good use of Benito and Italy, we might be able to deliver a fatal blow to Austria-Hungary. At the very least, we can force the vast southwestern territory of Austria-Hungary to split off, greatly weakening its strength."

The conflict between Italy and Austria-Hungary had a long history, but before Benito came to power, the Italian government basically dared not provoke Austria-Hungary. However, Benito was clearly different; he had been preparing to reclaim Eastern Lombardy and Venice.

As the Soviet intelligence chief in Europe, Artuzov was naturally very familiar with various intelligence on Benito and other European political figures.

He said, "Benito is not like the average Italian. He is like Adolf of Germany, an ambitious man, an extremist, and a warmonger."

“Benito was able to remain calm during the coup in Hungary because his rule in Italy was not yet stable and his power was not fully centralized at the time.”

"At the same time, before Benito came to power, Italy's foundation was too weak and it was simply incapable of waging war against Austria-Hungary at that time."

"In recent years, Italy has developed quite well, especially in the military and industrial fields, where it has made considerable progress. With a population of nearly 40 million, Italy has the potential to become a major European power and is now considered a semi-power in Europe."

"Therefore, I believe that if the Austro-Hungarian Empire were to break out into internal strife, Benito would most likely take advantage of the chaos, or even launch a war, in order to reclaim the two regions of Eastern Lombardy and Venice."

"However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Italy will not dare to do so. Therefore, we should intensify our propaganda offensive against Italy, sow discord between the two countries, and cause the Benito government and Austria-Hungary to completely break off relations."

"Secondly, there is Poland. The relationship between Poland and Austria-Hungary is also quite complicated. Moreover, Polish nationalists are among the most troublesome and lack self-awareness in Europe."

Compared to the Poles, the Italians under Benito's leadership appeared much more composed. Not to mention the Austro-Hungarian Empire, even Germany, Poland's current colonial power, sometimes found itself speechless at the extremists in Poland.

From the Polish perspective, the Soviet Union, Germany, and Austria-Hungary were all bad things, and they should return Polish lands, and even East Prussia, was a subject of Polish opinion.

Of course, the Polish government wouldn't dare to be so reckless, but the civilian violent organizations within Poland are a completely different story. In the past, some Polish extremist groups even carried out terrorist attacks in Germany, trying to force Germany to withdraw from traditional Polish-populated areas, but they were all suppressed by Germany.

In the past, Artuzov had no goodwill toward Polish nationalist extremists, after all, they were also enemies of the Soviet Union. However, if they could be put to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary, Artuzov would be happy to see it happen.

He said, "To deal with Austria-Hungary now, we need to act from both internal and external perspectives: internally, we need to incite class and national conflicts within Austria-Hungary, and externally, we need to incite conflicts between Austria-Hungary and other countries."

"Then, we must bring these conflicts together and make them erupt at the same time, so that the Habsburg family will have no chance of recovery."

The Habsburg family was the only link that allowed the Austro-Hungarian Empire to survive. Once the Habsburgs lost control of the empire, it essentially meant that no other political force could hold the Austro-Hungarian Empire together again.

Of course, this refers to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Artuzov and others are unaware of the idea that the German National Party leadership is trying to establish a Greater German Empire. According to the German National Party's design, the new Greater German Empire would not only include Austria, but also regions such as Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

As for the so-called ethnic conflicts, they will no longer be an issue after the reunification of Germany and Austria. Just because Austria could not suppress other ethnic groups does not mean that Germany, with its nearly 70 million people, cannot.

Although Germany also has ethnic minorities, Germans make up more than 70%, close to 80%, or nearly 55 million people. The Austro-Hungarian Empire itself had more than 15 million Germans (including Dalmatians). After the merger of the two countries, the German population accounted for nearly 60%.

This also takes into account deeply Germanized peoples like the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

It is precisely for this reason that the German National Party has formulated a more ambitious unification plan than in its previous life. In the early days of the German National Party, it was only satisfied with Austria and other areas where Germans were distributed, such as the Sudetenland. Now, given the opportunity, they naturally hope to acquire more land and people.

At that time, the territory of the Greater German Empire would exceed one million square kilometers, and its population would be close to that of the United States, around 120 million, in addition to the powerful military industries of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The German National Party could not think of any other force in Europe that could pose a threat to the Greater German Empire. In the past, Germany was wary of the Soviet Union because of its population. However, after the reunification of Germany and Austria, the population gap between the two countries would be greatly reduced. Without its population advantage, the Soviet Union, in the eyes of the German National Party, had almost lost its ability to compete with Germany.

Assuming the establishment of the Greater German Empire, unless major powers like the United States and East Africa intervene, no country in Europe could withstand its military might.

Moreover, the Greater German Empire may not necessarily be afraid of the United States or East Africa at that time, since these two countries are ultimately external powers, and the Greater German Empire will not be without allies in the future.

Of course, what surprised Artuzov and the other Soviets even more about the German National Party's crazy plan was that the German National Party intended to use the Labor Party to achieve this goal.

If Emperor Rudolf's rule remained stable, the German National Party's plan would have no chance of being realized. However, if Emperor Rudolf fell from power and the Labour Party broke out in Austria-Hungary, it would be much easier for the German National Party to take control of Austria-Hungary.

After all, even the other national elites of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were more willing to accept the rule of the German National Party than the Labour Party.

(End of this chapter)