African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1545 Low-Risk Venice

Venice.

Since the Austro-Italian Wars of the last century, Venice had long been under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, over the years, Venice's development within the Austro-Hungarian Empire could only be described as mediocre.

Although Venice, as an important seaport, was very attractive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Trieste had already been the maritime center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the conquest of Venice, and this trend did not change after the conquest of Venice.

In 1932, Trieste's cargo throughput reached over four million tons, while Venice's was less than one million tons, less than a quarter of Trieste's.

Trieste was closer to the economic heartland of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so most of the empire's goods were transshipped through Trieste to places like Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary. Venice naturally found it difficult to compete with Trieste.

In terms of industrial structure, Venice has also declined significantly. Historically, Venice was a shining pearl on the Adriatic coast, with a long history and profound accumulation.

However, the Austro-Italian War of the last century was an unprecedented catastrophe for Venice. The war destroyed Venice's normal economic order, and at the same time, a large number of people were lost, and many industries and people were poached by East Africa at that time.

Therefore, Venice at the end of the 19th century could only be described as being in dire need of reconstruction. However, due to various considerations, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's investment in the region was limited.

In a tavern in Venice, the Italian Lerto was criticizing the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

"Austria is the culprit for Venice's decline. Venice was once one of the most prosperous cities in Europe, with exceptionally thriving commerce and trade. Now, let alone the whole of Europe, even within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Venice is no longer among the top cities."

"Only by breaking away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire can Venice have a brighter economic future."

Lerto, drunk, complained to his drinking buddies that everything the Austro-Hungarian Empire did to Venice was wrong.

This is certainly not an objective statement. While it is true that the Austro-Hungarian Empire valued Trieste more, the decline of Venice would have been inevitable even without the existence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In their previous lives, Venice and Trieste were both under Italian rule after World War I, but Venice's economy did not improve. Even in the 21st century, Trieste is more developed than Venice.

In the 21st century, Trieste is dominated by logistics, manufacturing, and international trade, while Venice can only survive by relying on tourism. Tourism accounts for more than 50% of Venice's economy and indirectly affects more than 70% of it, resulting in a severe outflow of population.

Therefore, even if Venice were to break away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it would be impossible for it to achieve better development, at least economically. Under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Venice could at least still enjoy the benefits of a communal system.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire invested more in Trieste, Venice also received considerable policy benefits, given the Austro-Hungarian Empire's lack of ports.

If Venice were part of Italy, its port status would be further weakened. Italy has a long coastline, a narrow terrain, and numerous ports, so even in the past, Venice would hardly have been valued.

But Lerto didn't think that much about it. As an Italian, he naturally disliked, even hated, the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

He continued, "Without Austria, Venice is our Italian Venice, and we will definitely be able to develop Venice to be better and more beautiful than Trieste."

Lerto's complaint was echoed by his fellow worker Valer, who, holding a beer bottle, said, "Lerto, you're absolutely right. We should drive the Austrians out of our city."

“Without the exploitation by the Austrians, our lives wouldn’t be so bad. Look at neighboring Italy, which has developed very well under Prime Minister Benito.”

"The newspapers even said that Italy had the potential to become the sixth strongest country in Europe, above Spain, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been declining for many years. Our Venice, living in such a country, will inevitably have its development hampered."

Lealto and Valer's radical remarks frightened Levert, who was standing next to them.

"Keep your voices down, or you'll attract the police, and things will get ugly," LeVert whispered fearfully to the two drunkards.

Valer shouted dismissively, "Level, you're too cowardly. Do you think the police would arrest and convict us just because of a few complaints?"

"Besides, we were telling the truth. The fact that they dared to arrest us only shows that the Austrians are guilty."

LeVert scratched his head: "The Austro-Hungarian Empire shouldn't be as bad as you say. The current economic situation is indeed not good, and the Austro-Hungarian government does bear some responsibility."

"But now it's not just the Austro-Hungarian Empire that's having economic problems; other countries like the United States, Britain, Germany, and France are also facing economic difficulties. This is a problem of the overall environment."

"Moreover, compared to Eastern Lombardy, Venice is much better off. Eastern Lombardy was ravaged by Hungary in the past, and it has only improved slightly in recent years."

Eastern Lombardy was formerly under Hungarian rule, but after the Hungarian Labour Party rebellion, Hungary's power was greatly weakened, and the imperial central government regained most of its power.

Previously, Hungary's attitude towards Eastern Lombardy was far from friendly; it was basically one of plunder rather than development. After all, Eastern Lombardy was an exclave of Hungary and also a predominantly Italian area, so it was impossible for the Hungarian nobility to treat the region well.

In contrast, Venice, under Austrian rule, fared much better. Although Austria was equally wary of the Italians in Venice, the Austrian government's policy towards the region was primarily one of assimilation, with some economic support, rather than one-sided exploitation, because Venice was adjacent to Austria and a relatively important outlet to the sea.

Regarding this, Lerto said, "Level, don't be fooled by the Austrians. The reason they treat Venice well is simply to better govern it; they're just a bit more skilled at it than the executioners in Hungary."

"However, this does not change the fact that the Austrians and Hungarians are invaders to us Italians, not to mention that they were originally in cahoots."

"Moreover, Venice's economy seems to be stronger than that of Eastern Lombardy, but it has little to do with us. Austria still makes the money."

Valier chimed in, "We're nothing more than poor wretches working for the Austrians now, earning meager wages that barely cover our living expenses."

"Not to mention that many people can't even find a job now, and they don't know where their next meal will come from."

The wealthy in Venice are mostly Austrians; the Italian rich who once lived there had long since fled or dispersed. This has further exacerbated the tensions between the Italians and Austrians in Venice, which were previously primarily ethnic conflicts but are now also compounded by class differences.

Valler said, "In Venice, the rich Austrians can still live a life of luxury, while the lower classes face serious livelihood problems. If you ask me, it would be better to reverse it and restore Venice's autonomy or join Italy."

These words struck LeVert like a bolt from the blue, making him determined to stay away from Valerius, this dangerous individual.

He said helplessly, "What can we do to resist? Are we supposed to expect the Italians in Venice to unite? If it were decades ago, there might have been a chance, but in Venice today, we Italians don't even make up the majority."

Today, only about 36 percent of Venice's population is Italian, and most of them live in towns and cities.

This was the result of many years of efforts by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Emperor Franz had listened to Ernst's advice and therefore deliberately used the war to reduce the local population, causing a large number of Italians to flee.

Even so, Italians still made up the majority at the time. However, Ernst proposed a drastic measure: to seize the land around Venice and distribute it to the Austrians.

This has led to a situation where Italians are now a minority of residents in the Venice countryside. Although there are more Italians in the city, the birth rate in cities is inherently lower than in the countryside, and some highly industrialized cities may even experience negative population growth.

Venice has clearly not yet developed to that extent, but the city's birth rate is also relatively low. To maintain the prosperity of the city's economy, it can only absorb the surplus population from the countryside.

The majority of the population in the countryside is Austrian, and their continuous influx will constantly change the population structure of Venice. Naturally, the growth rate of the Austrian population in Venice will be higher, while the number of Italians will decrease.

In addition, the number of foreigners in Venice has been increasing in recent years, especially from the economically backward Kingdom of Dalmatia under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Regardless of whether the German bloodline of the Dalmatian Kingdom is mixed, if given a choice, they would certainly trust the Austro-Hungarian government more than the Italians in Venice.

LeVert stated, "The mainstream population of Venice has become German, including mixed-race Germans of Austrian and Dalmatian descent, who together make up more than 30 percent. Other Slavs are unlikely to cooperate with us; they don't even know their own identity anymore."

The situation in Venice differed from other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as it was largely under Austrian government control, allowing the policy of ethnic integration to be enforced.

Therefore, immigrants were easily assimilated, as were the Slavs in other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Only Italians have maintained their own cultural characteristics, mainly because Venice was originally their land. Italians have a relative population advantage, but even so, more and more Italians are beginning to receive German education.

In general, Italian culture in Venice has been fading, and the reason it can still maintain its identity is because of its large original base.

But now, even that number is no longer advantageous, as other groups such as Austrians, Dalmatians, and Slavs together make up more than 50 percent of the total population.

LeVert said, "Therefore, even if we wanted to confront Austria now, it would be difficult to succeed. Other nations would stand together against us, not to mention that Austria has a military advantage. They control the army, and we can't possibly fight Austria empty-handed, can we?"

Valer and Lelto looked somewhat dejected, but they still held onto hope.

After taking a sip of beer, Lerto said, "That's not necessarily true. It would be difficult for us to do this on our own, but don't forget, we have forty million fellow Italians."

"The total population of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is only over 50 million. Therefore, as long as the Kingdom of Italy can support us, or even send troops, Venice may not be unable to break free from Austrian control."

"I think the Kingdom of Italy and Prime Minister Benito probably share this idea, after all, a unified Italy is the goal of all Italians."

LeVert said, "If the Kingdom of Italy intervenes, the situation is really hard to say, but I'm afraid they don't have the guts. The last time the Hungarian Labour Party rebellion was a good opportunity, the Kingdom of Italy chose to remain inactive."

"Now, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is only experiencing economic turmoil, while the Kingdom of Italy may be more cautious."

Although Bohemia is in complete chaos, no one believes that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is beyond saving.

The reason is that although Bohemia is currently in chaos, it has not produced a regime like the Hungarian Labour Party did back then. At that time, the Hungarian Labour Party had already established an independent state, and the Labour Party's influence in the industrial Bohemia region was indeed considerable. However, due to ethnic issues, the Czech Labour Party and the Austrian Labour Party were unable to cooperate effectively to form a coalition government.

Another reason is that the Austro-Hungarian government acted more quickly this time. As soon as the problem arose in Bohemia, Rudolf ordered the army to enter and suppress it.

The situation in Bohemia was too complex, and the various forces could not unite to fight against Rudolf's army, just as Czech nationalists could not cooperate with the Labour Party and Austrian nationalists.

This actually makes it easier for the Austro-Hungarian government to defeat the enemy piecemeal. Of course, the situation in Bohemia remains quite dangerous, especially since this turmoil could spread to other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, potentially creating a different chemical reaction.

Currently, the three most likely locations for a new crisis are Austria, Eastern Lombardy, and Croatia.

Austria posed the greatest threat. If Austria were to become unstable, it would mean that the core of the empire would no longer be stable, and the Habsburgs would find it difficult to rely on Austria to maintain national cohesion and stability.

This is similar to how Russia was the main force in dismantling the Soviet Union in the previous life. Undoubtedly, this was an extremely foolish direction of development, but it happened in the Soviet Union in the previous life. The even more unstable Austro-Hungarian Empire may also have experienced the same thing, that is, the core ruling ethnic group of the empire will oppose the existence of the empire.

Therefore, for the Habsburg family, the most important thing next was to maintain Austria's support for Habsburg rule. If this could not be achieved, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire would have no possibility of continuing to exist.

The situations in Eastern Lombardy and Croatia are easier to understand. The conflicts in Eastern Lombardy had long been accumulating to a point where it was only a matter of time before they erupted. As for Croatia, the situation is more unique.

If it weren't for the previous Hungarian Labour Party rebellion, which ultimately led to the reshaping of Hungarian politics, Vienna would naturally be most wary of Hungary. Now, Hungary is in a period of stability due to the redistribution of resources after the war.

Therefore, Croatia replaced Hungary as the key region of focus for the imperial government.

Therefore, compared to the aforementioned regions, places like Venice were considered low-risk areas by the Austro-Hungarian central government.

(End of this chapter)