African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1553 Preparing for a retreat
1933 3 Month 4 Day.

Vienna.

Since the outbreak of the Liberec workers' movement, countless forces, large and small, have sprung up throughout Bohemia: the Austrian Labour Party, the German Labour Party, the German Labour Party, the Czech Labour Party, the German National Party, the Czech National Party...

Various unexpected organizations are recruiting soldiers or supporting forces to stir up trouble in Bohemia. Emperor Rudolf is forced to personally direct the suppression of the local rebellion.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Bohemia is currently very chaotic. However, three forces have gained momentum: the Bohemian Union, formed by the Labour Party, which has occupied many towns and regions in Bohemia and poses the greatest threat to us."

"Then there were the Czech Nationalist Party rebels, who were active in southern and eastern Bohemia and attempted to separate Bohemia from the empire."

"Finally, there's the German National Party in the Northwest, which seems to be supported by Germany."

Hearing his subordinates' report, Rudolf was furious, especially at the last piece of information. He asked, "Aren't the Germans going to give us an explanation?"

The subordinate replied tremblingly, "The German side says that this so-called German National Party has nothing to do with them."

Currently, the German National Party (GNP) is in power in Germany. As for what this so-called German National Party is, it is obviously inseparable from them. In a sense, the German National Party, the German National Party, and the Austrian National Party can be regarded as one force.

Rudolf bluntly exposed: "This German National Party is clearly just a little trick played by the Germans. It seems that after all these years, Prussia still hasn't given up on the idea of ​​a Greater Germany. But do they think that by overthrowing us, Germany can swallow up the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"

"Originally, we, together with Germany, were an important cornerstone for stabilizing the situation in Europe. Now, under Adolf's leadership, Germany seems to be trying to break this situation."

"Since that's the case, then don't blame us for being impolite. Order the western army to deal with any so-called German National Party armed forces in the same way as the Labour Party."

The Bohemian issue is extremely thorny, and the root cause of this problem is the combination of economic crisis and Czech nationalism.

The economic crisis led to mass unemployment, which in turn led to the rise of the Labour Party, while Bohemian nationalism had existed since before the founding of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The reason why the situation in Bohemia deteriorated so quickly is actually related to World War I. During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire mobilized a large number of troops, and Bohemia was no exception, with a large number of people being conscripted into the army.

After the war ended, the empire's million-strong army was naturally disbanded. In a highly industrialized region like Bohemia, many soldiers returned to work in factories after their retirement.

However, due to the outbreak of the economic crisis, many of these workers who had served in the military lost their jobs. They were quickly recruited by the Labour Party and nationalists and became the main force of their armed forces.

Bohemia was a major military industrial center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and also a border region, which meant that Bohemian rebels had no shortage of ways to obtain weapons.

With experienced soldiers and readily available weapons, the consequences were predictable. At the same time, the rebels also had a sufficient reserve of officers.

For example, the Soviet Union behind the Labour Party, or Germany behind the National Party, both sent military personnel to support their respective forces.

Modern Bohemia is now practically independent of Austro-Hungarian rule.

Therefore, Rudolf said with a grim expression, "If the war in Bohemia continues, the entire empire will be plunged into turmoil. At that time, our enemies will not only be those with ulterior motives within the empire, but also foreign powers such as Italy, Poland, Serbia, and even the Soviet Union and Germany."

When a male lion falls, the surrounding hyenas will not hesitate to swarm around it and completely wipe out this former overlord.

Rudolf was actually quite pessimistic. He did not believe that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had any chance of continuing to exist. As for his series of reforms, he could only say that these measures were ill-timed. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire had been able to implement them decades earlier, the empire might have had a chance to be saved.

At the same time, these reforms have another major problem: even if they are implemented now, they will not be able to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

The people of various ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were not grateful to the Habsburgs for their change of allegiance. After all, once they established their own independent governments, the new governments were able to implement these reform policies just as well, and perhaps even better than the Habsburgs.

Just like elections, this fundamental political demand was something the Austro-Hungarian government could not completely relinquish, while the new national government had no such concerns.

Now, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is terminally ill, especially due to the growing division among its people, which is almost intractable. Almost no one considers themselves an Austro-Hungarian. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was never a unified nation; it was a collective name for Austria and Hungary. With such a lack of unity, the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was only a matter of time from the day it was founded.

Now, Rudolf can only delay the inevitable as much as possible.

……

Nighttime, the study at Schönbrunn Palace.

Emperor Rudolf summoned Crown Prince Karl.

"Karl, I'm going to give you a task next: to transfer the royal family's assets to East Africa."

Crown Prince Karl was the only son of Emperor Rudolf. In this timeline, Rudolf had a son and a daughter. His eldest daughter had already married, while Karl had always been groomed as the heir apparent. When Franz was still alive, he doted on this grandson.

Crown Prince Karl asked with a grave expression, "Father, has the situation in the Empire deteriorated to this extent?"

Emperor Rudolf sighed helplessly, "Although I hate to admit it, the future of the Habsburgs, and even the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is bleak. One thing is certain: the life of the empire has entered its final countdown."

"Therefore, we Habsburgs must also take a gamble, but before that, the royal family must never repeat the mistakes of the past and end up in the same situation as the Tsarist Russian royal family."

“You, your mother, and most of the other core members of the royal family must leave this place of trouble. I do not want to see the tragedy of the Russian royal family being wiped out repeated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.”

Karl opened his mouth: "Then... Father, you!"

Emperor Rudolf said with a resolute expression, "I will stay here and fight to the last moment, so that we can bring a perfect end to the centuries-long rule of the Habsburg family on this land." "Only in this way may the Habsburgs have a chance to return to Austria in the future."

Of course, this possibility only means that the Habsburg family will return to Austria to live and work in the future; as for restoring the monarchy, that is wishful thinking.

Crown Prince Karl: "Father, perhaps there is no need to be so pessimistic. Our family does not lack supporters in the empire."

Rudolf waved his hand and said, "It's no use. We do have many supporters, but they don't have the advantage. Most importantly, Austria is in trouble. Without Austria as our base, the disintegration of the empire is inevitable. Even if the Austrians support us, the outcome won't change much."

Rudolf's understanding was very clear. After all, Russia played a decisive role in the collapse of the Soviet Union in his previous life. But even if Russia had truly supported the continued existence of the Soviet Union, could the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union have been avoided? It would be extremely difficult.

Austria, as the core of the Habsburg family's rule, played a role in the empire that even Russia within the Soviet Union could not match.

Russia holds an absolute advantage in terms of population, industry, and economy, while in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the populations of Austria and Hungary were roughly equal, and the populations of other ethnic groups were not much different. For example, the Czechs and Poles had only half the population of Austria and Hungary, both exceeding five million.

If we consider the Slavs as a whole, there are many more. In addition to the Czechs and Poles mentioned earlier, as well as the well-known Slovenes, Croats, Slovaks and Serbs, the Ukrainians also made up nearly seven percent of the population in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Finally, the Italians were also a force to be reckoned with in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Even if we don't consider the Slavs as a force, as a single ethnic group, they would have a hard time dealing with Austria. For example, the smallest group, the Slovaks, numbered over a million in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Thus, even if Austrians and Slovaks were to form a single country, ethnic issues would arise, not to mention that the situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was far more complex.

Economically, Austria does not have an absolute advantage. Its industry, especially heavy industry, is in Bohemia, and its agriculture is in Hungary and other regions. Austria's only noteworthy sector is its financial industry, but in times of turmoil, it is almost impossible to use the financial industry to counterbalance other regions.

To put it more bluntly, Austria is even more dependent on other regions, whereas Russia under Soviet rule was not like that. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia basically lacked nothing, possessing everything from finance, industry, technology, agriculture, and military.

Therefore, no country in the world would be surprised if the Austro-Hungarian Empire were to disintegrate, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in its previous life would have been even more unexpected at the time.

Rudolf said, "Even I have no way of solving the ethnic problems within the Empire. Now that the situation is chaotic, it is even more impossible to stop this trend."

"Given the current state of the empire, even if God came, it would be impossible to reintegrate the empire into a whole. Therefore, the most important thing for the royal family is to minimize losses."

"We still possess a vast amount of wealth. If we don't make plans soon, the Tsarist Russian royal family will serve as a cautionary tale."

By the time Nicholas II sent Alexei away, it was too late to do so. Rudolf naturally did not want the wealth accumulated by the Habsburg family over hundreds of years to fall into enemy hands.

He continued, “As for sending you to East Africa, this is the best outcome. The Rhine royal family has always had the closest relationship with us, and your great-uncle is there. He is very prestigious in East Africa and can provide protection.”

Karl's great-uncle, Archduke Ferdinand, who was also the uncle of Crown Prince Rudolf and the father-in-law of Ernst, was still alive. He was the creator of the East African Navy and had been living in East Africa in his old age.

At this time, going to seek refuge with Archduke Ferdinand actually had another advantage: Archduke Ferdinand had no children, and Karl could take over his connections in East Africa and help the Habsburg family develop smoothly in East Africa.

After all, Archduke Franz Ferdinand had a very strong network of connections in East Africa, especially in the navy, where many high-ranking officials had worked under him in their youth.

Of course, even without Archduke Ferdinand's connection, the Habsburg family wouldn't have fared too badly in East Africa.

Emperor Rudolf said, "After you arrive in East Africa, don't even think about restoring the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It's basically impossible. If there's any chance of returning to Europe, at most you'll be able to develop independently in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary, and other regions."

Rudolf did not intend to create an Austro-Hungarian government-in-exile, because it was too unrealistic. Moreover, the idea of ​​restoring a nation overseas was a bottomless pit, and even with the Habsburgs' vast wealth, they could not withstand such turmoil.

He understood very well that if the Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated, the monarchy would completely lose its foundation for survival on this land.

As for Hungary and Dalmatia, places that could accept a monarchy, in the end, they could only be "figureheads," which was not very meaningful and involved huge political risks.

For example, if the Labour Party had actually established a government in Austria-Hungary, regardless of whether it was a "figurehead" or not, they would definitely have been targets for purge.

Emperor Rudolf said, "In short, the situation of joining the Empire is irreversible. You should not have any illusions. Just stay in East Africa and develop there. If you really want to cause trouble, don't go back to Europe."

“There is no room for maneuver in Europe, especially within the empire. I have a feeling that even if the empire collapses, the various nations will not let it go. In the future, this will be the storm spot in Europe, just like the Balkans. It will be difficult for things to calm down in a few decades.”

His judgment stemmed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire's unfavorable geographical location. While the empire existed, its powerful national strength allowed it to maintain stability in the region. However, once the empire dissolved, this area would become a key area of ​​contention for other countries, especially the Soviet Union and Germany.

Italy, Poland, Romania, and other countries and regions are also eyeing the opportunity.

Leaving aside foreign interference, the infighting among various countries and regimes after independence meant that stability was unlikely in the short term. Issues such as population, territory, and the division of imperial assets were all messy problems.

Thinking of this, Rudolf snorted coldly: "Let those worms inside the empire do their thing! When the empire really collapses, let's see how they get out of there."

"While we are here, they may be dissatisfied with our rule, but once the Habsburgs are gone, they shouldn't think they've truly broken free of their constraints. Countries like Germany and the Soviet Union will not let them off the hook either."

"The Austro-Hungarian Empire was called a great power, but in reality it was just a refuge for various ethnic groups. If they wanted to dismantle this refuge, they would inevitably have to bear the ravages of external storms."

Emperor Rudolf harbored great resentment towards the various factions within the empire. Although the existence of the Habsburgs did indeed hinder the empire's development, in a conscience, it was the existence of the Habsburg family that maintained the empire's past rule. No matter how bad the Austro-Hungarian Empire was, it was still better off than those small and weak neighboring countries.

(End of this chapter)