African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1567 The United Republic of Greater Austria

April 15, 1934, Austria.

As war broke out within the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Austria's surrounding areas descended into turmoil, the Austrian people completely lost patience with the Habsburg dynasty.

However, during this period, various political forces and parties in Austria were deeply entangled in one issue, which disrupted the previously calm situation in Austria. This crucial issue was whether and how to maintain the territorial integrity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the overthrow of the Habsburg dynasty.

In the previous life, this issue would naturally not have been discussed, because at this point in time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had long been forcibly dissolved and Austria had become an independent country. However, Austria is still the nominal ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Therefore, various factions in Austria had to consider whether to continue maintaining the integrity of the imperial territory and establish "Greater Austria," or to separate Austria from other regions and become independent.

This same issue also troubled the Austrian Labour Party, which was divided into two factions. One faction believed that even if the Habsburg monarchy were to be overthrown and a democratic government established, the integrity of the empire must be guaranteed; otherwise, they would be traitors to Austria.

The other side argues that class is greater than nation, and that Austria has historically oppressed other ethnic groups. They believe that the Austrian Labour Party, as a progressive party, should not, like the Habsburgs, maintain the exploitative machine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The final verdict on this issue will be reached at today's Austrian Labor Party conference.

After a long period of suppression, the Austrian Labour Party had accumulated enough strength to launch a coup in Austria. However, without resolving this issue, the internal divisions within the party could not be resolved, and without a unified consensus, a coup could not be launched.

At the meeting, Horner, the military chief of the Austrian Labour Party, said: "Since 1804, Austria has included Hungary, the Czech Republic and other regions, forming a Greater Austrian state with Vienna as its core. Therefore, I believe that even if we want to overthrow the Habsburg rule, we Labour Party members should not divide the empire."

"This is not in Austria's interest. In fact, this is a major reason why the Austrian people have not been able to support us for a long time. Austria can coexist with regions such as Hungary and the Czech Republic. We can form a coalition government instead of becoming independent small countries and spreading our power."

Horner was clearly a member of the Austrian faction within the Labour Party, and he was immediately met with criticism and backlash from the Independents after he expressed his opinion.

Friedrich, a representative of the independence faction, said: "Comrade Horner, this is narrow-minded nationalism, no different from that of extreme democratic parties."

"The fundamental problem of Austria lies in the feudal rule of the Habsburg dynasty and the oppression and exploitation of the people by capitalism."

"On this basis, Austria, as one of the cores of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, actively carried out oppression and exploitation of other peoples and regions. If we continue to maintain the existence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, we will become the new oppressor."

Horner clearly did not accept Friedrich's criticism, retorting, "Comrade Friedrich, you are completely changing your mind."

"During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria did indeed oppress other ethnic groups and regions, but that was the fault of the Habsburg royal family, and our Labour Party cannot take the blame for it."

"Moreover, as I said before, the new government is a coalition government. Under this framework, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia, and other places can join the new government as member states. Everyone is equal in status, which solves the problem you mentioned."

"The Soviet Union was organized in a similar way. Austria could take inspiration from the Soviet Union and form a new country with Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and others."

When Horner said this, he gained a lot of support because the Soviet Union was a real-world example. It was a union of multiple republics, yet it did not experience any problems now.

If the Soviet Union could maintain national unity and coordinate the interests of various ethnic groups and regions in this way, why couldn't the Austrian Labour Party do the same?

Clearly, becoming a member of the Greater Austrian government is far more attractive to some within the Austrian Labour Party than becoming a member of the Independent Austrian government.

Horner continued, "The situation in Europe also requires other nations and regions within the Austro-Hungarian Empire to unite with us for mutual support, even though the Labour Party movement in Europe is currently in full swing."

"However, we cannot deny the strength of European capitalism and imperialism. At least at this stage, Austria alone is unlikely to be able to compete with countries like Germany and Italy."

"Therefore, if only Austria becomes independent, it will be difficult for our new regime to stabilize, and it may even be strangled by the imperialist bloc."

"Just like the previous coup in Hungary, the Hungarian Labour Party was too weak, and even though it established a government and an army, it ultimately failed to retain its gains."

"Therefore, Austria must unite with other regions to form a new Greater Austrian democratic government in order to survive in this dire situation."

"Otherwise, if we were to gain Austrian independence and establish a new government, German and Italian troops might enter Austria and intervene to suppress us."

Friedrich remained skeptical of Horner's argument, saying, "Comrade Horner, this is just your personal speculation. After all, after Austria's independence, we did not fight alone. We could also unite with comrades in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and other regions to deal with the enemy, and we also had the help of our Soviet comrades behind us."

Horner said dismissively, “Comrade Friedrich, according to what you said before, we should abandon the dangerous ideas of nationalism. If that’s the case, the Czech and Hungarian Labor Parties are also our comrades, so we shouldn’t make such a clear distinction.”

"In that case, our comrades in Czechoslovakia and Hungary should naturally join Greater Austria, put aside their nationalist prejudices, and follow our example as the Soviet Union to form a new country from the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"Therefore, it is completely unnecessary for Austria and other regions to remain independent and jointly fight against the imperialist bloc. We should instead unite with our comrades in Hungary and other regions to form a Greater Austrian coalition government and concentrate our strength to fight against the enemy."

Horner's rebuttal immediately silenced the independence faction. They had previously attacked Horner, calling him a nationalist, and now Horner's argument was precisely exploiting that point. If nationalism was not desired, then the Hungarian and Czech Labour parties should not be so clearly distinguished, nor should they draw a line between themselves and Austria.

Otherwise, wouldn't the countries they built after independence also become nationalist countries?

Horner went on to emphasize: "The world Labour movement is one, and our ultimate goal is to establish a global Labour government."

"We shouldn't be so clearly divided. Obviously, a Greater Austria is more conducive to the establishment of a world labor party regime in the future. If we can't even establish a Greater Austria, how can we talk about establishing a world labor party regime that is equal in status and identity for all people, regardless of nationality or ethnicity?"

"Therefore, whether it is a practical need or a long-term consideration, Greater Austria should be built up and become an important part of the world labor movement, as well as a transitional phase."

Of course, when Horner refers to Greater Austria here, he is primarily referring to the union of various countries and regions formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not actual Austria. The so-called "Greater Austria" faction within the Austrian Labor Party more often uses the term "Palemmont," meaning parliament, similar to the Soviet Union's "Soviets." The "coalition government" subsequently formed by the Austrian Labor Party was named the "Republic of Palermont" in German. Since it was a coalition government, it naturally included representatives from the Labor Party in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and other countries.

Of course, whether local labor parties in Hungary and the Czech Republic will accept the Austrian labor party's ideas is another matter.

The proposal of a coalition government would be more conducive to the Austrian Labour Party winning the support of the Austrian people, since many Austrians do not want to see the empire split apart.

Horner's proposal was also endorsed by most members of the Austrian Labor Party, including its current leader, Koprenecch.

Koprenec said, "Since we have differences, let's determine our party's next course by voting: whether to take the united route or the independent route."

Then, the Austrian Labor Party held a vote, and the coalition route was ultimately approved by the majority of Austrian Labor Party members.

Koplenich announced the result, and the Austrian Labor Party's course was set. After overthrowing the Habsburg rule, the Austrian Labor Party, or the "Greater Austrian Union Labor Party," would include other regional labor parties to form a new government and maintain the overall unity and territorial integrity of the empire. This was essentially a replica of the Soviet Union.

Having reached a consensus, the Austrian Labor Party no longer hesitated and was about to launch a campaign to overthrow the Habsburg monarchy.

1934 5 Month 4 Day.

The Austrian Labour Party officially launched rebellions in Vienna and other places, completely shattering the peace in Austria. At this time, except for a few regions such as Hungary and Dalmatia, the turmoil in other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire intensified.

Meanwhile, Vienna was already short of troops due to the Habsburgs' suppression of the nationwide rebellion, and with the Austrian Labour Party having been plotting for a long time, progress was very smooth.

By May 6, most of Vienna's city center had been occupied by the Austrian Labour Party. Meanwhile, other forces in Vienna, the royalists, continued to fight against the Labour Party, centered around Schönbrunn Palace.

……

Schönbrunn Palace.

Although Schönbrunn Palace was the center of power in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was not located in the city center of Vienna, but in the southwest of the city. Before the 19th century, Schönbrunn Palace was not even within the city limits. It was only after the expansion of Vienna in the 19th century that Schönbrunn Palace was incorporated into the city limits.

It was for this reason that Schönbrunn Palace was not immediately affected after the Labour Party rebellion, and the Imperial Government was able to occupy the southwest of the city to fight against the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, at the airport next to Schönbrunn Palace, Emperor Rudolf was seeing off members of the royal family.

The reason Schönbrunn Palace had a temporary airport was a suggestion from East Africa. Ernst was afraid that the Habsburg dynasty would be wiped out, so he proposed that Emperor Rudolf dedicate a space in Schönbrunn Palace to make room for East African transport planes.

Rudolf heeded this advice, after all, he had to consider the safety of his family and members of the royal family. So, in April, one of the most advanced KJ-20 transport planes in East Africa brazenly parked on the temporary runway next to Schönbrunn Palace Square.

This aerial vehicle, capable of accommodating thirty people, was tasked with safely evacuating members of the Habsburg royal family should problems erupt in Vienna.

At this moment, Emperor Rudolf stood beside the airport and instructed Crown Prince Karl: "This day has come earlier than I expected, Karl. From now on, you will be the one to shoulder the responsibilities of the Habsburg family."

Crown Prince Karl tried to persuade him further: "Father, you should evacuate with us! The rebels could capture this place at any time; staying in Vienna will only lead to your death!"

Emperor Rudolf shook his head and said, "I may leave Vienna, but I absolutely cannot leave the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If Vienna cannot be defended, I will have no choice but to go to Hungary."

That being said, if the Labour Party really takes over the whole of Vienna, Rudolf's fate will be hard to predict. Of course, even if there is only a sliver of hope, Rudolf must hold on until the very last moment.

Currently, Hungary is relatively stable and is the region with the most stable Habsburg rule. Therefore, if Vienna falls, Rudolf will try to escape to Hungary, form a government, and continue the fight.

Crown Prince Karl was not optimistic about Hungary. He said, "Father, even if you don't leave with us, the best option may not be Hungary. Dalmatia is safer than Hungary. We'll leave later in that regard."

Emperor Rudolf shook his head and said, "If we choose Dalmatia, it means that the Habsburgs will completely abandon everything in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Within the empire, only Vienna and Budapest have the ability to govern the whole country."

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a "dual-core" country. Even after the fall of Vienna, the empire could continue to function as long as Emperor Rudolf fled to Budapest.

Dalmatia obviously doesn't serve that purpose, but as Crown Prince Karl said, Dalmatia is safer, with the highest level of public support for the Habsburgs, and the East African Navy stationed in the southern port of Dubrovnik, making it easy to escape.

However, Emperor Rudolf did not intend to go into exile; he was prepared to live and die with the empire.

He said, “My mind is made up. Once you get to East Africa, remember my teachings: if the Austro-Hungarian Empire ceases to exist, do not think about returning to restore it. Times have changed. Staying here will only bring danger. The moment the crown falls, Austria will never be able to regain its monarchy.”

"At the same time, Europe is becoming increasingly dangerous. Even if we do not lose power, we will inevitably be drawn into the wars in Europe in the future..."

After giving his final words, Emperor Rudolf bid farewell to Crown Prince Karl, the Empress, and other members of the royal family. The transport plane from East Africa slowly took off, carrying the core members of the Habsburg royal family away from the ancient city amidst the gunfire in Vienna.

On May 14, Austrian Labour Party troops stormed the outskirts of Schönbrunn Palace, and Emperor Rudolf and government officials flew to Budapest in military aircraft.

On the same day, the Greater Austrian coalition government was announced, and the Austrian Labor Party also announced that it would change its name to the "Greater Austrian Coalition Labor Party" and demand that the labor parties in the Czech Republic, Hungary and other regions accept their leadership to form the "Greater Austrian Coalition Republic", also known as the "Republic of Palermont".

(End of this chapter)