Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1131 Attacking Britain’s Internal Affairs—The Sorrow of the Irish

Archduke Ferdinand, the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated on the day he arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for an inspection. His subsequent assassination ignited the fuse of World War I.

It is undeniable that until the outbreak of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was still a behemoth on the European continent, especially in Central Europe.

Its land area is 67 square kilometers, second only to the Russian Empire in Europe.

The population is as high as 5000 million, second only to the Russian Empire and the German Empire in Europe, and on the same level as France.

Its industrial level was at the forefront of the world at that time, especially in machinery and weapons manufacturing, and was second only to Britain, Germany, France and the United States.

But this is just the appearance of a paper tiger. Due to the existing dual monarchy system and the internal contradictions of the nation, the Austro-Hungarian army fell into the dilemma of language barrier and backward tactics as soon as it entered the battlefield. In general, The military strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was far behind that of established powers such as Britain and France. Even the latecomer, the German Empire, had already surpassed it. In 1867, the German Empire took just seven weeks to defeat the enemy. Vienna knows how weak this so-called European power is militarily.

What's more, at the end of World War I, the long-standing ethnic conflicts within the Austro-Hungarian Empire became more prominent. At such a critical juncture, Karl, as the last emperor, unilaterally proposed a secret peace proposal to the Allies. After this was exposed, the royal family and the The prestige of the Austro-Hungarian government was discredited. Austria and Hungary, as the main rulers, went their separate ways. Other ethnic minorities also sought independence, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart.

The marriage that brought prosperity to the Habsburg dynasty failed to save the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Instead, it contributed to the division. As a multi-ethnic country, the Austro-Hungarian Empire undoubtedly failed, and this failure almost never began. It was doomed from the beginning.

At the same time, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also very profound in history. After its country was divided, countries such as Austria and Hungary were vulnerable to the Nazi invasion in World War II. This gave many similar countries in later generations the opportunity to oppose This has sounded the alarm in dealing with the issue of separatism.

William IV and Hermann Van Peron decided not to care about the situation in Europe. Instead, they should take action in other aspects first, such as increasing the garrison in Albania Province to increase the Dutch influence in the Balkans and increase their own influence in the future. Influence can help negotiations gain more initiative.

Although the proximity of the Second French Empire and the Russian Empire shocked Europe, it did not make Queen Victoria and the British government give up their determination to seize the Suez Canal, because this was the lifeline for Britain to strengthen its rule on the Indian subcontinent.

As the crown on the Queen's head, Queen Victoria and the British government obviously would not hesitate to do France the most. 'What's more, in the eyes of the British, France is now divided into north and south, and Paris in the north, ruled by Napoleon III, cannot represent France, can it?

Seeing that Paris didn't buy it, the UK felt weak, so naturally the UK would not swallow its breath. In order to disgust Napoleon III in Paris, the British Foreign Ministry openly announced that it would invite Adolphe, President of the Third French Republic, at the appropriate time. Thiers visits London.

The news was released directly by the spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office at No. 10 Downing Street at the weekly press conference on August 1882, 8.

The news quickly crossed the English Channel and reached Paris, immediately arousing the indignation of Parisians. Even outside the British Embassy in Paris, more than ten thousand people blocked the door in just one day to protest against the British move.

"We will not let the UK interfere in France's internal affairs. We have long been aware of the UK's unfriendly actions, so we announce that we will meet with the leaders of the Global Irish Alliance and we will talk to them in Paris or anywhere at the appropriate time. , after all, Ireland’s status in the British Empire from 1800 to the present is very regrettable. We believe that the rulers in London did not care enough about them, and it is a hateful act to allow the Irish to be displaced around the world and driven out of the island of Ireland.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French government heartily attacked the British internal affairs, "We hope that the British government in London can treat all Irish people correctly. After all, they have been driven out of Ireland for nearly four generations. It is time to return their hometown to them. Rather than continue to suppress them and treat them as second-class people in the UK."

The French Foreign Ministry fired back, surprising European countries. How much hatred does the Napoleon III government have? It actually dares to open the most important scar in British internal affairs like this.

This is Britain's biggest internal feud scandal in hundreds of years.

The Irish have twice the population of the island of Ireland under British rule.

This is a very scary thing. After all, before 1800, Ireland's population overseas was less than a quarter, but now it is double. Everyone knows what this means.

This was the result of British suppression.

The Irish are growing rapidly around the world. In the United States of America, the Irish have even become the second largest population, second only to the Germans, with a population of more than 500 million, which is already 1.5 times that of Ireland itself.

Many people are even wondering whether this was Napoleon III's long-planned plan to use this to win over the United States of America and make America, Britain's enemy, even more anti-British?

Sure enough, both Republicans and Democrats began to publicly condemn Britain's inhumane policies in Washington, DC.

Republican President Garfield directly declared that he is a strong supporter of Ireland's president, "We will not let any Irish citizen with American citizenship be treated by the British government. We even welcome more hard-working and brave Irish people to come and settle in the United States. Of course, The premise is that the UK really can't stand it.

There will be no British suppression here in the United States. If you come here, we will provide you with real national treatment. "

Suddenly, the United States of America extended an olive branch to Irish people around the world.

People who don’t know think this is a show of kindness, but politicians all know that this is to win over the Irish, to please the Irish in advance for the next mid-term parliamentary and presidential elections, and to prepare to collect the votes of these 500 million Irish Americans. In the bag.

That's why they shouted so hard.

Of course, these are private thoughts, on the table. Their philanthropy moved heaven and earth.

At least the Irish in the British Isles were moved.

The British government was angry.

(End of this chapter)