Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 567 The New European Order
In France, the siege of Paris entered its final and bloodiest phase, with the fiercest resistance occurring in the working-class districts of the east, where fighting continued until the final street battles. Only a small amount of resistance persisted, particularly in the poorest eastern areas such as Belleville and Mennette-Mondam. The fighting ended completely by the evening of April 5th.

Field Marshal McMahon signed a proclamation: "Residents of Paris, the French army has come to your rescue. Paris is free! At four o'clock, our soldiers captured the last stronghold of the rioters. The fighting is over today. Order, work, and security will be restored."

A severe reprisal ensued. Any act of supporting the Commune in any way was considered a political crime, and thousands were prosecuted. Some Communards were executed by firing squad at the Communards' Wall in Père Lachaise Cemetery, while thousands were sentenced and shot by hastily assembled ad hoc military courts.

Prior to this, the Commune had ordered the burning of major buildings in Paris, including the Tuileries Palace, the Louvre, the Luxembourg Palace, the Paris Opera, the Paris City Hall, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Royal Palace, and luxury hotels and apartment buildings along the Champs-Élysées, with the motto "rather see them perish than leave them to the enemy." At this point, Paris needed extensive repairs to restore its former glory.

The first war reparations payment, totaling 7.5 million francs, has already begun. Gambetta has been actively promoting patriotic bonds, and people in various provinces are buying them, hoping to hasten the departure of the German army, and have contributed their entire savings.

The formation of Germany and the return of the Habsburgs to Spain disrupted the balance of power in Europe. Britain needed to devote more energy to diplomacy, and more importantly, with the rise of countries like Iran and Germany, the share of trade left for Britain was dwindling.

With the signing of the Treaty of Frankfurt, Bismarck's work was done. He served as Foreign Minister for only nine years, yet in those short nine years he accomplished what many politicians had failed to achieve. German unification was complete, and his task was finished, but an even more arduous task awaited him: maintaining Germany's diplomatic environment.

Bismarck knew that Germany longed for peace. The new generation should grow up under the new order; old wounds needed time to heal, and past differences should be forgotten; years of concerted efforts would solidify the alliance he had built until the suspicions of the defeated nations were appeased and the new empire was as firm and stable as the rest of Europe.

France is a major threat. And the only feasible diplomatic approach is this: as long as the German army is strong enough, no French politician—not even the people of Paris—will dare to wage a war of revenge alone.

The Austro-German alliance remains the main diplomatic axis. Historically, Bismarck was able to bring Austria and Russia together to form the Three Emperors' League, but not now. The contradictions between Austria and Russia are irreconcilable and are heading towards a freezing point.

Five years after the Crimean War, Russia resumed its foreign policy of advancing into the Balkans, but this conflicted with Austria's interests. Although Austria did not have strong ambitions for Ottoman territory, Franz did not want the Russians to gain an advantage. He preferred that Iran annex the entire Ottoman Empire so that neither side would benefit.

Meanwhile, relations between Iran and Austria remained in a honeymoon phase. Trade and people-to-people exchanges were frequent, and nearly half of the Ottoman railways were built by both countries, bringing them one step closer to establishing a land link. Bismarck was well aware that relations between Austria and Iran were highly interconnected. Forcing Austria to cultivate good relations with Russia could easily lead to a complete withdrawal of Iranian investment the very next day, precipitating an economic crisis.

In addition, Austria imports a large amount of arms and other products from Germany every year. While the Austrian military may not be among the world's best at this time, it is much better than before. Maintaining the military and these imports requires crucial funding from Iran, and it's impossible to get Austria to give that up.

Besides these, Iran also infiltrated many of the German states. The German Empire also included other political entities such as kingdoms, duchies, and free cities, and Iran invested money in these places. Particularly in Bavaria, the second largest state in the country, Ludwig II received 350 million rials to renovate Neuschwanstein Castle. His love of Persian carpets led him to become obsessed with Persian culture, and he even planned to build an Iranian-style building. However, he was persuaded by the Iranian consul in Munich to travel to Baghdad to see it for himself.

The Bavarian ministers tacitly approved of the king's actions, acknowledging that at least he was now able to handle some matters normally. They considered it a significant improvement from his previous mental breakdown, and thus tolerated his behavior.

This is just one example; shops selling Iranian goods and facilities promoting Iran can be seen in cities throughout Germany. The Arabian Nights, through revisions and mass sales, has become a popular book for German children, whose interest in the stories has fueled their curiosity about Iran.

Bismarck's attempts to infiltrate Iran were also futile. It was just a cultural salon; what could he do? Shut it down? Then Iran would likely sever diplomatic ties with Austria as well. Fortunately, Iran had only one demand: anti-Russian stance; it wouldn't interfere in other matters. This was precisely what Bismarck truly wanted to achieve.

With the Austro-German alliance as its main axis, and in conjunction with Spain and Sicily, Germany began to form an encirclement of France. His plan would succeed if France were isolated. As for Russia, supporting Iran would suffice, which is why the German Emperor invited the Iranian Shah to visit Berlin.

Bismarck's approach to Britain was quite direct: outright submission. Submission to the international order of the British Empire meant Germany would not seek colonies, nor would it wage any war. In short, it meant Germany could do whatever it wanted!
Such a submissive attitude greatly pleased the British high command. This era marked Britain's golden age of prosperity, a period permeated with a mysterious self-confidence. They believed that things were still under their control, and as long as their navy and colonies remained intact, no other country could challenge Britain's position.

With Britain dealt with, everything else became easier. As for Russia, a slightly more conciliatory approach was sufficient. After all, Russian grain supplies were causing some disruption to Germany's domestic industries. The current priority was to quickly capitalize on these gains; Germany was poised for takeoff!

(End of this chapter)