Holy Roman Empire
Chapter 379: Safety First

Tax policies are still only an intention, and the extent to which they will ultimately be implemented depends on the actual circumstances. Apart from the parties involved, the majority of people are indifferent.

However, when it comes to the integration of colonies and the homeland, it’s a different story. The Austrian government’s mere hint at it has swiftly sparked widespread social debate.

Supporters and those opposed to it quarreled in newspapers daily, even overshadowing hot topics like the Russo-Prussian War, U. S. negotiations, and the Russian Navy being bullied by pirates.

Public opinion was not one-sided, with supporters and the opposition equally fervent. This made Franz feel relieved. It seemed the chances of integration passing in the Imperial Parliament were quite high.

As the emperor, although Franz can forcibly pass a decision, he has never done so.

On the surface, such actions may appear authoritative, showcasing the monarch’s absolute power, but in reality, they bring significant potential political threats. It is expected that decisions be correct, and if they are not, the emperor must take responsibility.

No one can guarantee they won’t make mistakes. Moreover, even correct decisions at the wrong time and place are also mistakes.

The Imperial Parliament is the highest legislative body of the new Holy Roman Empire, and it typically plays the role of a scapegoat. Major political decisions usually require its approval.

This is a political contingency plan prepared by Franz. In the event of major problems, and to prevent the dismissal of the cabinet, the Imperial Parliament can be held accountable instead.

After years of restructuring, the current Imperial Parliament is no longer composed of the original few individuals; the number of members has significantly increased. However, the system remains based on states’ representation.

Even the smallest free city has at least one seat, and then one seat is added for every 3 million people, with an additional seat added directly once the population exceeds three million to accommodate small states.

Regardless of how it’s arranged, Austria still occupies half of the seats. However, if one-third of the legislators oppose, they can veto a proposal. To amend the constitution, at least 95% of the legislators must agree.

It’s worth mentioning that the part about the constitution was not created by Franz, but actively demanded by the various states.

Because the Imperial Constitution guarantees their autonomy, to prevent Austria from intervening in their internal affairs, they directly proposed conditions that were nearly impossible to meet.

Of course, the favorable provisions protecting the emperor and king in the constitution also contributed to the adoption of this provision. Everyone is intelligent, so naturally, they support terms that are advantageous to them.

The authority of the central government is naturally restricted, and regardless of how influential bureaucratic groups may be, their rights are legally constrained.

Each state government has its own team, and now the power of the new Holy Roman Empire government’s cabinet is substantial, predicated on their simultaneous appointment to the Austrian cabinet.

If one day Franz becomes unhappy, he can directly disband them. Then the Imperial Cabinet would awkwardly find that without the cooperation of the state governments, they would be unable to accomplish anything.

The army belongs to the emperor and the kings below him and the cabinet has no authority to mobilize it. The states have a high degree of autonomy, and the central government has no authority to intervene in internal affairs.

Only a portion of financial power remains, where the central government can print money, but this also requires approval from the Imperial Parliament. The central government collects coinage taxes and tariffs, which are used to cover administrative expenses, military expenses, royal pensions, etc. Any shortfall is then jointly shouldered by the state governments.

Of course, the authority over foreign affairs rests with the central government, as does the administration of colonies. However, all of these depend on the cooperation of the states.

Especially when it comes to the internal affairs of the state governments, all policies are contingent upon the cooperation of the state governments before they can proceed.

For example, if the government plans to provide tax rebates to textile factories, it must obtain the cooperation of the state governments.

If a state government opposes, it can still proceed independently and continue to levy taxes according to its own laws, disregarding the decisions of the central government.

This is only theoretical; in reality, the economy of the new Holy Roman Empire is already integrated. Many economic issues require coordination by the central government, and there is no reason for anyone to reject terms that are advantageous to themselves.

This also reflects Franz’s positioning of the central government as an organizer, connecting all the states together.

It bears some resemblance to the historical Second Reich, albeit with the current emperor holding much greater power. The central government’s lack of authority to intervene in the internal affairs of the states does not mean that the emperor lacks the right to intervene.

Having the right to intervene is one thing; choosing whether or not to do so is another.

Unless a state government becomes outrageously unpopular and the populace rises up in protest, necessitating the emperor’s intervention, Franz will refrain from involvement.

Since the establishment of the new Holy Roman Empire until now, such a situation has not occurred, so Franz has consistently abstained from actively engaging in affairs, merely collecting his salary.

He’s not a power-hungry maniac so why bother with thankless tasks? As the emperor of the new Holy Roman Empire, being a good referee is sufficient.

Moreover, Franz also held the titles of Emperor of Austria and King of Bavaria, so even if he had a strong desire for power, there were outlets for it.

If necessary, he can still stir things up in the colonies; after all, there’s always work to be done there. If he’s not afraid of sudden death, he could easily work twenty-four hours a day.

Having multiple roles isn’t without its benefits. In a society like Europe with clear property divisions, Franz naturally receives a higher salary.

With the royal annuity from the titles of the Holy Roman Emperor, the Emperor of Austria, and the King of Bavaria, and if the integration of the colonies is completed in the future, he will likely acquire several more titles, bringing in even more income.

As for merging the colonies into Austria? That was completely impossible.

Establishing overseas colonies was very costly, and Austria alone clearly could not afford it; ultimately, it was the finances of the new Holy Roman Empire that had paid for it. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

In other words, it’s all the states contributing money together that established the current colonial empire.

If all were handed over to Austria, the financiers who provided the money would surely not agree. Dividing it among the states is even more impossible. The distant colonies overseas are destined for autonomy.

Each state gaining economic benefits is already sufficient. Even if they theoretically obtain nominal administrative authority, they would have no means to administer them.

Franz had even encouraged everyone to establish overseas colonies. If state governments wanted to establish colonies, they could do so independently.

However, considering the terrifying capital investment and risks involved, everyone unanimously decided to let the central government take charge! If we’re going to profit, we’ll do it together; if we’re going to incur losses, we’ll do it together.

The most crucial aspect is that even if states go at it alone, they cannot disregard the central government. Without the protection of the Imperial Navy, how can the security of the colonies be ensured?

Didn’t you see how the Prussian and German Federal Empire capitalists who previously established colonial outposts overseas voluntarily requested to join?

Even now, when Prussia and the German Federal Empire are joining the colonial movement, they still rely on the support of the new Holy Roman Empire.

This cannot be resolved by simply relying on hugging someone’s thighs; overseas colonies represent a completely different realm. Each country possesses a large number of private colonial groups overseas, which are not entirely under the control of their respective governments.

In the event of conflict, each country’s government will side with its own people.

In the end, it comes down to strength. Whichever wields greater strength in a region can dominate that area, rather than simply looking at national strength.

This is also why the Netherlands and Portugal were able to retain large colonial territories, despite not being powerful nations; their strength was sufficient in certain regions.

Since the colonial empire was established through collective financial and labor efforts, ownership of the colonies naturally belonged to the empire. How they are to be incorporated into the empire is also a matter of study.

Autonomous provinces, autonomous cities, autonomous territories, direct provinces, states, noble fiefs...

These are all options under consideration, with different names representing different systems.

“Autonomous cities” imply fragmented colonies, while “autonomous territories” suggest larger territories retained by the colonies, and “direct provinces” indicate direct control by the central government. “States” would be similar to the current situation of various states...

From a standpoint of interests, Franz would certainly prefer the colonies to be incorporated into the empire as states, as this would help consolidate imperial power.

In essence, regardless of whether they are principalities or kingdoms, Franz can directly assume the title of king. The bond of the empire primarily revolves around the emperor, followed by economic integration.

The more roles he holds, the more secure his throne becomes; unless all the states revolt against the emperor together, his position is safe.

In terms of policy, no one dares to risk national division by deposing the emperor. Moreover, before disposing of the emperor, a civil war must first be fought.

It is necessary to use force to subdue opposing states, otherwise, the Imperial Parliament will not approve. Without amending the constitution, the new regime cannot gain legitimacy.

Legitimacy is crucial within the European cultural system; typically, the lower the legitimacy, the shorter the lifespan of a regime.

For regimes lacking legitimacy, they should be prepared to suppress rebellions every day! Wait, without legitimacy, such actions cannot be considered rebellions; they can only be seen as efforts to restore order.

When it comes to revolutions, Franz is very confident. As long as the military doesn’t rebel, everything can be easily dealt with.

Just look at Vienna; it lacks the foundation for revolution. Even if all of Europe were in revolution, Vienna would not erupt in turmoil.

Since Franz ascended to the throne, Vienna has not experienced any major protests. Even if protests occur, they are limited to a scale of no more than a hundred or so people, which is sufficient to indicate many things.

This is not without reason. Over a decade ago, the Austrian government prohibited the establishment of any factories in Vienna and gradually relocated existing factories.

A city without industry naturally does not experience large-scale demonstrations.

Nowadays, Vienna’s economy is primarily driven by the service industry, research, and finance. The economic structure determines the superstructure and the income of workers in these industries is relatively decent.

Without industrial pollution, Vienna has become Europe’s most beautiful city and the first major city in Europe without slums.

Small towns don’t count; in this era, small towns themselves are large slums, so there’s no need for distinction.

As a trade-off, Vienna’s population growth rate is slow, and the city’s development lags far behind London and Paris.

Even within the new Holy Roman Empire, many cities now surpass Vienna in population, such as Milan and Munich.

Of course, population does not equate to economy; currently, Vienna’s total population is only 680,000, with the population in the city center being only 310,000. However, its economic output ranks just below that of London and Paris.

With a small population and a developed economy, the standard of living for the people ranks among the top in Europe, naturally resulting in fewer social conflicts. With fewer social conflicts, the desire for revolution among the populace naturally decreases.

As the base of power of the Habsburgs, Franz holds Vienna in high regard. As the capital of two empires, Vienna enjoys unparalleled advantages and does not need to develop any industries.

While London and Paris may appear prestigious, they are aware of their own difficulties. London has become a city of fog, and Paris has become a city of revolution.

Moreover, large cities themselves are not suitable for industrial development; land prices and living costs far exceed those of small and medium-sized cities, raising industrial production costs from the outset.

Using Vienna as an example, if one were to invest in building a factory here, land prices would be three times higher than those in smaller cities, and labor costs would increase by at least one-third.

This doesn’t even consider the issue of raw material transportation; if we consider various factors comprehensively, the production costs of these factories usually increase by 10-30%.

Franz can only lament that competition is not fierce enough in this era, and capitalists are unaware of optimizing industrial allocation, let alone making every effort to save costs.

You see, capitalists in the future will move their factories wherever production costs are lowest. If anyone insists on staying in a big city, they will either be driven out or go bankrupt.

Of course, Franz is well aware that everyone is keen to flock to the capital mainly because it’s close to the centers of power, allowing them to gain political benefits.

However, Franz, who dislikes capitalist interference in politics, overturned the table from the start and didn’t give them this opportunity.

Vienna already has enough resources and doesn’t need these industries, but many small and medium-sized cities do. Under this policy, Austria gained seven or eight industrial cities.

As a result, while Austria’s overall industrial output may not have increased much, industrial competitiveness has improved, which is very beneficial for long-term development.

In this era, large cities are prone to protests, often because capitalists shift these increased costs onto workers to ensure their own interests.

The worse the economic situation, the more frequent the demonstrations, and the more intense the social conflicts.

From a ruler’s perspective, as long as Vienna remains stable, Franz’s rule is secure. If problems arise in other areas, troops can be deployed to suppress them.

This is a lesson from history; the vast majority of successful revolutions in Europe occurred in the capital. There may be exceptions, but Franz can’t recall any from his memory.

In any case, whether for industrial development or to maintain rule, Franz achieved de-industrialization in Vienna.

This was also prudent preparation. With a stable capital and a sound system in place, it can be said that Franz took “safety first” to the extreme. As long as no reckless actions are taken, there truly will not be any issues.

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