African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 82: Chapter 78 Austria-Hungary Empire

May 29, 1867.

Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Deak finally reached a consensus and signed the ”Austro-Hungarian Compromise” on May 29, 1867, restoring the Hungarian parliament.

From today on, the Austrian Empire has completely come to an end, with the power center of the Austrian Empire divided into two.

And domestic citizens can only choose between Austrian and Hungarian nationality and cannot hold both an Austrian Empire passport and a Hungarian Kingdom passport simultaneously.

The foundation that maintains the existence of this nation is the Habsburg Emperor, who simultaneously serves as the King of both countries, highlighting how absurd and fragile the politics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are.

From now on, all decisions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire must be negotiated by the Austrian and Hungarian governments, marking the beginning of serious administrative internal friction.

The current Austro-Hungarian Empire naturally held no ceremonies, and everything was accomplished in the quiet agreements between the nobles of the two countries.

Ernst returned to the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s territory again, this time as a forced engagement, as it was related to the grand undertaking of European immigration and could not be taken lightly.

The new Hungarian government was about to part ways with the Austrian government, and the object of Ernst’s dealings shifted from the Austrian government to the Hungarian government.

Now that Hungary had autonomy, Ernst wanted to test if this new government would cause trouble for his actions.

After a few days of contact, Ernst found that the new Austro-Hungarian Empire was easier to deal with than the Austrian Empire.

As a bona fide Prussian, the Hungarian government treated Ernst with great respect, especially regarding immigration issues.

This group did not object and even hoped to cooperate with Ernst.

This isn’t surprising; the real essence of the Hungarian nobles’ push for independence was for their own interests. To truly drive Austria out would leave them with nowhere to cry when things go wrong.

After all, without Austria, Hungary alone would not withstand becoming a dish on the Tsarist Russia’s platter, although the current Tsarist Russia had experienced the defeat in the Crimean War.

But to Europe, especially to Central and Eastern European countries, it remains a behemoth.

Moreover, it is constantly thinking of further expansion to the west, which is the foundation for why Britain and France allow the Austro-Hungarian Empire to continue to exist.

Hungary fears the Russians because of the massive Slavic population within its borders.

Among the many nationalities within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Yugoslavs are not only numerous but also at the bottom of society, especially the Serbs.

The Serbian communities are widely distributed within Hungary, and even combined, all the Germans and Hungarians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire do not form the majority ethnic group.

Thus, the test facing the newly formed Austro-Hungarian Empire is extremely severe. Austria and Hungary compromised, and those numerous ethnic groups naturally grew more ambitious.

This isn’t just aimed at Austria; it’s also directed towards Hungary, as the internal situation in Hungary is equally a hotbed for ethnonationalism.

This is the foundation for cooperation between Ernst and the Hungarian nobles: to reduce the population of other ethnic groups within Hungary as much as possible.

The Hungarian nobles allowed Ernst to continuously export any non-Magyar population from within Hungary to the East African colonies.

This made Ernst’s immigration work within the Austro-Hungarian Empire smoother. From the Austrian side, Ernst could carry out large-scale emigration from places like Slovenia, Croatia, Galicia, Czech, and Slovakia.

And within Hungary, Ernst could more recklessly devour other ethnic populations.

This differs from what Ernst initially believed would happen after the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, thinking the authorities might curb the population outflow as the situation stabilized.

The upper echelons of the Austrian and Hungarian governments aren’t fools, especially the Hungarian government, which rose to prosperity through nationalism. Wouldn’t others do the same? It’s better to be proactive and prevent problems before they occur.

Ernst now found himself having to persuade Franz to avoid dragging his feet on Hungary.

It had to be mentioned that among the measures Franz had taken to counterbalance Hungary was one aimed at winning over the lower classes in Hungary.

Franz required the Hungarian government to ensure the rights of ethnic groups outside the Hungarian nobility, that is, non-Magyars.

Now, Ernst couldn’t let Franz do as he did historically; if Hungarians didn’t trouble those below them, how would Ernst have the opportunity to chip away at the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

...

Mei Quan Palace.

”Ernst, you are indeed diligent, running to Austria every other day. What do you plan this time?” Franz asked Ernst.

Unfazed, Ernst replied, ”Your Majesty, Austria feels like home to me, so of course, I come often.”

”You rascal! What do you take Austria for?” Hearing Ernst’s shameless words, the usually serious and steady Franz found it somewhat amusing.

That guy is always up to something, and he talks like this, probably because I stupidly agreed to my mother arranging Karina’s marriage back then.

Thinking this in his heart, in practice, Franz approved of Ernst, much like how he acknowledged that, despite their cunning and treacherous diplomacy, the British always seemed to end up on the winning side.

Although Franz himself was rigid and conservative, it didn’t hinder him from appreciating those who were smooth and unconventionally effective, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been attracted to Princess Sisi’s free and romantic personality back then.

”There are no outsiders here, tell me, what trick are you trying this time?” Franz said to Ernst.

Without holding back, Ernst directly replied, ”Your Majesty, now that Hungary has achieved equal status with Austria, I wonder how you plan to handle the attitude towards other ethnic groups within Hungary?”

Mentioning Hungary instantly soured Franz’s mood, and he said, ”All ethnic groups in Hungary are my subjects, and of course, I must treat them equally.”

Ernst immediately replied, ”I hope Your Majesty considers carefully before making any substantial promises to the lower classes in Hungary.”

”Ernst, what do you mean by that?” Franz asked.

Ernst answered, ”Your Majesty, it’s understandable for you to care for your subjects, but Austria today isn’t the Austrian Empire of the past! I imagine you’re very upset about Hungary’s severance of the Empire’s power, but anger often leads to a loss of rationality.”

”For example, you are the Emperor of the entire Empire, but what actually maintains your connection with the whole Empire are your nobles and officials. Now that Hungary has independently established its own government, you can no longer act impulsively. Previously, you only had to handle Austrian affairs to command the entire Empire, but now you face two governments, so you must proceed with caution.”

”Although Hungary has weakened the central government’s power, what’s done is done, and pouring fuel on the fire won’t help. After all, Hungary is still part of the Habsburgs. Instead of finding trouble for the Hungarians, let the Hungarians find trouble for themselves.”

”If you personally intervene, the Hungarian nobles will definitely think you are being biased, inciting them further. In reality, when it comes to public opinion, local nobles always have the upper hand over the central government. As long as the Hungarians lie and deceive, they can stir up the confused populace against the central decisions...”

In summary, Ernst was advising Franz not to proactively uphold the interests of other ethnic groups within Hungary. It was enough to express concern; actively opposing the Hungarian nobles would easily cause trouble.