Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
While handling the Paris government, the Austrian Foreign Ministry could not possibly forget the London government. The British Empire was still very powerful in that era.
As the only industrial country in the world then, it was the right time for them to be bullish. Fortunately, the small size of Britain restricted its population growth; otherwise, there would be no such thing as industrial latecomers.
The British also couldn’t avoid the great revolution in 1848, but compared with the ones in France, Austria, and other countries, theirs were just too small.
The ambitious and untalented revolutionaries were arrested by the police before they started. Ultimately, there were just a few strikes, which ended hastily.
Franz knew clearly in his heart that the war between Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia was actually planned by the British. Even before the dispatch of troops from the Kingdom of Sardinia, British Foreign Secretary Palmerston had begun to lobby King Charles Albert.
In this context, Austria’s diplomatic activities in London naturally couldn’t achieve any real results.
Moreover, the reputation of the British was not very reassuring, because as long as it served their interests, they were known to change positions at any time.
Fortunately, Franz didn’t expect to get the support of the British. The mission for Hummelauer, the ambassador to Britain, was very simple: to visit the counselors of the pro-Austrian countries and prevent the London government from providing substantial support to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
…
Downing Street.
Prime Minister John Russell was thinking about the world situation. First of all, the issue of France: the newly established interim government had already expressed friendship to the British Empire diplomatically, but whether to accept it was still under consideration.
Since the Vienna system had collapsed, how should the future European political situation be established?
The British were surely good at diplomatic tactics. Before the collapse of the Vienna system, John Russell hadn’t thought anything of it; however, since the system had collapsed, he was struggling.
Under the Vienna system, European countries had maintained a close balance, and the British could rest assured and boldly expand their territory overseas.
“Prime Minister, in the current situation, we can continue the previous strategic plan to establish a unified Italian dynasty, weaken the strength of Austria, and block the French expansion into Italy!” Foreign Secretary Palmerston suggested.
John Russell frowned and said, “Mr. Palmerston, this is the most ideal state for now. In fact, for the balance of strength among European countries, we will need Austria.
Now Austria’s internal conflicts are serious, and it may disintegrate. If there is no restriction, the Hapsburg family will return to the German region.
Now the idea of the unification of the German region is very popular. With the reputation of the Hapsburg family, their return is likely to unify the German region.”
In Europe, where bloodlines mattered, John Russell was not alarmist. Once Austria disintegrated, it was almost inevitable that the rest of Austria would return to Germany.
In this case, the Hapsburg family was really liable to unify Germany. It was no joke to conquer the world from the waist down (meaning, by bloodline).
Even if the Hapsburg family did not unify Germany, the Prussians would. The emergence of a unified Great German Empire was definitely not a good thing for the British.
Franz had also considered whether to give up Hungary and Italy and to re-form the German Empire. However, after careful analysis, he decided to resist the temptation.
It might be easy to unify the German region, but what about internal conflicts? And he had no way to subdue the Prussians. The Catholicism of South Germany and the Protestantism of North Germany were clearly different.
In history, the Germans were not able to solve this problem, and the Second Empire had been full of contradictions since its establishment.
And that was just in a small Germany. If a great Germany was established, these conflicts would be even more horrible, as North and South Germany were evenly matched, and the internal friction alone could cause the nation to collapse.
Looking at the map again, the strategic position of the German region was truly unfortunate, for there were no natural barriers at all to defend the area.
Even if Franz had much more confidence, he didn’t think he could punch France, kick Russia, and beat England to death at the same time against a background of constant internal conflict.
Franz thought that it was a daydream to think of giving up the Austrian Empire to unify the German region. Specifically, we could refer to the case of Napoleon’s one-on-one fights against major European powers.
Otherwise, he would not have waited. After the war against France was over would be the best time for Austria to unify Germany.
There was no doubt that Franz was not the only smart leader involved. Metternich had refrained from a similar temptation and established the Vienna system, instead of unifying Germany, which was political suicide.
A bird in the hand is worth a thousand in the bush.
After integrating the Austrian Empire, in fact, the overall national strength would not be less than that of a unified German region. Then he would slowly strive to develop over time. Waiting for the opportunity was the right way to go.
If he moved forward, he could fight his way across the European continent and rebuild the Holy Roman Empire; if he retreated, he could dominate southern Europe and become a major power there.
“The situation in Austria may not be as serious as we thought. The Vienna revolution has been suppressed. Although other places are unstable, there is no outbreak of major rebellions.
In order for the European revolution not to affect Russia, the Tsar’s government has to support Austria, and with our support, even if the Hungarian rebellion breaks out, it will soon be suppressed!
Besides, we don’t need the Kingdom of Sardinia to completely defeat Austria. If necessary, we can mediate. As long as the French are not allowed to send troops to support the kingdom of Sardinia, the situation is under our control,” Palmerston said after a moment’s thought.
John Russell replied, “It should not be difficult to mediate the Austrian war. However, how are you going to reply to Austria? If there is no support from here, they will turn to the Russians for help.
The Russians will not give up this opportunity. Once Russia and Austria reach an agreement, no one in the region can check them.”
The greatest conflict in the world at that time was the conflict between Britain and Russia. With its immense strength, the Russian Empire had become one of the greatest enemies of the British.
Austria was the biggest power to balance the Russian expansion in the Near East. If Austria turned to the Russians then, it was inevitable that they would give up some of their interests in the Balkan region.
The British definitely did not want the Russians to enter the Mediterranean. In history, the Crimean War broke out for this reason, and the British and French joined their forces together to beat the Russians back.
“No problem. We don’t need to reply directly to the Austrian people, just give them some ambiguous hints so that they will think we support them.
The Kingdom of Sardinia wants to unify Italy, and they have to work hard on that alone. We must only provide limited support. If they succeed, it is for the best; if they fail, it will not be our business.
It is also a good choice to let France and Austria contain each other. The diplomacy of the British empire cannot take sides!” Palmerston said superciliously.