Chapter 197 The Soldiers and Horses Have Not Moved, Propaganda First
St. Petersburg Hermitage
The contract for the arms transaction between Russia and Austria has already appeared on the desk of Nicholas I, along with the document that the loan was blocked and the Austrian government proposed to issue a bond.
Regarding the purchase of the weapon production line, Nicholas I had no opinion, and gave instructions directly on the document.
There is a huge gap between the military industry of the Russian Empire and European countries, which cannot be made up in the short term. Buying production lines is the only option to close the gap in the short term.
Nicholas I asked: "What do you think of Austria's proposal to issue bonds?"
Chancellor of the Exchequer Aristan Lirod analyzed: "Your Majesty, this may be very troublesome. It's not that we haven't issued bonds, but the previous bonds were all cold in the capital market.
In order to sell the bonds now, in addition to the Austrian proposal to use collateral, the interest must be high enough to be able to obtain capital.
This will greatly increase our financial costs. Previously, we obtained a loan from Austria with a monthly interest rate of only 0.2%. If we issue bonds, it will probably increase significantly.
The military expenditure of this war has far exceeded our expectations. If the financial cost is increased, our financial pressure will be very great in the future. "
The tsarist government did not consider in advance that Britain and France would send troops directly, and all the battle plans were one-on-one with the Ottoman Empire.
According to the original plan, they have the power of the Black Sea, the Russian army can obtain supplies at sea, the logistical pressure is greatly reduced, and the force that the Russian army can put into the Balkans has also greatly increased.
In theory, the Russian army with sufficient advantages could defeat the Ottoman Empire in 1852, end the war in the Balkans in 1853, and then set off to attack the Asia Minor peninsula both ways.
As a result, the plans could not keep up with the changes, and the participation of Britain and France in the war disrupted their deployment. The war was out of control from the very beginning, and military spending increased substantially.
Nicholas I continued to ask: "Is it possible to continue to obtain low-interest loans from the Austrian government?"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Wossel replied: "Your Majesty, if there is no problem with small loans, it may be impossible to obtain a one-time loan of 200 million rubles.
Although Austria did not directly reject our loan, they clearly pointed out that the amount of funds was too large and beyond their means.
After our analysis, the Austrian government has the ability to raise huge sums of money, but it will affect their domestic development, which is impossible unless we pay a big price. "
200 million rubles is an astronomical sum, which is equivalent to the fiscal revenue of the Russian Empire for a year. Under normal circumstances, the Austrian government does not have the financial resources.
But the situation is different now. The Russians do not need to take real money for loans. All loans are used in Austria, and the money does not leave Austria.
This money did not flow into the market all at once, but first lay in the account of the Austrian bank, and slowly flowed into the market by purchasing materials.
Because of the tax, a large part of the funds are returned to the Austrian government, and the actual need to pay is much less.
For example, for the purchase of one million goods, the first round of transaction tax, value-added tax, corporate tax, tariff, etc. adds up, and the government receives two or three million; the second round of raw material suppliers also has to pay the payment transaction Taxes, value-added tax, corporate tax and other taxes are estimated to add up to tens of thousands.
Because this business has driven the development of transportation and the surrounding catering industry, it will also generate taxes. After capitalists make profits and workers receive wages, they have to consume again, and consumption drives the development of other industries. These are taxes.
This is just the simplest commodity circulation. In fact, the industrial circulation system is more responsible than this. Few companies directly buy raw materials, which can be turned into industrial products for sale.
Most industries have three or more rounds of circulation, in which funds are returned to the government's finances through taxation. In fact, the funds that the Austrian government needs to pay for this loan is only half or even less of it.
Without these advantages, the great powers such as Britain and France would not be keen to lend usury by just relying on those few points of interest.
Further, through loans to speed up the flow of goods between the two countries, and gradually penetrate into all walks of life in a country, especially the financial industry is the most easily penetrated.
Nicholas I thought for a while and said, "Is it because of the interest? We can pay it according to the international standard, even if it is a little higher, it doesn't matter, anyway, there will be no higher bond interest."
Foreign Minister Karl Worciel replied: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's not a question of interest. The Austrians did not ask for an increase in interest, it should be because of financial difficulties.
The Austrian government attaches great importance to domestic economic development and will not interrupt domestic economic development for a little interest. They won't come up with that money unless we make big political concessions. "
Nicholas I nodded. Countries are very realistic, and even allies cannot sacrifice their own interests to help.
If it is only for a few points of interest, it is necessary to sacrifice domestic economic development, and everyone knows how to choose.
"Austria's loans cannot be given up, and you can get as many as you can. The Ministry of Finance has formulated a set of plans to issue bonds, not only Austria, but all European countries can sell them.
I don’t know when this war will end. Now the government needs to raise funds as much as possible, and a higher interest rate is acceptable. "
Nicholas I was a wise man and did not continue to increase the domestic war tax.
Historically, the Russians were boycotted by major European powers and unable to raise funds from the international capital market, so they were forced to search domestically.
The consequences of tax increases are also very serious. After the defeat of the Crimean War, the ruling foundation of the tsarist government was shaken.
After the war, Nicholas I, who was in good health, died suddenly. Most historians believe that he committed suicide by taking poison. He used his death to take responsibility for the failure of the war, and gave an explanation to the outside world, which stabilized the rule of the tsarist government.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" replied the Chancellor of the Exchequer
...
Franz didn't know exactly how Nicholas I died. In short, his death completely deteriorated the relationship between Russia and Austria.
Whether in terms of personal feelings or national interests, Franz hoped that Nicholas I would live a long life.
Nicholas I had a good character and was a good ally, and the tsarist government he led was still credible.
And the longer he lived, the later the serfdom reform of the tsarist government, and the more difficult it was to reform.
Allies who do not threaten are good allies. After recalling the historical data, Franz had to be thankful that he had caught up with the good times.
If no accident happens, future generations of Russian tsars will be more peaceful, which means that Austria's back will be safe for decades to come.
The Russians are preparing to issue bonds, Franz is also preparing to issue bonds, and there is never too much money. Especially in times of war, it is very necessary to reserve more ammunition.
Unlike the Russians who rely on high interest to attract capital purchases, Franz is ready to take advantage of the patriotic feelings of the people.
In order to support the Prussians to recover the two principalities in the north, everyone can donate tens of millions of guilders. Now, for the unification of the German region, everyone will be more active.
"Unified bond", Franz did not add the word German in front, mainly to take care of other nationalities in the country. If possible, he didn't mind prepending -- Holy Roman Empire.
The bond is still under wraps and will be issued at the same time as the Unification War begins. Since it is for national unity, it is too vulgar to talk about interests.
The annual interest rate of "unified bonds" is only 1%, which can be said to be better than nothing. Even with such low interest rates, Franz remains confident in selling the bonds.
Under his influence, Austrian German ideas still dominated the mainstream, and everyone was very interested in rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire.
In order to create a foundation for public opinion, the Austrian government spent millions of guilders on propaganda for two consecutive years in 1851 and 1852.
Not only Austria, but also all the states in the German region are within the scope of propaganda.
"Rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire" has become the hottest topic in the German region. Whether for or against, this concept has been poured into everyone's mind.
University of Munich
A debate on the way forward for the German region begins here.
Talking about the unification of Germany has been legalized since the predecessor King Ludwig I issued a declaration that the royal family would work for the unification of Germany.
Great German thought, small German thought, the partition of North and South Germany, as well as the just proposed reconstruction of the Holy Roman Empire, etc., a series of messy plans can all be discussed openly.
Not only the Kingdom of Bavaria, but many German regional states can discuss these issues. The government must also express its support. This is the rights and interests of the people of the 1848 Revolution, and it is also politically correct.
Simply put, you can support any German regional unification plan, but you cannot oppose the German regional unification.
Shinra supporter, Christian's passionate speaker: "The German region has been divided for too long, and the development models of each state are different. It is very difficult to integrate these regions immediately and build a big empire. easy.
That being the case, why don't we neutralize it? First rebuild the Holy Roman Empire and gather everyone within the framework of a unified great empire.
For other issues, we can sit down and discuss slowly. If one year is not enough, two years are enough, and ten years are not enough, then twenty years. After a few decades, the German region becomes a whole. "
After the secret propaganda of the Austrian government, those who supported the reconstruction of the Holy Roman Empire were very shielded, and even the rulers of some small states were supporters of this idea.
The Holy Roman Empire is not terrible. This empire has never been truly unified. The major states below are all doing their own things. The central government only exists in theory, and there is almost no binding force on the states.
If unification is really inevitable, such unification can protect their interests to the greatest extent possible.
There are also people who like to live a peaceful life. Unifying the German region is easy to say, but in fact, war is not far away.
Whether it is the Great Germany or the Small Germany, the army must be used to subdue everyone before they can complete the great cause of unification.
Rebuilding Shinra is much simpler, everyone will hold a meeting to vote, choose an emperor, and the German region will be unified.
No matter how everyone's interests have been damaged internally, each state is still playing its own way, but economic exchanges have been strengthened, and when it comes to the outside world, everyone is united.
The German region is united again, even in name, and this great empire is the most powerful empire in the world.
A young student objected: "This kind of unification is too slow, and European countries will not give us time to integrate the whole country. A unified German Empire
If it appears, we will immediately be boycotted by all countries.
Even if it is besieged by various countries, only when the German region is completely unified and everyone becomes a whole can we defeat the enemy and complete the great renaissance of Germany. "
As soon as the words fell, someone else objected: "Don't forget Napoleon's lesson, any country trying to confront the whole of Europe is self-defeating.
The current international situation simply does not allow us to complete national reunification step by step. Once there are signs of unification in the German region, European countries are bound to intervene.
The British, the French, the Russians, the Spaniards... will not see the unification of the German region, and it would be unwise to fight the European continent on their own.
At this time, we have to learn to walk step by step. First unify the small German region, and when the integration is completed and the strength is strong, we will unify the entire German region. "
Another objected: "Unifying the Little German Region? If so, we might as well divide the North and South German regions.
It can also avoid the joint attack of the foreign powers and accumulate strength for the final unification of the country. Why should we look at the faces of the Prussian upstarts? "
"No, this is dividing the country, not uniting the country. Whether it is the establishment of a small Germany or the division of North and South Germany, the final result is the destruction of this empire.
Germany divided in two, or our Germany? Re-establishing Shinra and establishing a nominally unified empire is the key to our step-by-step approach. "
...
There is no doubt that Franz has played a major role in the spread of these messy ideas. There are a lot of ideas in this that he tossed out himself.
If you want to achieve the purpose of propaganda, you must not directly say: Austria wants to unify the German region, and everyone should unite under the banner of the Habsburg dynasty.
If such propaganda is made, it is estimated that it will be suppressed by the governments of various countries as soon as it starts.
Now, throwing out all the messy unified plans in this way will dilute the figure of Austria, and everyone will think that it is spontaneous.
In the eyes of most people, the idea of Greater Germany and the theory of rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire may all be supported by the Austrian government, and the latter may also mean a small German state.
The remaining ideas of Little Germany and the theory of the partition of North and South Germany were obviously created by the Prussians, and these two ideas were the most widely spread in Prussia.
True or false, what is the real political proposition of the Austrian government? Franz would say that what kind of political proposition is in the interests of Austria in reality, and what is the political proposition of the Austrian government.
In the face of interests, national strategies and political concepts can be changed. The reason why it has not changed is because the interests are not large enough.