Chapter 315: Unpredictable World Strategy

The wheels of history are rolling, and after Alexander II succeeded to the throne, the tsarist government once again opened the prelude to reform.

However, Alexander II did not have the prestige of Nicholas the Great, and could not suppress the nobles in the country, and the scene was a little embarrassing.

This is the aftermath of the failure of Nicholas I's reforms. Everyone is very wary of the tsar's new tricks, and he is really powerless in the face of the group of nobles, Alexander II.

Of course, the Russian history books will not say that Nicholas the Great's reforms failed, only that he died too early and failed to complete the reforms.

The capture of Constantinople has brought Nicholas I to the altar and became the greatest tsar of the Russian Empire.

The successful person is not blamed, everyone will find reasons to defend him, and the pressure of reform has all fallen on the shoulders of Alexander II.

The infighting of the tsarist government intensified, and the Russians did not have the energy to continue to look for the bad luck of the British.

On March 26, 1860, Britain and Russia signed the Memorandum of India. The British paid £15m in low-interest loans in exchange for the Russians' recognition of his sovereignty over India.

In other words, the Indian rebels were sold by the Tsarist government. Although this is not a good price, but Alexander II can not care about that much.

Reform also requires funds. Unless the reform is carried out by violent means, compensation for groups with damaged interests is indispensable.

Seeing the struggling Alexander II and the domestic aristocratic group fighting in the dark, Franz couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The infighting Russian Empire needs a stable international environment, and the Russian-Austrian alliance becomes crucial.

This is exactly what Franz needs. At the last moment of completing the industrial revolution, Austria needs a stable international situation.

The British were busy suppressing the Indian rebellion and had no time to do anything; the French were also at the last moment of the Industrial Revolution and needed a stable international environment.

The four major powers all need stability, and naturally no one will do anything on the European continent. Other regions are not necessarily the same. The Second Opium War has broken out, and the American Civil War has also emerged.

Overseas affairs have little to do with the Vienna government. So far, Austria's sphere of influence, that is, the Mediterranean Sea and the African continent, is far beyond the reach.

But it soon became relevant. Looking at the Austrian World Strategic Plan submitted by the Colonial Ministry, Franz could only sigh that ambition was a good thing.

Regardless of whether it can be realized or not, the plan must be beautiful first. Almost every colonial empire has a world strategy, and the Austrian Colonial Ministry has only come up with a plan now, which is already too late.

After careful research, Franz had to admit that the person who prepared the plan had a good strategic vision, and in theory all the strategies above could be realized.

Completely in accordance with Franz's strategic thinking, try to avoid violent conflicts with major colonial empires before the colonies are divided up.

"There is no problem with the expansion plan of the African continent, it is not difficult to connect our colonies together, the main difficulty is the harsh natural conditions.

Infiltrating the Arabian peninsula and gradually taking control of this area is not much difficult, as soon as the Suez Canal opens, we can control these areas.

However, the problem of Asian strategy and American strategy is bigger.

Malaysia, New Guinea and Kalimantan in Asia are too far away, how much power can we put in?

Even if it is not valued by various countries, the surrounding area is the sphere of influence of the Netherlands, Spain and the British. It is not difficult for us to occupy these areas, but what about ruling these areas in the future?

The problems in the Americas are even bigger. Don't look at the weakness of these independent countries. They don't even have the qualifications to survive on the European continent. However, in the Americas, thousands of miles away, we may not be able to be their opponents.

War has costs, and we must consider the issue of revenue and expenditure. As for the plan to dig a canal in Central America, stop immediately, and there is no need to make wedding dresses for others that cannot be held.

It's not a big problem to establish a colonial stronghold in the Patagonia plateau, there are not many people there. "

There are also several islands that Franz did not comment on. He didn't know where it was, and he couldn't say anything if he wanted to evaluate it.

These little-known places cannot be found on the globes of later generations, so he naturally has no impression.

Governor Josip Jelacic explained: "Your Majesty, these plans have been thoroughly analyzed and studied, and they are all feasible.

For example: the Nicobar Islands, a legacy of the Austrian East India Company, are now ruled by our folk merchants.

And Kalimantan, which already has our colonial stronghold. In Malaysia, we have achieved most-favored-nation status.

Most of these are the results of civilian colonization teams, not government organizations. The British occupied the whole of Australia not long ago, which sparked their fears and turned to the Colonial Department for help.

Considering that the British are still busy suppressing the Indian rebellion and have no energy to compete with us for a short period of time, the Colonial Department agreed to this plan.

As for the American colonization plan, what we are preparing is economic colonization, infiltrating Central America by economic means, and opening a canal in the Panama region, which was proposed by the capitalists.

This plan is retained mainly for future consideration. If we can control the countries of Central America, it will be necessary to open this canal.

Your Majesty, the strength of the countries in Central America is very weak, there is almost no industry, and all weapons and ammunition are imported.

The total population is less than two million, and on average, each country is only three

More than 100,000 people, of whom three-fifths are Indians, one-fifth are biracial, and less than one-fifth are white. "

Franz had nothing to say. No wonder the Colonial Department would pay attention to Central America. It was so weak that it was no wonder that no one could spy on it.

Economic colonization first, then immigration slowly, and when the number of immigrants is large enough, the local government is overthrown.

However, there is no difficulty, this is the sequelae of the small population. As long as the Vienna government is willing to invest, it is really not difficult to colonize these areas.

Thinking of this, Franz can only complain about the Spanish prodigal. It seems that the legacy of the split of the Habsburg dynasty left them too rich to cherish at all.

But if the government is a little bold, it will not allow these regions to become independent. It's really not possible. You can still establish dominion and build an economic community, which is better than not being able to get a hair now.

"Well, you persuaded me. But the canal plan is put on hold. I don't want a canal to improve transportation in the Americas until the United States is divided."

...

Since reading the "Austria Global Strategic Plan", Franz has begun to attach importance to collecting data from various countries.

I don't know if I don't check it, I'm shocked when I check it. If it weren't for the geographical constraints, he would be too lazy to develop the African continent and directly colonize South America.

Just look at the populations of South American countries:

Peru has a territory of 1.29 million square kilometers and a population of about 2 million;

Paraguay has an approximate territory of 410,000 square kilometers and a population of about 500,000;

Bolivia has a territory of 1.1 million square kilometers and a population of about 1.25 million;

Ecuador has a territory of 280,000 square kilometers and a population of about 800,000;

Brazil has a territory of 8.51 million square kilometers and a population of about 7.3 million;

...

With such a small population, there are still serious racial conflicts in the country. As the ruling class, white people are only a minority, and more are Indians and black slaves.

Think about it, Portugal and Spain are not big countries with large populations, but they have so many colonies. Where can they get so many immigrants?

Without enough immigrants, local development will naturally be unsuccessful. The low level of local development has also reduced everyone's desire to emigrate.

After falling into a vicious circle, South American countries gradually missed the opportunity for development. After the United States developed, they were suppressed again, and they had no chance to develop again.

This is also related to the ineffectiveness of the governments of South American countries, but if the governments do a little better, a small strong is not a problem at all.