Chapter 441: The City That Never Sleeps

Christmas Eve in 1868, this is a memorable day, this night opened a new era of human beings.

August was an ordinary Viennese citizen, and he was overwhelmed by the changes in Vienna, as if in a dream.

With the children at home, looking at the bright street lights, this is the best gift for Christmas.

"Father, is this a light bulb, why is it so bright?"

Hearing his son's question, August didn't know where to start. In this era, there is no Internet, and knowledge dissemination relies entirely on books.

Although August's education is not low, but the major is not appropriate. As a doctor, he doesn't need to study electric lights, so naturally he can't answer this question.

Not only him, but not many people in Vienna know why. Vienna is not an industrial city, there are studios for this kind of research, but no factories for these kinds of products.

Vienna is an inland city and a capital, which integrates a political center, a financial center, a cultural center, a scientific research center, and an educational center.

With so many titles added, it is impossible to add another industrial center. Otherwise, the skyrocketing population can squeeze this beautiful city into collapse.

In just 20 years since Franz's accession to the throne, Vienna's population has tripled and is still growing at a rapid rate of 8%.

This is obviously not natural growth. If the natural population growth rate is so fast, then unifying the whole world is not a dream.

Even with its factories closed, Vienna, the capital of both empires, sees a huge influx of people every year.

Population growth is the driving force for urban development. Today, Vienna is already one of the most prosperous and beautiful cities in the world.

The per capita income has jumped to the top of the world, and Paris and London are no match. Although their economies are also very developed, the large number of workers drags down the average.

This is also the reason why Vienna can take the lead in becoming the city that never sleeps. The income of the people of Vienna can already afford the cost of lighting, and other cities can not afford it.

Electricity bills are not cheap in this era, as long as the middle class and the rich can enjoy it. The annual income of an ordinary worker is not enough for the electricity company to open an account.

Since the breakthrough of large generator technology in 1866, Austrian power companies have sprung up like mushrooms. If a city doesn't have an electricity company, it must be a small city.

Now every city in Austria with a population of more than 100,000 people has a power company settled down, and at least one branch.

As a new energy industry, the Vienna government has been supporting it, and now is the golden age for power companies to staking their horses.

Unfortunately, the cost is still high, and it has not been able to achieve universal popularization. The biggest barrier to universal access to electricity is not the cost of generating electricity, but the cost of wires, or copper and rubber.

No matter how low the utilization rate is, one kilogram of coal can generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Coal in Austria is worthless, and power generation is not picky, so any type of coal can be used.

The pure cost of electricity generation does not exceed 5 groschen per kilowatt-hour, but when it is delivered to residents' homes, the price of electricity per kilowatt hour becomes 8 shillings, an increase of 159 times.

(1 shield = 100 shillings = 10000 groschen)

No way, the number of users is small, the cost of wires is high, and the amortization cost will naturally go up.

The most direct benefit of new energy development is that, under the recession of the economic crisis, Austria's copper smelting industry and rubber industry have grown against the market.

Many companies in the relevant industrial chain have benefited from this, and at least a market of 500 million Aegis has been driven, contributing to the economic recovery of Austria.

Touching his son's little head, August said lovingly, "I don't know about this problem. My little scientist needs to study it himself."

The academic atmosphere in Vienna is still very strong. The social status of scientists in Austria is very high, especially after Franz, the emperor who was keen to award scientists with titles, was sought after by all walks of life.

Of course, the title is not so easy to get, and there is not necessarily a place every year. Franz is a realist, and he will not pay attention to the hype until he sees the results.

It doesn't hurt either, and it still doesn't stop the enthusiasm of the people. August is no exception, always referencing his son's hobbies to scientific research.

Obviously, the little guy didn't buy it that much. He shook his head and said, "No, the laboratory is too boring. How can it be compared to galloping around the world? My ambition is to become a great soldier."

Looking at his dancing son, August could only helplessly accept this reality. Not a scholar, it is too difficult to become a scientist, and becoming a soldier is also a good choice.

The tradition of the German region is strong, and becoming an excellent soldier is the goal of most people.

Don't look at August as a doctor, in fact he was also a soldier, just retired.

In the national military service system, basically every adult male will serve in the army. Men who have not served in the military are vulnerable to discrimination in society.

Now the service rate in Austria is still as high as 95%, and the remaining 5% is naturally defective. Even if ordinary people cannot enter the regular army, they will enter the reserve.

This is not just an obligation, but also a right of everyone. The legal definition is: every citizen has the right and obligation to defend the country, and the right to serve in the military is also one of the civil rights.

It's not Franz's fault, but the core of Austria's constitution:

Rights are equal to obligations.

Not having served in the military also means not fulfilling the rights and obligations to defend the country, and naturally also loses political rights, including a series of social benefits.

There are not many social benefits now, and we can't see how much impact it will have. The future will be different.

Now the issue of unemployment aid and pensions has been put on the agenda. Napoleon III set a precedent, and Franz had to follow suit.

Just as Austria was the first to formulate a labor protection law, it is now standard in European countries, including the Russian Empire, which has a labor protection law.

In this respect, the fighting power of the proletariat in Europe is still very strong. Everyone is very active in fighting for their own rights.

It has not been passed for a long time, mainly because of the burden of enterprises. To increase these two expenditures, it is inevitable to increase taxes, otherwise what will you get if you have no money?

It is not surprising that Napoleon III would lose the throne. Most of the hats on his head in later generations are false. There is only one real reason: the capitalists have been suffering Napoleon III for a long time.

The socialist emperor also came with a price, definitely not an understatement in the history books. Whether it's rebuilding Paris, or improving the welfare of the working class, it takes money.

Although economic development can increase tax revenue, the accompanying expenditure also increases. When Napoleon III came to the throne, France's budget deficit was as high as 1 billion francs.

Up to now, not only has the expenses been smoothed out, but there is still room to pay benefits to the workers. These money cannot be printed directly.

The problem can be seen from the tax changes before and after he ascended the throne. During the Orleans Dynasty, the big capitalists paid less than 1% of the fiscal revenue, and now it has exceeded 30% of the fiscal revenue.

Whether it's unemployment benefits or retirement pensions, the money comes out of the pockets of capitalists.

Just by looking at the establishment of the two major French central banks, the Land Credit Bank and the Chattel Credit Bank, as well as the establishment of land banks in Paris and the provinces, you can see how much meat he has cut off from financial capitalists.

Don't forget the lessons learned, Franz is doing the same thing, and even further. It's just that the Austrian capitalists are not very good at fighting, and politically they are suppressed to death by the nobles.

In order to reduce the pressure, Franz is occasionally recruiting big capitalists. No matter how much power they have, these people become members of the ruling class, and the class position changes.

It is impossible for them to share with their former bourgeois comrades the rights they have fortunately acquired.

Capitalists and capitalists are naturally opposed to each other, and competition has divided this group. As long as the monopoly consortium is not allowed to appear, this group has no strength against the government.

...

Christmas Eve in 1868 left a shocking scene in this era. The scene of "The City That Never Sleeps", which existed in science fiction, became a reality in Vienna.

The telegraph is definitely one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century. Thanks to its efficient transmission speed, the news of "Vienna = city that never sleeps" grabbed the front pages of European newspapers the next day.

This Christmas, there is only one "city that never sleeps" in the eyes of Europeans.

Electric lighting has long appeared in continental Europe, but many people dare not even think about lighting up a city.

In fact, Vienna did not light up at all, but only installed street lamps, and many residents still use oil lamps to illuminate their homes.

Naturally, the newspapers would not explain these issues in detail, but simply mentioned them in one sentence, making everyone in Europe take it for granted that electric lighting has been popularized in Vienna.

It’s enough for a small country to watch the excitement. Everyone’s mentality is good. Vienna is the richest city in Europe, and it’s normal to be the first city that never sleeps.

In the eyes of some people, it is different. For the British and French people of this era, this is unbearable.

London