Chapter 601: No Longer the Protagonist

After some research and discussion, Franz finally came up with an unexpected answer - the British couldn't hold on.

This "unstoppable" does not mean that the British are about to die. In fact, the British Empire is at its peak, and no one can threaten their world empire.

It’s just that colonial empires are essentially for making money. There are too many international conflicts now, and countries stab and dig holes at each other, which greatly increases the cost of colony maintenance.

Investments are getting bigger and bigger, but the benefits are not growing at the same time, and sometimes because of the turmoil. In this context, it is not surprising that the London government wants to stop this unnecessary fighting and reduce the cost of colonization.

There was also a colonial conference (Berlin Conference) in the original time and space, but it was created by the Belgians. Leopold II took advantage of the contradiction between the powers and successfully won the Congo area.

Now that the Congo region has fallen into the hands of Austria early, and the African continent is almost divided up, Leopold II will naturally not be useless.

There will be no Berlin Conference now, and the major colonial empires still lack an opportunity for in-depth communication and mediation of conflicts.

Although the three countries of Britain, France and Austria have formed an alliance, they have only reached an agreement on the core issues. As for the details of each colony, it is too late for everyone to discuss.

Don't look at the advantages of the three major powers in the division of colonies and think that they can do whatever they want. In fact, the major colonial empires are not easy to mess with.

Perhaps their military strength is not as good as that of the Three Kingdoms, but they can still do it by stabbing a knife in secret, for example: spreading nationalism and supporting colonial independence movements.

In recent years, the colony has been surging. The best proof is that. If one counts, it will be found that the number of uprisings in the colonies is increasing year by year.

If this situation continues, everyone should not think about making money happily. In particular, the British, who had the most colonies, also had to pay the highest cost of rule.

The Vienna government did not feel obvious, which was caused by Austria's colonial policy and special geographical environment.

Although the colony area of ​​Austria is not small, the indigenous population is not large. There are not many people, so where can the chaos go?

A rebellion that can be suppressed by the police is not worth mentioning at all. In contrast, the British are tragic, not only the largest territory, but also the largest population.

Nearly half of the colonial uprisings that broke out in recent years occurred in the British colonies. If the London government was not in a hurry, there would be a problem.

This is the result of the hatred of the British everywhere. No one dares to do anything to them in the open, but there is no pressure to stab them in secret.

If nothing else, Austria alone invests millions of Aegis every year to export various doctrines and ideas, most of which are aimed at the British.

It's not that the London government didn't fight back. The problem is that they couldn't find suitable pawns, otherwise the British would not make great efforts to keep the Ottoman Empire.

The British ate the most and offended the most in the colonial movement. Now not only Austria, but almost all major European colonial empires are secretly making small moves.

As long as there is no evidence for this kind of thing, apart from revenge in secret, the London government can't do anything on the surface.

Even if they want to find excuses and exert diplomatic pressure on small countries, France and Austria will jump out to smooth things out, leaving them nowhere to vent.

This is the disadvantage of the large number of people. The total population of the British colonies is as high as 400 million to 500 million, the total population of the French colonies is only 40 to 50 million, and the total population of the Austrian colonies is less than 30 million, which is not on the same order of magnitude.

In the colonial movement, the British received the greatest rewards, but also paid the highest cost of domination.

The phrase "population is wealth" is not always correct, and a process of transformation is needed. Wealth can be created only when the population is utilized.

There is no doubt that the British could not have taken advantage of so many people in the colony. Otherwise, let's not say the two countries, even the European countries together are not their opponents.

In the development of the colonies, the most fully utilized labor force was still in Austria. This is not a matter of Franz, nor how well the Vienna government manages it. It is entirely determined by the quality of the population.

The population of the Austrian colonies was small, but European immigrants and their descendants accounted for more than half of the total population.

This number is incomparable between Britain and France. The population base determines that they cannot take out so many immigrants. There are not enough immigrants, the local indigenous productivity is very backward, and the wealth created is naturally limited.

The French should feel this most deeply. From the perspective of colonial fiscal revenue, the French colonies have been losing money for many years.

It's not surprising that the colony lost money and it was not only the French family that experienced it, but almost all colonial empires.

However, it is usually at the beginning of the development of colonies, and after a certain level of development, it will turn losses into profits, and only a few colonies have been losing money.

Austria is one of the representatives. At its peak, it lost tens of millions of Aegis every year. Even now, there are still many places where it is losing money. Overall, it has only achieved a balance of payments.

Of course, this is only a simple calculation of the direct fiscal revenue of the colonial government. If you calculate the bonus of the colony to the domestic economy, then the situation changes.

The British are hated because they occupy the most fertile land. Even the most backward form of domination can be directly profitable, and more than everyone else.

In contrast, the French are tragic. Compared with the same period in history, they carried out the "Desert Empire" more thoroughly.

now that

However, it is a desert empire, so naturally don't expect the land to be fertile. Before the natural resources underground were developed, French Africa was a concentration camp of rotten land.

If it wasn't for Napoleon III who immigrated from the Balkans and Italy to a certain extent and developed the North African region to a certain extent, I am afraid that the loss would be even worse now.

Of course, deserts are not without benefits. At least in terms of the cost of domination, the French don't have much to spend.

In other areas, the chaotic party can run around and drill into the valleys, and the desert areas will die as long as they stay away from the oases. Therefore, the French rule in North Africa is still quite stable.

After clearing his mind, Franz is very clear: mediating international disputes through negotiation and reducing international conflicts has become the general trend.

Driven by interests, almost all colonial empires have an appeal to reduce the cost of colonial rule. If you block in this context, you will stand on the opposite side of everyone.

Franz doesn't like to stop the car with a man's arm. Since it is a common demand of everyone, then it's better to participate.

Austria is also a member of the colonial empire, reducing some disputes is also a profit, but not as much as the British.

Franz: "Alleviating international conflicts and reducing the cost of maintaining colonies will benefit everyone, and we don't need to be this villain.

Now everyone still think about it, which areas we can get this time. "

Can Colony Maintenance Costs Really Be Reduced?

Franz couldn't believe it in his heart!

Maybe it can be reduced in the short term, but it is destined to increase in the long run. Especially in densely populated areas, the cost of domination in the future is bound to increase substantially.

All other things are easy to deal with, except for ideas and doctrines that are uncontrollable. Once they are passed on, they cannot be taken back.

The seed has been sown, and no one knows when it will take root and sprout, and then blossom and bear fruit.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, in this partition meeting, we have actually become spectators. There are too few places that suit us and can be obtained.

Now the only areas available for colonization are the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the Far East, parts of Indochina, and parts of East Africa.

South America barely counts, but they are already independent, and because of the cost of domination, these regions are only suitable as economic colonies.

The most suitable for us is the Ottoman Empire. In other regions, either the competitors are too strong or the distance is too far.

Britain and France will not let us annex the Ottoman Empire, so it is difficult for us to gain anything from this division. "

"Economic colony" is a new concept put forward by European scholars after the rising cost of colonial rule.

Simply put, the cost of direct rule is too high, and instead it supports proxy rule and grabs wealth through unequal trade agreements.

There are many supporters of this concept. In everyone's perception, colonies are for making money. As long as you can make money, it doesn't matter how you govern.

What Prime Minister Felix proposed are all large colonies. In addition, there are many leftovers, but because the area is too small or the economic value is too low, it is not worthy of attention.

Among these areas that need to be divided, the most prosperous is undoubtedly the Far East, but the situation here is the most complicated, and the power of the ranks is gathered.

Austria has no local roots and has missed the opportunity to get involved. Moreover, the distance is too far, which exceeds the limit of Austria's strength.

Persia was regarded by the British as something in the bag, and in the area near India, it was regarded by John Bull to death, and whoever touched it would turn his face.

The Prussian Kingdom of the Indo-China Peninsula occupies a corner, the British ginseng has one hand, and the French are fighting desperately again. At this time, when Austria joins in, it will definitely be squeezed out.

East Africa is already a dispensable "chicken rib" for Austria. The economic value is limited, it will lose money for a long time, and the strategically important places have been preempted by the British, and it is almost impossible to get them.

Although South American countries are suitable as economic colonies, because of the distance, Britain and France have greater local influence, and Austria's influence is also close to Colombia, a Central American colony.

Franz nodded helplessly. In the last colonial feast, Austria was no longer the protagonist. If you join the alliance rashly, you will be excluded by the alliance.

"I'm too greedy, Austria has enough benefits, it's already very hateful, and now it's time to digest it.

This time, it is enough for us to keep our existing interests. It is a pleasant surprise to have a harvest, and don't be sad if you don't have a harvest. For some leftovers, it's not worth moving. "

After adjusting his mentality in time, Franz felt much more relaxed. Greed is the original sin of human beings. If greed cannot be controlled, sooner or later, there will be no return.

There are many countries participating in this feast of sharing the spoils. It seems that the remaining interests are not small, but in fact, there are not many in the hands of a specific country.