Chapter 1553 Preparing for a Fallback

March 4, 1933.

Vienna.

Since the outbreak of the Liberec workers' movement, all the big and small forces have sprung up like mushrooms in the entire Bohemian region, including the Austrian Labor Party, the German Labor Party, the German Labor Party, the Czech Labor Party, the German National Party, the Czech National Party...

Various unexpected organizations were recruiting troops or supporting forces to stir up trouble in Bohemia. Emperor Rudolf was forced to personally lead the suppression of the local rebellion.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Bohemia is extremely chaotic right now. However, three forces have emerged as powerful forces. One is the Bohemian Alliance formed by the Labor Party. They have occupied many towns and regions in Bohemia and pose the greatest threat to us."

"Then there were the Czech nationalist rebels, who were active in southern and eastern Bohemia and were trying to separate Bohemia from the empire."

"Finally, there's the German National Party in the northwest. This so-called German National Party appears to be backed by Germany."

Listening to his men's reports, Rudolf was furious, especially the last piece of information. He asked, "Won't the Germans give us an explanation?"

The subordinate replied tremblingly: "The German side said that this so-called German National Party has nothing to do with them."

Today, the German National Party is in power in Germany. As for what this so-called German National Party is, it is obviously inseparable from them. In a sense, the German National Party, the German nation and the Austrian National Party can be regarded as a force.

Rudolf bluntly exposed the situation, saying, "This German National Party is clearly a German ploy. It seems that after all these years, Prussia still hasn't given up on Greater Germany. But do they think that by overthrowing us, Germany can swallow up the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"

"Originally, we and Germany were the cornerstones of stabilizing the European situation. Now, under Adolf's leadership, Germany seems to be trying to break this situation."

"In that case, don't blame us for being rude. Instruct the troops in the west to treat any so-called German National Party armed forces as the Labor Party."

The problem in Bohemia is very difficult, and the root cause of this problem is the superposition of economic crisis and Czech nationalism.

The economic crisis caused a large number of workers to lose their jobs, leading to the rise of the Labour Party. Bohemian nationalism has existed since before the founding of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The reason why the situation in Bohemia deteriorated so quickly this time was actually related to World War I. During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire mobilized a large number of troops, and Bohemia was naturally no exception. A large number of people were conscripted into the army.

After the war, the empire's million-strong army was naturally disbanded. For industrially highly developed regions like Bohemia, soldiers naturally returned to work in factories in large numbers after retirement.

However, due to the outbreak of the economic crisis, these workers who had military service experience became unemployed in large numbers. They were quickly recruited by the Labour Party and nationalists, and then became the main force of their armed forces.

Bohemia was a major military and industrial base of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was also a border area, which meant that the Bohemian rebels had no shortage of ways to obtain weapons.

With experienced soldiers and weapons, the consequences can be imagined. At the same time, the rebels also have sufficient reserves of officers.

For example, the Soviet Union behind the Labour Party, or Germany behind the National Party, both sent military personnel to support their respective forces.

Bohemia is now actually semi-free from the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Therefore, Rudolf said with a serious expression, "If the war in Bohemia drags on, the entire empire will be plunged into complete turmoil. At that time, our enemies will not only be those with ulterior motives within the empire, but also include Italy, Poland, Serbia, and even foreign powers such as the Soviet Union and Germany."

When a lion falls, the surrounding hyenas will surround it without hesitation and completely destroy the former overlord.

Rudolf was actually very pessimistic in his heart. He did not think that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had any possibility of survival. As for his series of reform measures, it can only be said that these measures were untimely. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire could have implemented them a few decades ago, this empire might still have a chance of being saved.

At the same time, these reforms have another big problem, which is that even if they are implemented now, they will not be able to win the hearts and minds of the people.

The people of all ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire would not be grateful to the Habsburg family for their transformation. After all, after they established an independent government, the new government could also implement these reform policies, and even do better than the Habsburg family.

Just like elections, this basic political demand, the Austro-Hungarian government could not completely relax, and the new national government would have no concerns.

Now, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is already terminally ill, especially the betrayal of the people, which is almost unsolvable. Almost no one considers himself an Austro-Hungarian. The Austro-Hungarian Empire itself is not a country with a unified consensus. It is the combined name of Austria and Hungary. The people are not united. From the day the Austro-Hungarian Empire was founded, it was only a matter of time before it broke up.

Now, Rudolph can only delay the final end as long as possible.

…

The study at Schönbrunn Palace at night.

Emperor Rudolf called Crown Prince Karl over.

"Karl, I'm going to give you a task next, which is to transfer the royal industry to East Africa."

Crown Prince Karl is the only son of Emperor Rudolf. In this time and space, Rudolf has a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter has already married. As for Karl, he has always been trained as the crown prince. When Franz was still alive, he was extremely fond of this grandson.

Crown Prince Karl asked solemnly, "Father, has the situation in the empire deteriorated to this extent?"

Emperor Rudolf sighed helplessly, "Although I don't want to admit it, the future of the Habsburgs, and even the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is bleak. One thing is certain: the empire's life has entered a countdown."

"Therefore, we Habsburgs must also give it a try, but before that, the royal family must not repeat the same mistakes and end up like the Russian royal family."

"You, your mother, and most of the other core members of the royal family must leave this troubled place. I don't want to see the tragedy of the Tsarist Russian royal family being exterminated repeat itself in the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Karl opened his mouth: “Then…Father, you!”

Emperor Rudolf said with a determined look, "I will stay here and fight until the very end. This will put a perfect end to the centuries-long rule of our Habsburg family on this land."

"Only in this way will there be a possibility for the Habsburgs to return to Austria in the future."

Of course, this possibility only means that the Habsburg family will return to Austria to live and work in the future. As for restoring the monarchy, that is wishful thinking.

Crown Prince Karl: "Father, perhaps there is no need to be so pessimistic. Our family does not lack supporters in the empire."

Rudolf waved his hand and said, "It's useless. We do have many supporters, but they don't have an advantage. The most important thing is that Austria has problems. Without Austria as a base, the disintegration of the empire is inevitable. Even if the Austrians support us, the outcome will not change much."

Rudolf's understanding was clear. After all, Russia had played a decisive role in the collapse of the Soviet Union in the past. But even if Russia truly supported the continued existence of the Soviet Union, could the disintegration of the Soviet Union be avoided? It would be extremely difficult.

As the core of the Habsburg family's rule, Austria's role in the empire was even greater than that of Russia in the Soviet Union.

Russia has absolute advantages in population, industry, economy, etc., while in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the population of Austria and Hungary is about the same, and the population of other ethnic groups is not much different. For example, the Czechs and Poles are only half the population of Austria and Hungary, both of which are over five million.

If the Slavs are viewed as a whole, there are even more of them. In addition to the Czechs and Poles mentioned earlier, as well as the well-known Slovenes, Croats, Slovaks and Serbs, the number of Ukrainians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also close to seven percent.

Finally, the Italians were also a force that could not be ignored in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Even if the Slavs were not considered a force, they would still be difficult for Austria to deal with as a single ethnic group. For example, the Slovaks, the smallest ethnic group, had a population of over one million in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In this way, even if the Austrians and Slovaks were formed into one country, ethnic problems would arise, not to mention that the situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was far more complicated than this.

Economically, Austria does not have an absolute advantage. Industry, especially heavy industry, is in Bohemia, and agriculture is in Hungary and other regions. The only thing worth mentioning in Austria is the financial industry, but in a chaotic era, it is almost impossible to rely on the financial industry to balance other regions.

To put it more bluntly, Austria is even more dependent on other regions, but this was not the case with Russia under Soviet rule. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia basically had everything it needed, including finance, industry, technology, agriculture, and military.

Therefore, if the Austro-Hungarian Empire had collapsed, no country in the world would have been surprised, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the past was even more beyond people's expectations at the time.

Rudolf said, "Even I don't have any way or clue to solve the ethnic issues within the empire. Now that the situation is chaotic, there is no way to stop the development of this trend."

"Given the current state of the empire, even if God were to come, it would be impossible to reunite the empire as a whole. Therefore, the most important thing for the royal family is to minimize losses."

"At least we still have a huge amount of wealth in our hands. If we don't make plans early, the Russian royal family will be a warning to us."

When Nicholas II sent Alexei away, it was too late to do this. Rudolf naturally did not want the wealth accumulated by the Habsburg family over hundreds of years to fall into the hands of the enemy.

He continued, "As for letting you go to East Africa, this is also the best outcome. The Rhine Royal Family has always had the closest relationship with us, and your great-uncle is also there. He is very prestigious in East Africa and can provide asylum."

Karl's great-uncle, Archduke Ferdinand, the uncle of Crown Prince Rudolf and Ernst's father-in-law, was still alive. He was the founder of the East African Navy and had been living in East Africa.

At this time, there was actually another benefit to going to Archduke Ferdinand, that is, Archduke Ferdinand had no children. After Karl went there, he could take over his connections in East Africa and help the Habsburg family develop smoothly in East Africa.

After all, Archduke Ferdinand had very strong connections in East Africa, especially in the navy. Many senior officials worked under Archduke Ferdinand when they were young.

Of course, even without the relationship with Archduke Ferdinand, the Habsburg family would not have had a bad time in East Africa.

Emperor Rudolf said: "After arriving in East Africa, don't even think about restoring the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the future. This is basically impossible. If there is a possibility of returning to Europe, the best you can do is to develop independently in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary and other regions."

Rudolf did not intend to set up an Austro-Hungarian government in exile because it was too unrealistic. Moreover, restoring the country overseas was a bottomless pit. Even though the Habsburgs were powerful, they could not withstand the turmoil.

He was well aware that if the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, the monarchy would completely lose its ground for survival in this land.

As for places like Hungary and Dalmatia that can accept the monarchy, in the end they can only serve as a "virtual monarch", which does not have much significance and will also involve huge political risks.

For example, if the Labor Party really established a regime in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, regardless of whether it was a "figurehead" or not, it would definitely be a target for liquidation.

Emperor Rudolf said: "In short, the situation of joining the Empire is irreversible. Don't have any delusions. Stay in East Africa and develop honestly. If you really want to make trouble, don't return to Europe."

"There's no room for maneuver in Europe, especially within the empire. I have a feeling that even after the empire collapses, the various nations will not let it go. This will be a storm point in Europe in the future, just like the Balkans. It won't be calm for decades."

His judgment was based on the Austro-Hungarian Empire's poor geographical location. When the empire still existed, relying on its strong national strength, the Austro-Hungarian Empire could maintain stability in the region. However, once the empire was dissolved, this would become a key area of competition for other countries, especially the Soviet Union and Germany.

Italy, Poland, Romania and other countries and regions are also eyeing it covetously.

Not to mention foreign intervention, the wrangling between countries and regimes after independence means there will be no peace in the short term. This includes population issues, territorial issues, the division of imperial assets, etc., which are all a mess.

Thinking of this, Rudolf snorted coldly: "Let those insects within the empire do whatever they want! When the empire is truly destroyed, then we'll see how they end up."

"While we're here, they might be dissatisfied with our rule. But once the Habsburgs leave, they won't be able to truly break free. Countries like Germany and the Soviet Union won't let them go either."

"The Austro-Hungarian Empire was called a great power, but in reality it was only a refuge for various ethnic groups. If they wanted to dismantle this refuge, they would inevitably have to bear the ravages of external storms."

Emperor Rudolf had great resentment towards various forces in the empire. Although the existence of the Habsburgs did hinder the development of the empire, in all conscience, it was the existence of the Habsburg family that maintained the empire's past rule. No matter how bad the Austro-Hungarian Empire was, it was always better off than the small and weak countries around it.

(End of this chapter)