Chapter 1585: Assessment of Germany's Future National Strength
This time, Germany gained the most, including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Galicia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, which basically fell into German hands.
It was not very difficult for Germany to absorb these areas because the establishment of Yugoslavia and the cession of regions such as Lombardy and Venice actually reduced the non-German population in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to about 10 million.
Of course, the independence of the Kingdom of Dalmatia also led to the loss of more than one million German population in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. This is not important to Germany. Now the German population in the Austro-Hungarian Empire plus Germany will account for more than 70% after the merger of the two countries. The future Greater German Empire will have a population of more than 100 million, and the German population will be about 80 million.
The Greater German Empire instantly became one of the top six most populous countries in the world, comparable to the United States and surpassing Japan.
The world ranking of the population of the Greater German Empire has actually not changed from the previous life, because this time and space has added East Africa, a country with the third largest population in the world.
This is also the result of the poor population growth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in recent years. In just over a decade, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has experienced many wars, first the First World War, then the Hungarian Rebellion, to the current Austro-Hungarian Civil War and external intervention wars. A large number of people died in the war or were exiled overseas.
Otherwise, if Germany annexed the Austro-Hungarian Empire and formed the Greater German Empire, its population would easily exceed that of the United States, rather than being on par with that of the United States.
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After 1935, the whole world knew that the European landscape would undergo earth-shaking changes this year, and Germany's annexation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a well-known result.
In January, Adolf and the acting president of Austria-Hungary, Frauenfeld, the former leader of the Austrian National Party, announced that the Austrian National Party would be reorganized and merged with the German National Party to form a unified new German National Party.
At present, both Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are actually party-states, so the merger of the two parties is to pave the way for the merger of the two countries in terms of power.
Regarding the merger of Germany and Austria, there was no large-scale opposition from other countries in the international community except the Soviet Union, not even France.
Of course, France also took action. After the end of the Austro-Hungarian War, France accelerated the construction and improvement of the Maginot Line.
However, building the Maginot Line was clearly an "evasive" defense strategy. The French government is now well aware of the fact that France was not worthy of being Germany's opponent after World War I, so France is now pursuing more self-preservation.
Compared with the French, the Soviet Union regarded the German-Austrian merger as a formidable enemy. After all, the French were optimistic, but the Soviet Union was clear that Germany was its mortal enemy, and the Soviet-German War was only a matter of time.
After the unification, Germany's population was only about 20 to 30 million less than that of the Soviet Union, while the Soviet Union's population was now about 150 million.
However, Germany can also make up for this population gap in other ways. For example, Poland, Western Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries can all be used by Germany.
These countries may have different attitudes towards Germany, but they are all full of hostility and fear towards the Soviet Union.
Of course, for the Soviet Union, what was even more terrifying about Germany after its annexation of Austria-Hungary was its industry and economy, as well as its improved self-sufficiency.
After annexing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany's industrial scale directly surpassed that of the Soviet Union, becoming the first in Europe, and was not inferior to the United States. It was also very competitive compared with East Africa. At the same time, Germany will also become the largest economy in Europe.
Of course, what makes the Austro-Hungarian Empire more important to Germany is its resources and agriculture. For example, the oil-producing areas in the eastern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are now in the hands of Germany.
In addition, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's bauxite, antimony, mercury, graphite, etc. are also very important to Germany. Germany was originally short of the above resources.
Bauxite is directly related to the development of the aviation industry. In modern warfare, the air force has become a force that cannot be ignored. Therefore, the bauxite resources of the Austro-Hungarian Empire can play a significant role in strengthening the German Air Force.
Antimony is a metal that is mainly used to produce alloys and is important for the development of the military industry.
Mercury is mainly used in the chemical industry and in the production of explosives.
Graphite is also in great demand in modern industry, for example, in making electrodes and as a lubricant.
In agriculture, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's contribution to Germany was mainly that Hungary, the granary, was taken into its pocket. Germany could not achieve self-sufficiency in food, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire could do so because of the existence of the Hungarian granary.
Now that Germany has annexed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the vast plains of Hungary have basically fallen into German hands. Moreover, due to the impact of the Hungarian rebellion, Hungary's population has decreased and its food self-sufficiency rate is higher.
Next, combined with Germany's agricultural technology, Hungary's agricultural potential can be further developed, and perhaps Germany will be able to barely achieve self-sufficiency in food.
The self-sufficiency in mineral resources and agriculture greatly enhanced Germany's war potential. An important reason why Germany did not succeed in World War I was the lack of resources and arable land, which greatly weakened the subsequent war momentum.
Of course, even after annexing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany's resource shortcomings would still be prominent. For example, although the Austro-Hungarian Empire's oil could make Germany an oil producer, it was far from enough to meet its industrial and military needs. However, it was better to have it than not.
East Africa, Rhine City.
Crown Prince Friedrich and Ernst conducted a new round of assessments of Germany's war potential.
Crown Prince Friedrich said: "After Germany annexed Austria-Hungary, the effect would not just be one plus one equals two, but would be greater than two. German industry would become exceptionally powerful."
"Adolf will inevitably integrate the industrial resources of the two countries. With the support of German technology and personnel, the industrial system of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire will definitely undergo a qualitative change."
"Steel production capacity. In the future, Germany's steel production will exceed 30 million tons at least. This may directly lead to Germany becoming the world's second largest steel producer. Currently, the United States' steel production is only over 20 million tons."
"The steel industry is the cornerstone of modern industry. A significant increase in Germany's steel production will also accelerate the development of its military industry, producing more guns, artillery, warships, and so on."
The steel production in the United States is in the recovery stage, so it is inevitable that Germany will temporarily surpass the United States after integrating the resources of the two countries.
"The explosion in Germany's steel production capacity was not only due to the resources it gained from the Austro-Hungarian steel industry, but it also enabled Germany to gain access to markets previously held by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, further strengthening its influence in regions such as the Balkans and the Middle East."
"At the same time, the acquisition of Trieste also provides Germany with an additional channel for resource inflow from the Mediterranean, strengthening Germany's energy security."
"By transiting through Trieste, Germany can import more energy and minerals from the Mediterranean, and then deliver these energy and minerals to the Bohemian industrial zone, and then transport them by rail to the Saxony and Silesia industrial zones originally within Germany."
"In addition to Trieste, Germany also gained access to the Black Sea, which was once the Austro-Hungarian Empire's route. This allowed Germany to rely on Danube shipping to consolidate its relationship with its ally, the Ottoman Empire."
"This way, Germany and the Ottoman Empire now have three communication channels: the first is the Mediterranean route, the second is the Danube Black Sea route, and the last is the Berlin Baghdad Railway."
There is no doubt that the importance of the Ottoman Empire to Germany is self-evident. At the same time, the two countries also have a practical need for complementary interests, which is to jointly curb the development of the Soviet Union.
Of course, this is just one of the strategic and geopolitical benefits after Germany annexed the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Now Italy is getting closer to Germany because of the division of spoils, which means that in the future, Germany can use Italy’s colonies in North Africa to open up an alternative trade route with East Africa, that is, the North African Railway.
This is also critical for Germany. Although East Africa did not stand on Germany's side during World War I, which made Germany very dissatisfied, Germany must also admit that during World War I, East Africa's resources were very important to Germany. If it were not for the continuous transfusion of East African goods, Germany might have lost the war.
Therefore, even Adolf, a political fanatic who looked down on East Africa and regarded East Africans as "mixed blood", had to make friends with East Africa on the surface.
Friedrich went on to say, "In the steel sector, Germany also has an advantage. After integrating the resources of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it will be able to further reduce costs and consolidate the position of the German steel industry in Europe."
Originally, Germany was the country with the most developed steel industry in Europe. Now, the German steel industry will only develop further and widen the gap with other European countries. Only the Soviet Union may compete with Germany in steel production in the future.
Originally, Germany had an advantage in steel production over the Soviet Union. Now, after annexing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the two countries have widened the gap again. However, the Soviet Union may still be able to overtake it in the future.
"Then in the energy sector, Austria-Hungary played a huge role in boosting Germany in hydropower and oil production."
"Austria-Hungary has great hydropower potential, which will fill some of Germany's energy gaps. For example, aluminum used in aircraft manufacturing requires a lot of electricity, and Austria-Hungary happens to have bauxite mines and relatively abundant hydropower resources, which can greatly increase Germany's electrolytic aluminum production."
"As for the oil sector, although Austria-Hungary's oil resources were not abundant, they played a significant role in improving Germany."
"Especially in a state of war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's oil resources could become the last energy line of defense for the German army."
Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not have much oil resources, it also depended on how Germany used them, such as fully supplying the army. As long as Germany made an effort, it could greatly alleviate its oil resource shortage problem.
"In the field of traditional energy such as coal, Germany and Austria-Hungary also formed a strong alliance. Of course, Germany provided greater assistance to the Austro-Hungarian industry in the field of coal resources."
Germany has no shortage of coal resources, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire has more limited ones. This is also an important reason why the Austro-Hungarian Empire's industry is concentrated in Bohemia. However, after the merger of Germany and Austria, the industry of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire can use German coal, thus ensuring stability in the production field.
"After steel and energy, let's move on to machinery manufacturing and the automotive industry. Germany and Austria-Hungary were already two powerful nations in the machinery manufacturing sector, so after the merger of Germany and Austria, the scale of Germany's machinery manufacturing industry will also increase significantly."
"Germany may even surpass us and the United States in high-tech industrial manufacturing, such as machine tools. After all, Germany already has a significant advantage in high-end industries. Now, with the resources, talent, and market access of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its development will only accelerate."
"Compared to the machinery manufacturing industry, automobile manufacturing is a weak point for both countries, but this is only relative to us and the United States. After the merger of Germany and Austria, Germany will firmly hold the position of Europe's leading automobile manufacturer, and will have an overwhelming advantage over other European countries."
"The transportation between Germany and Austria-Hungary was already among the most developed in Europe. This will greatly enhance Germany's war mobilization capabilities."
"After that, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's main contribution to German industry was in the field of shipbuilding, with Germany acquiring the port of Trieste and many ports on the Istrian peninsula."
Even though the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost Venice, Yugoslavia, and the coastal areas of Dalmatia, only the Istrian Peninsula and a small amount of coastline remained.
However, there are more than a dozen major ports on the Istrian Peninsula alone, and if small fishing ports are included, there are even more than fifty.
However, the most important ports on the Istrian Peninsula are now Trieste and Pula in the south, which give Germany a place in the Mediterranean.
The most important of these is the Port of Pula, which is the absolute core of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. As for Trieste, although it also has military attributes, it plays a greater role in the economy and is a typical dual-use military and civilian port.
However, both places were shipbuilding centers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and had the ability to build large warships, such as Austro-Hungarian battleships, ocean-going ships, submarines, etc.
Now, these ports and their well-equipped shipbuilding industries have fallen into Germany's pocket. Germany not only has access to the Mediterranean and military bases, but also has a platform for building large warships.
Of course, the Austro-Hungarian Navy, one of the most powerful navy in the world, was mainly inherited by Germany.
The total tonnage of the Austro-Hungarian Navy was about 200,000 tons. With the addition of this naval fleet, the total tonnage of the German Navy was close to that of Japan.
Moreover, it can threaten both the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea at the same time, greatly increasing the combat range of the German Navy. If it can join forces with Italy in the future, it can even threaten Britain's hegemony in the Mediterranean.
In this way, the possibility of Germany breaking through Britain's maritime blockade greatly increased, especially the Suez Canal in Egypt. Once it was controlled by Germany, Britain would be in trouble.
Of course, the premise of all this is that Germany and Britain will become enemies in the future. However, according to Britain's current thinking, they are still like France, hoping that Germany will first have a conflict with the Soviet Union, and then Germany will naturally pose no threat to Britain.
If the situation exceeds Britain's expectations and Germany declares war on Britain first, the risk is not uncontrollable. As the overlord of the Mediterranean, Britain has many bases in the Mediterranean. Although the former Austro-Hungarian naval power cannot be ignored, it is also restricted to the Adriatic Sea, not to mention that due to the independence of Yugoslavia and Dalmatia, many important ports and bases of the Austro-Hungarian Navy have now been divided.
This is also the reason why Britain actively worked when Yugoslavia and Dalmatia gained independence, in order to limit the future room for the German Navy to play.
(End of this chapter)
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