Chapter 482 Bosnia
In March 1878.
While the Russo-Turkish War was still going on, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in accordance with its previous agreement with Tsarist Russia, sent troops into Sarajevo when the Ottoman Empire's rule in the Balkans was crumbling. This was a bargaining chip used by Tsarist Russia to keep Austria-Hungary neutral in the war.
Because of the disruption in East Africa, the expansion of Tsarist Russia in the Central Asian steppes and West Asia was not as smooth as it had been in history. Therefore, Tsarist Russia, worried that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would suddenly change its mind, had to use the Bosnia region to bribe the Austro-Hungarian Empire in advance.
The Bosnia region, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous life, abbreviated as Bosnia and Herzegovina, can be said to be one of the most turbulent regions in Europe in the previous life. Its capital Sarajevo is the most famous and was the fuse for the outbreak of World War I.
In fact, Bosnia is not a good place in Ernst's opinion, but it is the intersection of civilization conflicts and the forefront of conflicts between Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Arabism. It can be said that it is a gathering place of turbulent cultural elements.
Even in the 21st century, although Bosnia and Herzegovina was peaceful on the surface, Ernst believed that as long as someone fanned the flames here, it could still fall into chaos at any time as in history, because Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous life was a more abstract country than the dual empire of Austro-Hungary. It had two political regimes (Bosnia and Herzegovina), three presidents (one for each of the three major religious groups), and two capitals (Banja Luka and Sarajevo).
Following the Austro-Hungarian military occupation of Bosnia, the Hechingen Consortium followed suit and acquired land in the region on a large scale.
During the Ottoman Empire, most of the land in Bosnia was in the hands of the Timari (equivalent to the feudal lords in Europe).
However, the Timar system is very different from the fiefdom system in Western Europe. The Ottoman Empire is not as fragmented as Europe, but more centralized, so the power of the lords is also restricted by the central government.
For example, the Ottoman Empire stipulated that land, except for a small and strictly stipulated small part, could not be inherited. The lord should distribute most of the territory to the peasants for hereditary cultivation and it could not be confiscated at will. The land operated by the lord himself could not exceed the peasants' share of land, and taxation was also supervised by the Ottoman Empire.
With the cessation of the Ottoman Empire's military expansion, the Timar class could no longer profit from wars, and the ruling class of the empire became corrupt. The Timar class could only maintain their income by exploiting the lower-class people, so the restrictive decrees and supervision systems on the Timar became a dead letter.
In the second half of the 17th century, the process of real estate concentration accelerated, and the Timari class expanded its land through various means, not limited to the development of private fields. They used various means to bankrupt the lower-class people and reclaim their land.
Therefore, the Hexingen Consortium's land acquisition operations in Bosnia were carried out quite smoothly, and 30% of the arable land in the entire Bosnia region was acquired by the Hexingen Consortium.
Of course, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire's rule in the region was not the real reason why the Hesingen Consortium's operations were so successful, but rather that the Hesingen Consortium's competitors looked down on the Bosnia region.
In Bosnia, mountains account for more than 40% of the country's area, hills account for about 20%, and plains account for only 5%, of which nearly 30% is karst landforms. Therefore, a region like Bosnia would definitely be a bad place in Europe, very similar to Guizhou in the Far East. However, the plain area of Guizhou accounts for about 7% of the province, not to mention that Guizhou's area is more than three times that of Bosnia.
Therefore, after the Austro-Hungarian Empire militarily occupied this place, the only commercial force in the Austro-Hungarian Empire that was interested in this place was the Hechingen Group.
Through cooperation with the Austro-Hungarian military, the Hechingen Consortium easily purchased the land from the Timar class at a low price, and in order to force the Timar class to make concessions, the Hechingen Consortium actively instigated local chaos.
Various rumors spread that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was going to liquidate the Arab upper class and confiscate the land of pagans. This stirred up a hornet's nest, and a large number of Timarches (the name of Timar lords) began to sell their land and return to the Ottoman mainland.
As for resistance, that is impossible. The Ottoman Empire is still fighting with Tsarist Russia and has no energy to take care of them. Most of the territory of the Balkan Peninsula has been cut off by Tsarist Russia and the Balkan countries. Bosnia is an isolated island and can only be slaughtered.
However, the Hechingen Consortium's tactics caused dissatisfaction among the Austro-Hungarian military. Ronaldinho, the representative of the Austro-Hungarian military, soon came to question them: "Mr. Berk! Are your people spreading rumors everywhere in Bosnia? Talking about liquidation or something like that? There were even more than 30 large-scale riots in the area because of this rumor, which caused us considerable trouble!"
Liquidation is definitely necessary, but according to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it must be done in a low-key manner. After all, it was too easy for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to occupy Bosnia, and the local forces were still relatively strong, so it should be done step by step.
Berk pretended to be innocent and said, "General Ronaldinho, how could this be possible? Our Bosnian Agricultural Development Company is a good company that abides by the law. How could we possibly destroy local unity and peace?"
Ronaldinho: "Hey, don't think I'm easy to fool. You must be doing this for the land acquisition!"
Berk: "General, this is just your imagination. You should provide evidence for your words. Although our Bosnian Agricultural Development Company is the beneficiary, there is no need to do this. Maybe it just happened that some Ottoman rebels did not want the Austro-Hungarian Empire to liberate the local people, so they deliberately made trouble and spread these words that are not conducive to unity."
Belk took out a letter and said, "General, this letter was sent to us by your father. Please make a decision after reading it."
The upright Ronaldinho took the letter, read it for a while, and as expected, changed his expression and said: "Since they are enemies of the Ottoman Empire, it makes sense that they spread rumors. These infidels should indeed be severely punished."
Berk said, "Not only that, for the benefit of the empire, we must also transform the local people. We cannot let the Bosnian people lose track of their own position. Don't you think so, General?"
Ronaldinho was a little confused about what Belk meant by this: "Mr. Belk, who do you mean by this?"
Berk: "Of course, we are all Germans. Don't you think there are too few Germans in the Empire? This is not good for the stability of the Empire."
Ronaldinho: "Mr. Becker! Who is behind you?"
Becker: "General Ronaldinho, some of these words only represent my personal opinion. I am just saying it, I don't represent anyone else, and these words are only between you and me."
Ronaldinho certainly didn't believe Becker's nonsense. Becker's Bosnian Agricultural Development Company must be of great significance. After all, the domestic forces that could enclose such a large scale of land in Bosnia were very limited. But what Becker said still made some sense. The factor of instability in the empire was that there were too few Germans.
He asked, "Mr. Becker, what you said makes sense, but there are only Slavs in Bosnia. It is impossible for Germans to appear out of thin air..."
Becker: "Of course, but who says that there are only Slavs in Bosnia? I have clearly seen many Germans who were forced to become Slavs by the Ottomans. As long as we help them restore their identities, they will naturally return to the German nation. Bosnia has been imperial land since ancient times. It's just that foreigners have tampered with history, so the people have been deceived."
Berk's words made Ronaldinho believe that Berk's identity was not just a businessman.
In fact, behind Berk is the Hechingen Consortium, and the Hechingen Consortium's actions in the Bosnia region are simply a prelude to the attempt to Germanize Bosnia. As long as they grasp the local economic foundation, changes at the cultural level may also be possible.
For example, the Ottoman Empire's assimilation methods were very effective. Through taxation and other means, Arabs now make up the majority in Bosnia.
This has to be mentioned. The Austro-Hungarian government's means of dealing with nationalism were too limited, and there was also the obstacle of Hungary within the government. Therefore, the Austro-Hungarian government could not do many things. Since the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not do it, it could only let civilian forces do it.
Bosnia has a small population due to its poor economy and underdeveloped agriculture, which creates conditions for the Hechingen Consortium to transform the local area. As long as they use the East African approach in Bosnia, it will be of great benefit to maintaining the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the previous life, the Austro-Hungarian Empire militarily occupied the Bosnia region for more than 20 years, but in the end Serbia gained the upper hand. Ernst was very dissatisfied with this result. Of course, Ernst would not say that Franz was too incompetent. Being in his position, he did have too many constraints.
(End of this chapter)
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