Chapter 1582 Dalmatian Independence
The so-called Four-Year Plan is more accurately Adolf's four-year military expansion plan. However, Germany's first four-year plan still included many people's livelihood projects. This was Adolf's promise to the German people before he came to power.
Adolf came to power against the backdrop of the 1929 global economic crisis, so at the beginning of his administration, many decisions revolved around resolving the economic crisis.
…
December 9, 1934.
Kingdom of Dalmatia.
With the fall of Budapest, the Austro-Hungarian central government collapsed, Emperor Rudolf disappeared, and the Kingdom of Dalmatia lost its target of loyalty. This brought the issue of whether Dalmatia should be independent into the scope of discussion in the Kingdom's Parliament.
At the Kingdom's Diet, Ploče City Councilor Karen was the first to speak: "Now, it is a critical moment concerning the future of the Kingdom of Dalmatia. We must make a decision: remain within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a empire that no longer exists, or declare independence like Yugoslavia."
"It would definitely not be a good thing for Dalmatia if it continued to stay in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially since Germany did not clearly state that it would continue to guarantee the independence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire."
"The current German leader, Mr. Adolf, is an extreme blood chauvinist. His attitude towards our Dalmatian kingdom, a mixed-race kingdom, is full of uncertainty."
"If we continue to stay in the Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled by Germany, there is a high possibility of bad consequences. Therefore, for the sake of the future of more than one million Dalmatian citizens, I support Dalmatian independence."
Councillor Karen's words caused everyone present to think seriously. For Dalmatia now, continuing to stay in the Austro-Hungarian Empire does involve risks, especially since these risks may come from within the empire.
At this time, Zadar City Councilman Wells raised an objection: "Perhaps remaining within the Empire is the best option for Dalmatia, because only by relying on the Empire can Dalmatia's security be guaranteed."
"If Dalmatia becomes independent, we will lose our protection, and Yugoslavia and Italy could become a threat to the kingdom's security."
"For Italy, which seeks hegemony over the Adriatic Sea, Dalmatia becomes a key strategic area, and the newly born Yugoslavia may also covet Dalmatia's coastline and sea outlets."
"Faced with these two potential enemies, our situation is obviously very dangerous."
Wells was not worried that the Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled by Germany would pose a threat to Dalmatia. After all, he was a pure German. Even if Adolf really oppressed Dalmatia politically, he would not be the one to suffer.
There are many people like Wells in Dalmatia. After all, there are also hundreds of thousands of Germans in Dalmatia, and they are not mixed-race.
But it is obvious that their voices are not mainstream in Dalmatia.
Karen countered, "It's true that Yugoslavia and Italy could become potential enemies of Dalmatia, but we in Dalmatia are also quite strong, and it's entirely feasible for us to seek independence."
"The Italians are separated from us by the Adriatic Sea. Even if they really rule Dalmatia across the sea, we can make it difficult for them and use the terrain of Dalmatia to deal with them."
"So-called Yugoslavia, although they border Dalmatia, we have the natural barrier of the Dinaric Mountains to block any possible Yugoslav attacks on Dalmatia."
"While staying within the empire would allow us to avoid these external threats, the unpredictable risks within the empire are definitely not something we can afford, just like the Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire."
"If we continue to stay within the empire, we may become Armenians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Of course, if the Habsburgs were still in power, we might be able to trust the imperial government, but now the Habsburgs have fled, and His Majesty the Emperor is temporarily missing."
"Besides, whether the empire will continue to exist independently in the future or become a puppet of Germany is something we cannot predict now. Therefore, breaking away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire may be the safest option for Dalmatia."
"As for how to ensure Dalmatia's safety after its separation from the Empire, we can also resolve this through diplomatic means."
"For example, we can seek help from East Africa, Britain, and France, and sign peace treaties with neighboring countries."
Karen's words were supported by the vast majority of the parliamentarians. Staying in the empire was too dangerous for Dalmatia now.
Therefore, most people expressed their opinions, and independence became the only voice in the parliament. After all, only independence could ensure that the mixed-race German people in Dalmatia could take their destiny into their own hands, rather than waiting for the final judgment of Adolf, a dangerous figure.
The Speaker of the Kingdom's Parliament, Korat, ultimately called a vote to decide whether Dalmatia should be independent.
The final voting results were also obvious. There were more than 130 votes in favor of independence, more than 20 abstentions, and only three votes against independence.
All the mixed-race German MPs voted in favor, a small number of pure-blooded Germans abstained, and the last three votes against were also cast by pure-blooded Germans.
Korat then announced: "The motion for Dalmatia's independence has been officially passed. Now we will begin discussing issues after independence, including the government framework, the country's name, the flag, and other issues."
"The first is the government framework. Since Dalmatia wants independence, what kind of political system should it choose? Should it maintain a monarchy or directly choose a democratic system?"
Whether to maintain the monarchy is a rather controversial topic in Dalmatia. After all, it is now the 20th century, and if possible, most people would prefer to support a democratic system.
However, Dalmatia's situation is very special. Although it has been ruled by the Habsburg royal family for a long time, Dalmatia does not dislike the Habsburg royal family. Within the empire, the Habsburg royal family can be said to be the protector of Dalmatia.
Sibenik city councilor Taher explicitly stated: "Dalmatia needs a monarch who is widely recognized in Europe to guarantee the independence of the Kingdom of Dalmatia after independence."
"Because Dalmatia's desire for independence lacks legal support, having a monarch would be a perfect solution to this problem."
"This monarch must be chosen from within the Habsburg royal family, because Dalmatia itself is a Habsburg territory."
"So, with a member of the Habsburg royal family serving as the monarch of Dalmatia, Dalmatian independence had legitimacy."
"At the same time, this will also be beneficial for Dalmatia to participate in European political affairs after independence. We must have a spokesperson to make our voice heard in European affairs."
If the Habsburg royal family continued to rule Dalmatia, even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire had not collapsed at this time, Dalmatia's independence would not be restricted by law. After all, Dalmatia itself was loyal to the Habsburg royal family, or the emperor himself, rather than the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a country.
Now that Emperor Rudolf is missing, Dalmatia's only option for independence is to look for other members of the Habsburg royal family.
This is actually equivalent to acknowledging that Emperor Rudolf has been killed. After all, it was the Labor Party that conquered Budapest, and many European countries believe that Rudolf may have been killed like Nicholas of Tsarist Russia.
Taher's words aroused the support of the majority. For Dalmatia, if it wanted to gain independence and be recognized by other countries, electing a new monarch from the Habsburg royal family was the best solution.
This would shut up other countries. If Dalmatia unilaterally declared independence without electing a monarch, other countries might declare war on Dalmatia on the pretext that Dalmatia's independence was illegal.
Especially Austria. If Dalmatia becomes independent now, Austria will become the country that Dalmatia needs to be most wary of.
With a member of the Habsburg royal family in charge of Dalmatia, the situation might be very different. After all, Austria probably does not want to return to the monarchy and give the Habsburg royal family an excuse to return to Austria.
If Austria then declared Dalmatian independence illegal, would it also have to welcome back the Habsburg monarch of Dalmatia?
Therefore, choosing a Habsburg royal monarch is the best solution for Dalmatia today, but the question is where to find a member of the Habsburg royal family?
After the fall of Vienna, the Habsburg royal family seemed to have disappeared. After all, most of the core members fled to East Africa, and only a small number remained in the empire. Now the situation is chaotic, and most of those who stayed are missing, including Emperor Rudolf.
Therefore, where to find members of the Habsburg royal family instantly became the main focus of the parliament.
At this time, it was Taher who gave a clue again: "Everyone, I have an idea that may be able to solve this problem."
"Because we now know the whereabouts of a member of the Habsburg royal family, and a core member of the royal family. That is Archduke Ferdinand of East Africa, the younger brother of Emperor Franz and the uncle of Emperor Rudolf."
"Although this old man has lived in East Africa for a long time, no one can deny his pure royal bloodline. Archduke Ferdinand is likely to have maintained contact with the Habsburg royal family."
"So, we can directly contact East African officials and ask them about the whereabouts of the Habsburg royal family. Perhaps there are members of the Habsburg royal family taking refuge in East Africa. After all, East Africa was once an ally of Austria."
"It's highly likely that the Habsburg royal family fled. After all, up until now, we haven't heard any definitive news about the murder of any members of the royal family, and we don't even know their whereabouts."
Taher's words instantly awakened many people. As he said, the future of the Habsburg royal family is now unclear, but this just means that there is a high possibility that the Habsburg royal family will go into exile.
After all, some clues could be found about Tsar Nicholas II of Russia before he completely disappeared, but the Habsburg royal family seemed to have disappeared out of thin air, which is very abnormal.
Previously, there was no news that the Greater Austrian coalition government had executed or arrested any members of the Habsburg royal family.
Taher went on to say, “Even if the Habsburgs were killed, we could seek help from East Africa. The East African royal family had marriage ties with the Habsburgs, so perhaps we could choose an heir to the throne from East Africa.”
This is not unfeasible. If all the main members of the Habsburg royal family were killed, the Rhine royal family in East Africa would indeed have the conditions to inherit their legacy, just like the offspring of Queen Ernst and Karina, who had Habsburg blood.
Of course, most members of the Rhine royal family had no interest in taking over Dalmatia. After all, there were many colonies in East Africa, and Dalmatia was very dangerous.
However, regardless of whether the Rhine royal family is interested or not, Dalmatia has now placed its hopes on East Africa. It would be best if there are direct descendants of the Habsburg royal family in East Africa.
Therefore, when the Austro-Hungarian War was about to come to an end, the Dalmatian Kingdom government had already begun to contact East Africa in advance to seek help.
…
Bangui, East Africa.
Bangui is the capital of Ubangi Province in East Africa and an important central city in northwestern East Africa. Of course, northwestern East Africa itself does not have a high presence in East Africa. After all, it is in the north of East Africa and is still in the western inland area.
But now this small East African city has welcomed two big figures, or two emperors, namely the East African Emperor Ernst, and the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Rudolf who disappeared in Europe.
That's right, Emperor Rudolf was secretly sent to the East African mainland by the East African intelligence agency, and he was arranged to recover in Bangui, a city in northwestern East Africa where medical conditions were better.
The East African intelligence agency first took Rudolph to Benghazi in Italian Libya by plane, and then transferred him through Al Jawf and Wanja (East African border towns) and flew directly to Bangui.
Now, Rudolph is lying in the First People's Hospital of Bangui, and he has regained consciousness.
"Rudolf, how do you feel?" Ernst asked while sitting beside the bed.
Rudolf's face was of course very bad. He said, "I had originally planned to die for my country, but now I am lying in a hospital in East Africa. I will not thank you for your kindness."
Ernst smiled and said, "This was instructed by my father-in-law himself. Your son and wife also support us in doing this, so don't blame us for rescuing you from Budapest without your consent."
Rudolf said nothing. He lay on the hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling. After a long while, he slowly said, "How is the Austro-Hungarian Empire doing now?"
Ernst said: "The Germans have gained a comprehensive advantage. Budapest and Vienna have fallen into German hands. The Labor Party's coalition government is powerless to reverse the situation."
"However, the Italians are also about to capture the city of Venice, and Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia have become independent and have formed a country called Yugoslavia with Serbia."
"From now on, it will basically be a game between these three forces and the international community. However, it may be difficult for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to continue to exist. This mainly depends on what Germany has planned."
"Germany is likely to want to annex Austria and other places, but it's not certain how they will treat Italy and Yugoslavia. It's possible that these three forces will come to blows."
Ernst explained the general situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Rudolf. After listening quietly, Rudolf said helplessly: "Even if the empire continues to exist, it will only be a puppet in the hands of Germany. It will not be the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I am a complete failure as an emperor."
(End of this chapter)
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