Chapter 123: Beautiful Misunderstanding
On December 12, 1848, the far-reaching civil service examination began in Austria, marking a fundamental shift in the way talent was selected in the country.
Although this examination still involved internal competition among the nobility, having competition was better than having none at all.
Here, the fallen nobility had the opportunity to regain their position of influence, and the Austrian government once again gained their support.
If this level of competition were placed in later times, many people would probably be celebrating. However, in this era, many people are still complaining about the high pressure.
Inside a small tavern in Vienna, a young man in his twenties lamented, “Damn it, Raul, do you know what the Ministry of Finance is up to this time? We’ve already made it to the second round, so why another exam?”
“Oh, come on, Weigel. Everyone knows we’re exempt from the second-round exams. I heard that more than eight thousand people applied to the Ministry of Finance, but they’re only hiring 876. That’s a ten-to-one acceptance rate.”
“If you’re afraid of the competition,” Raul said with a cheerful smile as he took a sip of wine, “you can always apply for a grassroots teaching position. There are more slots available there, and fewer people applying.”
He wasn’t worried about the exams at all. Back in school, he was an honor student, and compared to his friend Weigel, who struggled with academics, he had plenty of confidence in passing the test.
Cheating on the exams? You don’t even need to think about it. Nor do you need to look at the kind of people eligible to take the exams. If a group of nobles want to cause trouble, who can possibly control them?
If you have powerful connections, you would have already secured a position in the civil service. Why bother competing here?
“Forget it,” Weigel shook his head and said, “I don’t want to live in the countryside without bars or friends. That would be the death of me!”
Compared to positions in government departments with real power, the teaching positions recruited by the Ministry of Education were much less desirable. Many people’s expressions turned sour when they heard they would have to go to the countryside to teach.
The plan was to recruit fifty thousand teachers, but in the end, fewer than twenty thousand people applied. In order to recruit enough teachers, the Ministry of Education had to build schools in the outskirts of towns.
Since the government covered all compulsory education costs, they could manage the students centrally and even implement a boarding system if necessary.
In most areas, the government had confiscated a significant amount of property from various dissident groups, and with some modifications, these properties could be repurposed as school buildings.
Even so, there were still not many applicants for primary school teaching positions, and in the end, the Ministry of Education had to reduce the number of recruits.
After all, it was impossible to immediately provide compulsory education nationwide. It would take time for gradual expansion, and if there weren’t enough teachers, they could be trained over time. The Ministry of Education had already opened its teacher training program to external applicants.
“Well, it’s a matter of competition,” Raul said with an exaggerated tone. “You should know that the most fiercely competitive position is that of a Senate Secretary. They’re only hiring two people, and yet there are over eight hundred applicants, with the number still increasing.
My goodness, the chances of passing are less than one in four hundred, and there are still people daring to apply. You have to admire their courage.”
A man nearby chimed in, saying, “What’s so surprising about it? Senate Secretaries serve the Cabinet government, rubbing shoulders with top brass every day. There’s much greater potential for advancement in the future.
Everyone wants to make it big, and if by some stroke of luck they get in, they’ll hit the jackpot. If they don’t, well, they’ve just wasted some registration fees.”
Raul pondered and said, “That said, I’m starting to feel tempted. After all, the exam schedules for different departments aren’t all the same. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”
……
This civil service exam was not conducted uniformly because different departments had varying talent needs, and Franz did not intend to recruit a bunch of generalists.
As a result, the recruitment criteria varied among departments. Some departments had fierce competition, with written and interview exams, while others had too few applicants and weren’t picky as long as candidates met the basic requirements.
Since it was the first time for such exams, no one knew what to expect. Candidates were anxious, and there was no clear direction for last-minute preparation.
Not only did the candidates not know, but even the government departments overseeing the exams were somewhat perplexed. Everyone lacked experience and had to draw on foreign talent selection systems for guidance.
In this era, the patronage system still prevailed in Europe, but Austria was among the front-runners in breaking away from this system.
Surprisingly, the closest resemblance to the Austrian civil service exams was the Imperial Examination System of the Qing Dynasty in China. If time had permitted, the Cabinet was even considering sending envoys to study it.
In the end, Franz personally offered suggestions. While he hadn’t presided over civil service exams in this lifetime, he had participated in them numerous times in his previous life, accumulating a wealth of experience in being rejected.
Sch?nbrunn Palace.
Prime Minister Felix furrowed his brow and said, “Your Majesty, for this civil service exam, we have provided a total of 128,939 positions, with 589,656 applicants. There is a serious issue of individuals simultaneously applying to multiple departments. Additionally, nearly 35,000 positions have received no interest, most of which are concentrated in the education sector.
Considering this situation, the government has decided to cancel these positions with no applicants and to prohibit individuals from applying to multiple departments, only recognizing their earliest application.”
Austria’s civil service exam this time was naturally not as specific as in the internet age, where positions were divided down to the very specifics.
At this point, candidates were only applying to departments, and the final specific positions would be determined based on actual needs. Apart from a few departments that were hiring only a handful of people and specifying exact roles, everything else remained unknown.
For instance, those who applied to the Ministry of Finance could end up staying in Vienna, going to Croatia, or becoming national tax inspectors traveling across the country. The specific job assignments would only be known after the exams concluded.
Hearing about so many unfilled positions, Franz couldn’t help but rub his temples. It was his concern about remote positions going unstaffed that led him to consolidate all recruitment under the various departments, with the final distribution to be determined later.
However, he hadn’t anticipated that even this approach wouldn’t gather enough applicants. At this point, he was considering whether to transfer some personnel from other departments to fill the vacancies.
After some hesitation, he ultimately abandoned this idea. Forcing people into positions wouldn’t be pleasant. It would surely lead to resentment and potentially affect the integrity of the government team if that bitterness carried over into their work.
“Any unfilled positions can be canceled altogether, and if we have a shortage, we can train our own people. I suspect that even if they pass the exams, many won’t want to go to remote areas.
If they don’t want to go, that’s their choice, and we shouldn’t force them. After all, don’t we have demobilized soldiers in the military? These remote areas may not appeal to the children of nobility, but soldiers shouldn’t have an issue with them, right?
We can select literate soldiers, provide some training, and have them serve as grassroots civil servants in remote regions.
As for the issue of individuals applying to multiple positions, let’s let it slide this time. We didn’t establish any rules beforehand, so their actions are technically legal. Consider it a lesson learned.
However, once they pass an exam for one department, they cannot continue to participate in the exams for other departments, and the application fee will not be refunded.”
Franz didn’t bring up the issue of transitioning military officers. During this era, most Austrian military officers came from noble backgrounds. Even if they themselves had lost their noble title, their parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts were likely to be nobles.
As aristocratic descendants, they received different treatment. Their rank in the military before retirement translated into equivalent status in their civilian roles.
In other words, in the military, they were officers, and after transitioning, they remained officials. If they were incapable of performing their duties, they might be demoted, but their salary and benefits would not be reduced.
Of course, this was limited to those with military achievements. Officers without such achievements did not enjoy such favorable treatment upon transitioning.
Franz’s proposal to select talent from among the soldiers for training also applied exclusively to those with military achievements. Enlisted soldiers without combat honors were naturally not within the scope of this training program.
Regarding candidates who applied to multiple departments, Franz was quite understanding. He had experienced it himself in the past – everyone wanted an extra chance, an additional choice. However, he realized that this would increase the workload for the recruiting departments.
Franz had his principles. Since the government hadn’t made things clear beforehand, he couldn’t shift the blame onto others. If it meant more work, so be it. He believed that if you dug a hole, you should be responsible for filling it.
……
With the government’s sudden cancellation of over 35,000 positions, the ratio of applicants to positions finally rose to 2:1, indicating a rather fierce competition.
Recruiting departments were still grappling with creating their exam papers, while European public opinion was abuzz.
Mainstream media outlets published various opinions, both in support and against the Austrian civil service exam. In any case, Austria’s civil service exam became the focal point of European society.
Engels published an article in the ‘Rheinische Zeitung’, wholeheartedly praising the Austrian government’s civil service examination system.
The reason is quite simple. The eligibility criteria set by the Austrian government excluded the bourgeoisie but did not limit the working class or the peasant class.
In theory, as long as they had the required qualifications, individuals from these backgrounds could enter the government system through the selection process.
Combined with Austria’s recent proposal for compulsory education, many left-leaning individuals believed that the Austrian government was actively reforming and preparing to incorporate the working class into the government.
Well, Franz wasn’t about to come out and clarify this beautiful misunderstanding. Having more supporters is always a good thing.
As an emperor, what he needed were people with a reasonable level of loyalty who could help him manage the country effectively. Their backgrounds weren’t as important.
It can be said that different nations require different staffing mechanisms based on their unique circumstances. In Austria, relying on the nobility was necessary, while in countries like Britain and France, the bourgeoisie could serve as a strong pillar of the nation.
This is determined by the societal context. In an emerging nation without deeply rooted nobility or a powerful bourgeoisie, the working class and peasant class can also become pillars of the country.
If reforms are undertaken blindly and deviate from the support of one’s own class, then Wang Mang is a prime example of the consequences.
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