Chapter 131: Fraudulent Donation
Between nations, interests always remain the central theme. While Franz was plotting against the Russians, the Russian government was also doing the same to Austria.
This scheming had nothing to do with alliances; everyone was operating within the established rules. As long as interests outweighed contradictions, the alliance relationship remained reliable.
After the Russian-Austrian alliance was established, the Russian government eased its pressure on Prussia.
Clearly, following Austria’s revelation of its ambitions in the Southern German region, the Russian government became concerned that Austria might unify the entire German region, threatening their European dominance. Therefore, they prepared to let Prussia counterbalance Austria.
The most noticeable change was that Russia’s diplomatic pressure on the Kingdom of Prussia had eased compared to before.
To some extent, Franz unintentionally aided the Prussians. However, this help was not enough to make the Russians abandon their ambitions regarding the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.
Russia was not willing to give up its influence over its subordinate, Denmark, and the Russian government needed a stable Northern Europe. The expansion of the Kingdom of Prussia had disrupted the balance in the area.
The Russian government found itself in a dilemma, and the best choice seemed to be allowing the Kingdom of Prussia to expand into the Central German region, thus delaying Austria’s unification of the Southern German states.
However, Russia couldn’t allow the Kingdom of Prussia to unify the German regions, as it didn’t align with Russian strategic interests. In the eyes of the Russian government, Austria was the best choice as an ally.
Austria possessed a certain level of power but didn’t pose a threat to Russia's own strength. Moreover, the Habsburg dynasty was quite old, and it was difficult for any long-standing empire to revitalize itself.
In contrast, newly rising young empires were more worrisome. Youth meant they were still on the rise with limitless possibilities in the future. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Prussia was a kingdom with the potential to become a young empire.
The Russians were caught in a dilemma. On one hand, they wanted the Kingdom of Prussia to counterbalance Austria, but on the other hand, they were concerned that Prussia could be swayed by Britain and France, and at critical moments, might go against the interests of Russia or Austria.
In the eyes of Nicholas I, the best option would be to bring the Kingdom of Prussia on board, reestablishing the era of the “Three Northern Courts,” or the “Three Emperors’ League.”
However, it was easier said than done. Ultimately, it came down to interests, and currently, the Russians couldn’t sacrifice the interests of the Danish people, which would disillusion their ally.
Therefore, the prospect of orchestrating a Prussian-Austrian alliance to divide the German territories became less feasible. It was evident that the Northern German region alone wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the ambitions of the Prussians.
If Prussia were to extend its influence into the German territories, it wouldn’t just be Austria that couldn’t tolerate it; even Nicholas I couldn’t tolerate the birth of a unified German Empire.
Moreover, the more serious concern was that after a Prussian-Austrian partition of the German territories, the Kingdom of Prussia would truly grow in power. The alliance of these two states would effectively block their westward expansion.
In the worst-case scenario, after the future “Three Emperors’ League” defeated their enemies, it could turn into a Prussian-Austrian coalition against Russia. Cultivating potential enemies was never a pleasant prospect.
St. Petersburg.
To address this troublesome issue, Nicholas I convened a special council.
The Prime Minister was the first to speak, saying, “Your Majesty, we have two choices: either make every effort to win over the Kingdom of Prussia and continue the Treaty of Berlin, or unite to suppress Prussia and ensure they don’t have the capacity to cause trouble for us!”
Everyone understood what the answer was. When it came to suppressing the Kingdom of Prussia, the solution was quite simple: join forces with Austria and give them a good thrashing, ensuring that Prussia would remain incapacitated for a decade or two.
However, the problem lay in the aftermath. If Prussia were defeated, Austria’s goal might shift from merely annexing the Southern German States to unifying the entire German region.
If suppressing Prussia was not a viable option, the alternative was to win over Prussia. However, winning them over came at a cost, and the Russians were unwilling to pay that price – asking them to make concessions was akin to asking for their lives.
Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode analyzed, “Your Majesty, the Prussians have big ambitions. Currently, there are two competing ideas for unifying the German region. One is Austria unifying the German territories to establish a Greater German Empire, and the other is the Prussians unifying the German states, excluding Austria, to establish a Lesser German Empire.
The latter idea is the brainchild of the Prussians, and their goal is crystal clear: to unify Germany. With their initiation of the Prussian-Danish War, they are working towards that objective.
If we are willing to support Prussia in unifying the German region, they will surely join our alliance. However, Austria is unlikely to agree to this. It’s possible that before our strategy even begins, Prussia and Austria will find themselves at odds.”
Nicholas I furrowed his brow and asked, “Why can’t the Northern German States satisfy Prussia’s ambitions?”
The Russians adhered to a principle of power supremacy, whereby they shared benefits based on the strength of a nation. Currently, Prussia was considered one of the weaker major powers or, in a sense, a quasi-major power.
In later years, Prussia would earn high praise for unifying Germany and establishing the formidable German Empire, which would elevate their status significantly.
It couldn't be said that this country, with a population of only 13 million, currently possesses the same strength as the major powers.
“Your Majesty, we can try to entice Prussia to cooperate in the Northern German region. If that doesn’t work, we can encourage them to expand into the Low Countries,” proposed Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode.
The 19th century was an era of expansion, where every nation sought to increase its power. In this age, not expanding was akin to slow suicide. Many countries that have survived into later times have experienced significant risks during this period, although this fact is often overlooked.
Small countries like the Netherlands and Luxembourg are not even worth mentioning in this context. Even larger nations like Spain have been consistently outperformed by others in later times.
For countries like Prussia and Austria, located in geographically challenging positions, if they don’t expand their power externally, they are vulnerable to threats from both the west (France) and the east (Russia).
Agricultural development is an option, but it proceeds at a slow pace. Without access to sufficient markets and industrial resources, their progress in two or three decades may still lag behind what others achieve in just a couple of years.
“No, letting Prussia annex the Northern German States is already very dangerous. If they were to gain control of Belgium and the Netherlands as well, we’d be facing another France,” the Prime Minister vehemently opposed.
“Prime Minister, our path to expansion in the west has already been blocked. Even if Prussia grows, they cannot mount an offensive against Russia. By stoking tensions between Prussia and Austria, we can stabilize the western front. Our national strategy should focus on fully developing the Mediterranean,” explained Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode.
……
Internal disputes among the Russians lessened the diplomatic pressure on Prussia and created a false impression among the Prussians. They believed that once they defeated the Danes and established a fait accompli, the Russians would compromise.
Influenced by this perception, the Prussian army swiftly defeated the Danish forces on the front lines, and on April 9, 1849, Prussian troops once again entered the Jutland Peninsula.
Unlike their previous restraint, this time the Prussians were determined to force the Kingdom of Denmark into a compromise. They advanced relentlessly, capturing half of the Jutland Peninsula by April.
If it weren’t for the Danes’ foresight of establishing their capital on Zealand Island, and the weakness of the Prussian navy, the Prussian forces might have advanced further.
When they couldn’t handle it anymore, they turned to the strong ally, Russia. Nicholas I was infuriated by Prussia’s actions.
Even when dealing with a dog, you should consider its owner. He had already called for them to stop multiple times, and yet they dared to continue their military actions, showing complete disregard for him.
Feeling that his dignity had been challenged, the Russians took immediate action.
On May 7, 1849, two Russian infantry divisions landed on the Jutland Peninsula, blocking the path of the Prussian army’s advance.
Fighting was impossible, and Frederick William IV backed down. News from St. Petersburg indicated that the Russians had reached their limit of tolerance.
Starting a war is easy, but ending one is difficult. Despite Frederick William IV suppressing the revolutionary party within his country, Prussia wasn’t solely under his control.
The military success on the front lines was a double-edged sword. Now, public attention was focused on the Prussian-Danish War, and people had forgotten about the government’s crackdown on the revolution.
However, the aftermath of the surging nationalism had its consequences. The people could not tolerate failure, especially when they had already won on the battlefield, and the government making concessions further exacerbated the situation.
A ceasefire might be possible, but giving up the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein was out of the question. It was a matter of principle, and anyone who conceded on this matter would be seen as a traitor.
Austria was not the only one helping Prussia gain popularity; all the states in the German Confederation, including those leaning towards Prussia in Northern Germany, played a role.
In essence, the entire German territory was spiritually supporting Prussia. If this spiritual support could translate into tangible support, then King Frederick William IV wouldn’t need to hesitate.
Vienna.
“Your Majesty, the Prussian ambassador in Vienna has sought our assistance. After the Foreign Ministry declined their request, they have now proposed raising funds for the war effort in Austria.
According to the intelligence we’ve received, Prussia has already initiated fundraising efforts within its borders, and now they are extending their appeal to the entire German territory. It appears their finances might be reaching a critical point.” Metternich said with a smile.
Raising funds for the war effort? This was a clever strategy devised by Franz to help the Prussian government. It was not easy to take money from the people.
If the funds were collected, and the ultimate goal wasn’t achieved, the enthusiasm of those who donated would be inversely proportional to the resentment they would hold in the future.
If they take the money and fail to deliver on their promises, the enthusiasm of these donors when they make their contributions will be matched by the extent of their resentment in the future.
“If that’s the case, we should cooperate with them. We’ll have the government send representatives to assist them in fundraising, building up support within the German territory, and magnifying the actual amount raised just a bit.
The Foreign Ministry, representing the Austrian government, will donate ten million florins to Prussia in support of their military campaign to reclaim the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein for the German Confederation.
However, there’s no need to rush to give them the money. Find any reason to delay it a bit. If necessary, we can use financial difficulties as an excuse to make staggered payments,” Franz suggested after some thought.
Fraudulent Donations was something that even occurs in the 21st century; naturally, Franz didn’t mind emulating it.
Wait, this couldn’t even be considered fraud since they weren’t actually refusing to give money.
As long as the Prussians could bring these two German states back into the fold of the German Confederation, the Austrian government would pay up.
If the Prussians couldn’t handle the pressure and gave up on the Schleswig-Holstein duchies, which they had already acquired, then, of course, they wouldn’t have to pay.
Additionally, they should mobilize the populations of the various German states to protest in front of the Prussian embassy and demand the return of their hard-earned money.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Metternich replied.
I wonder how delighted the Prussian representatives will be when they hear this news. They probably would be thrilled, wouldn’t they?
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