Chapter 249: Vienna Peace Conference
Time flew, and the long-awaited Vienna Peace Conference began. Naturally, the main players were the three powers involved, Great Britain, France, and Russia, while there were numerous supporting roles. The European nations had all sent representatives.
It was unclear when this began, but everyone liked to join in whenever a major event occurred on the European continent, regardless of their direct involvement.
On the surface, it’s about showing they cared for international politics. In Franz’s view, this is just a way of making oneself visible and attracting the attention of the great powers.
Don’t think that these small countries with little say are unimportant. It’s quite the opposite. When the great powers reach an impasse, the attitude of these small countries often determines the outcome.
There are currently no superpowers on the European continent. The power gap between the great powers isn’t huge, and no country can take on two others at once, let alone dominate all other nations.
It’s not the case that just because one side is stronger, it can necessarily do whatever it wants to the other. If a war broke out, the more likely scenario would still be both sides suffering great losses.
The recent Near East War has shown everyone that modern warfare comes with high costs, and the ultimate gains often do not proportionately match the expenditures.
Faced with the harsh reality, everyone’s attitude has changed, and the governments of various countries are doing their best to avoid war with the large countries.
Against this backdrop, all parties came to the Vienna Peace Conference with sincerity.
The British want to get out of the war in the Near East as quickly as possible and throw themselves into the colonial expansion effort. Because of the war, their pace of colonization has slowed.
The French are no exception. Influenced by the British colonial effort, Napoleon III was very interested in establishing more overseas colonies.
Apart from curbing Russian expansion, the Near East War essentially would not bring France any benefits. The ones contending for world hegemony were Britain and Russia. They did not need to continue this struggle to the bitter end.
Who wants the conflict to end more than the Russians? Even though they obtained Constantinople through under-the-table dealings, Nicholas I didn’t mind.
With both political and religious interests secured, continuing the war would bring no benefits, only worsening the already dire financial situation of the Russian Empire.
The Empire, seemingly strong from the outside, is internally fraught with contradictions. The Russian government is in urgent need of respite to recuperate.
The situation in the Ottoman Empire is even worse. The Ottoman government is on the verge of collapse. Continuing the war would only exacerbate the national uprisings that are already a considerable burden.
As for the Principality of Montenegro, they have no say in the matter. Even though they fought bravely, causing substantial casualties to the British, this did not grant them any significant influence or voice.
……
Inside the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, the conference moderator, Metternich, spoke solemnly, “Welcome to Vienna. Today’s meeting is convened for the sake of world peace.
Throughout human history, too many wars have happened, often bringing disaster. Many of these wars could have been avoided. If there was more communication and dialogue, many misunderstandings would not exist…”
Metternich is widely recognized across Europe as a pacifist. Raising the flag of peace has been a habit of this ‘Prime Minister of Europe.’
Politicians are all adept at putting on a show. Representatives from various countries started their performances, and at this moment, it seems as if everyone is a pacifist.
Once everyone had finished pretending and the reporters had been escorted out, the negotiations officially began, and the harmonious atmosphere disappeared.
Ottoman Empire delegate Fuad, representing the lesser ally, was the first to speak up and accuse the Russians of atrocities: “This war was entirely instigated by the Russian Empire. They should bear full responsibility for this conflict…”
Before Fuad could finish, the Russian Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode sharply retorted: “Mr. Fuad, please mind your words. We are merely reclaiming lost territories.
Constantinople is a holy site of the Christian world. Just because you invaded it for a few hundred years does not mean you can become its master.
From the beginning to the end, you are the invaders. We are merely completing the mission that the Crusades failed to achieve. Please do not slander this sacred and righteous war.”
Bringing religion into the argument puts the Ottoman Empire at a disadvantage. On this issue, neither Britain nor France dare to deny that Constantinople is a holy site of the Christian world, nor can they admit that it is the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
Even though this has long been recognized by everyone, no one dares to acknowledge it openly in a negotiation meeting to be written in records.
Seeing the Ottoman representative fall into a trap at the outset, Thomas quickly changed the subject: “Count Karl, these historical issues cannot be settled in a few words. At this point in the war, it’s pointless to assign blame. Let’s discuss how we can end this conflict instead!”
“Certainly,” Russian Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode coldly replied.
Thomas spoke earnestly, “For the sake of world peace and the stability of the European continent, I propose that all warring parties return to their pre-war status quo and end this unnecessary war!”
When it came to his interests, Russian Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode immediately objected, “Impossible, we absolutely cannot tolerate Constantinople falling into the hands of infidels.”
Thomas, unperturbed, replied, “Count Karl, rest assured that we will not allow Constantinople to fall into the hands of the infidels. As a holy site of the Christian world, Constantinople should be shared by all Christians. I propose an international joint administration of Constantinople.”
……
This was something the Russians could not accept. Having paid such a high price to seize Constantinople, how could they easily give it up?
The British and Russian representatives began a heated verbal battle, arguing for over an hour without any result. Surprisingly, the French seemed to be staying out of it.
Thomas, who had sensed something was amiss, acted as if nothing was wrong. It wasn’t that he was feigning ignorance due to his thick skin; he was testing the extent of the Franco-Russian relationship.
Metternich said cheerfully, “Gentlemen, lunchtime has arrived. How about we continue in the afternoon?”
The negotiations were not going to end so easily. Currently, it was only the British-Russian dispute, but there were still conflicts over Franco-Russian interests, Anglo-French conflicts, and the disputes between Austria and the Ottoman Empire…
In addition to mediating the recent Near East War, the Vienna Peace Conference aimed to establish a new international order, involving many issues.
Since the collapse of the Vienna System, in just a few short years, the European continent had seen the outbreak of the Austro-Sardinian War, the Prusso-Danish War, the German Unification War, and the Near East War.
Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia were all involved, along with the Kingdom of Sardinia, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Bavaria, Principality of Montenegro, Ottoman Empire, and Kingdom of Greece. Most countries in Europe were involved in the wars.
If this continued, a new European continental war could erupt before long, which nobody wanted.
Fighting to the death on the European continent, in reality, offered minimal benefits. With mutual constraints among nations, no one could easily consume the lion’s share.
It was at this moment that everyone realized the importance of the Vienna System. Calls for rebuilding the Vienna System naturally grew louder.
Especially for the numerous smaller countries in Europe, there was an even greater lack of security. They urgently needed a stable order to protect their interests.
Under the common need for stability, Metternich, who had played a leading role in establishing the first Vienna System, was once again pushed to the forefront.
Could the Vienna System be rebuilt? No one could answer this question for sure, but what was clear was that everyone now needed a stable international system.
Russia needed to undertake internal social reforms, while the trio of Britain, France, and Austria needed to expand their overseas colonies. Many small European countries required an international order to safeguard their security, all calling for a stable European continent.
By evening, the results of the first day of negotiations reached Franz, and unsurprisingly, the British were at a disadvantage in these talks.
How could it be easy to regain at the negotiation table what couldn’t be won on the battlefield?
The Russians, not easily bullied, coupled with the French starting to lay low, left the British with many of their threatening tactics unusable.
Now, their biggest bargaining chip was their naval superiority. Should negotiations fail, Russian foreign trade, particularly grain exports, would be severely impacted.
Grain exports were Russia’s largest source of foreign exchange, and due to the Near East War, this trade had been disrupted.
To purchase strategic materials, the Russian government had to trade a large amount of gold and silver, resulting in a significant outflow of these precious metals and putting severe pressure on the government’s finances.
Although the Russian Empire had long been in a trade deficit, a yearly deficit of several million rubles was entirely different from one of over a hundred million rubles.
The Russian Empire, rich in mineral resources, didn’t lack gold and silver; a few million rubles were less than what they could mine in a year.
However, a deficit of over a hundred million rubles was a different matter. Such a level of gold and silver outflow was already affecting the Russian financial market. The mined gold and silver would also take time to replenish, and this loss couldn’t be compensated for in the short term.
Nevertheless, now that the war had ended and there was no longer a need to import weapons and ammunition from abroad, this trade deficit would quickly decrease. The British threat was insufficient to make the Russians yield.
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