Chapter 302: Personnel Changes
The Paris Conference, due to Austrias interference, was concluded with almost lightning speed, depriving the Kingdom of Sardinia of its bargaining power, which is extremely rare in diplomatic history.
The French, who had been hogging the limelight, once again became the focus of public opinion. Concerns about the French threat once again attracted much attention.
Of course, this minor issue did not attract much attention from the French government. Talk of the French threat had been going on not just for a day or two, but for decades that everyone had become numb to it.
Let them all talk, it wasnt like they had anything to lose. At that time, the French were still celebrating this diplomatic victory.
Franz could only attribute it to the French obsession with Italy, just like the Habsburg obsession with annexing Switzerland. They always wanted to occupy those territories.
In his view, these regions offered very limited practical benefits beyond sentimental value.
Of course, what the French were doing suited Austrian interests. With France in the lead, the vigilance of Britain and Russia toward Austria dropped a notch.
Human thinking was complex, and judgments were often made on the basis of subjective awareness. In terms of overall national power, Austria was no weaker than France. But in everyones subconscious, the French threat felt greater.
This was not something that could be changed overnight. Historically, Bismarck had exploited this subconscious perception to isolate France diplomatically.
If it werent for the later blunders of William II, which made the British government realize that Germany posed a greater threat, the Allied Powers would not have been formed.
With France riding high now, they probably couldnt even dream of the price the French government has historically paid to dispel the French Threat idea.
In order to get closer to Russia, huge amounts of French capital flowed out in the form of loans, slowing down domestic economic growth.
To win over the British, they deliberately acted weak, giving up the naval arms race in the early 20th century. Of course, inadequate government finances were also a factor.
Many people believed that British diplomacy was formidable, but French diplomacy was also amazing. In an absolutely disadvantageous position, they brought Britain and Russia together to form the Allied Powers.
It was just that the French were far too prone to infighting and cabinet changes were too frequent, resulting in many strategies not being implemented due to power struggles.
Having sabotaged Napoleon III, Franz felt wonderful. No, this could not be called sabotaging, it should be called a win-win situation, with both sides getting what they needed.
The presently boisterous France was still at its peak, feeling no threat to its existence. The French still dreamed of world domination, and of course, they were indifferent to the envy and hatred of others.
In the face of tangible interests, what does a little hatred matter? Back when Napoleon took on the entire European continent alone, the French were not afraid of anything, let alone now, when they were just making a scene. There was no way they would back down.
Vienna Palace
At the cabinet meeting, Franz announced the new personnel appointments.
After the resignations of Prince Metternich and Marshal Radetzky, the Foreign Minister will be succeeded by Ambassador to Russia, Wessenberg, while Marshal Edmund shall succeed as the Chief of Staff.
Originally, Franz actually favored Marshal Julius Jacob von Haynau more for the position of Chief of Staff, but unfortunately, the Habsburg Tiger was already on his last legs, forcing Franz to make do with second best.
In the eyes of many, Julius might seem a butcher who killed indiscriminately. But in Franzs eyes, it was the exact opposite.
Everything he did was to uphold the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. In order to put an end to the hidden dangers once and for all, he did not hesitate to bear the infamy and bloodily suppress the rebels. He was the epitome of loyalty and service.
Under Franzs forceful intervention, Marshal Julius became a positive figure in history instead of being vilified as he had been in history.
Facts have proven that mood affects lifespan. Under Franzs butterfly effect, the destinies of many people were rewritten.
Archduke Louis asked anxiously: Your Majesty, what about my resignation?
The previous two had had their resignations approved, but when it was his turn, it came to a sudden halt. Archduke Louis was no longer willing to struggle. It had nothing to do with power, but simply with the fact that his body could take no more.
There was no culture of dying in office in Europe. When their health deteriorated, most people would choose to retire.
Franz explained: Let us wait two months. I plan to have Prince Windisch-Grtz take over as Minister of Internal Affairs. He needs some time to familiarize himself with the affairs first.
Upon the appointment of Prince Windisch-Grtz, the Governor General of the Balkans, Albrecht, will assume the office of Minister of War. The position of Governor General of the Balkans will be filled by Lieutenant General Morquez.
This was the rule Franz had established after taking the throne. For appointments across ministries, prior familiarization with the affairs was necessary to avoid embarrassing blunders.
Franz personally took charge of important personnel appointments. As for lower-level appointments, Franz didnt concern himself with them.
Human energy was limited, and Franz did not consider himself superhuman. As long as the central government and local officials were tightly controlled, supervising over a hundred people was enough. Everything else would naturally be left to them.
The appointment of the Minister of Internal Affairs was a last-minute decision by Franz, and no one knew about it beforehand.
The cabinet had already discussed the matter, but there were far too few suitable candidates. Franz had settled on Prince Windisch-Grtz as a last resort.
This was not due to a lack of talent among the Austrians, but rather a lack of talent among the Austrian nobility in particular. Such an occurrence was inevitable. Just look at the population base how could every generation produce talents?
Because of medical limitations, many family lines were indeed in danger of dying out. Without new blood to replenish them, the aristocracy was destined to be unable to maintain power indefinitely.
These changing times of old and new powers were also often the bloodiest periods. Failure to properly handle things could easily lead to domestic turmoil.
As an emperor, when it comes to appointing people, you cannot solely consider their status, but at the same time, you cannot ignore it either. This was the line that left the deepest impression on Franz during his education to be the emperor.
Now he truly understood this principle. To govern a country well, it was essential to nurture talent, and in such times, status should not be the sole criterion.
However, when it comes to balancing power, status must be taken into account. Otherwise, things would end up being dominated by one faction, making the Emperor irrelevant.
Relatively speaking, the so-called class was not truly important because such status could change. Franz suppressed the bourgeoisie, but not the capitalists themselves.
The suppression of this class was mainly because the aggressiveness of the bourgeoisie was too strong.
Once they gain power, driven by their interests, they could turn the country into a plutocratic system more in line with their interests.
The emperor and the nobility would be labeled as feudal tumors so they could be purged. If he were lucky, the emperor might become a figurehead. If unlucky, he would end up on the guillotine.
Since they are destined to be on opposing sides, they must be suppressed.
Moreover, the bourgeoisie itself was already a contradictory combination, with internal struggles far outweighing external ones. Their competition prevailed over any cooperation.
Their threat could be contained only by preventing them from banding together as a unified interest group.
Franz had no objection to them doing business honestly and making money. If they wanted to participate in politics, that was fine too, as long as they entered the system according to the rules, he would not object to that either.
But if they use their money to corrupt government officials and attempt to manipulate state politics from behind the scenes, then they must be suppressed.
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