Chapter 312: Sudden Shift in Global Strategy
As the wheel of history continued to turn, Alexander II ascended the throne and the Russian government once again launched reforms.
However, Alexander II lacked the prestige of Nicholas I and struggled to suppress the nobility, making things politically uncomfortable.
This was the aftermath of Nicholas Is failed reforms. Everyone was very wary of the Tsar trying new tricks, and in the face of the united nobility, Alexander II was truly powerless.
Of course, Russian history books would definitely not say that Nicholas Is reforms failed. They would only say he died too early and did not have the chance to complete reforms.
Having captured Constantinople, Nicholas I had already been placed on a pedestal, becoming the greatest Tsar of the Russian Empire.
Success exempts one from criticism. People would find excuses to defend him, while all the pressure for reform fell entirely on Alexander IIs shoulders.
Internal strife within the Russian government intensified, and the Russians had no energy to continue making trouble for the British.
On March 26, 1860, the British and Russians signed the India Memorandum. In exchange for a low-interest loan of 15 million pounds, the British secured Russian recognition of their sovereignty over India.
In other words, the Indian rebels were sold out by the Russian government. Although this could not be considered a good deal, Alexander II could not afford to be picky.
Reforms also require funding. Unless reforms are carried out by violent means, compensation to vested interests would be unavoidable.
Watching the miserable Alexander II battling the nobles which plunged the country into chaos, Franz breathed a sigh of relief.
A Russia embroiled in internal strife needed a stable international environment, making the Russo-Austrian alliance important.
This was exactly what Franz needed as well. At the critical juncture of completing the industrial revolution, Austria needed a stable international situation.
The British were still busy suppressing Indian rebels and had no time to make trouble. The French were also at the critical point of their industrial revolution and needed a stable international environment too.
The four great powers all needed stability, so naturally, no one would stir up trouble on the European continent. Other regions were uncertain; the Second Opium War had already erupted, and there was also the American Civil War.
Overseas matters had little to do with the Austrian government. Up till now, the scope of Austrias influence was limited to the Mediterranean and the African continent, unable to reach farther regions.
But that was soon to change. Looking at the Austrian Global Strategic Plan submitted by the Colonial Ministry, Franz could only lament that ambition was a good thing.
Regardless of whether the plans could eventually be implemented, they first had to be made presentable. Almost every colonial empire had a global strategy, so the Austrian Colonial Ministry was already late in developing its own plan.
After carefully studying it, Franz had to admit that the strategists who had created the plan had a good strategic vision. In theory, the strategies outlined in the plan could all be implemented.
Following Franzs strategic thinking, the plan aimed to avoid intense conflicts with other major colonial empires as much as possible until the colonial territories were partitioned.
There are no issues with plans to expand in the African continent and link up our colonies. The main difficulties lie with the harsh natural environments.
Infiltrating the Arabian Peninsula and gradually taking control of the region should also not be too difficult. Once the Suez Canal opens, we can effectively control these areas.
However, the Asian and American strategies present major challenges. Malaysia, New Guinea, and Kalimantan in Asia are too far from us. What level of resources can we realistically commit?
Even if these regions arent being given much attention by other countries, they are within the spheres of influence of the Dutch, Spanish, and British. It would not be hard for us to occupy these territories, but how do we rule them in the future?
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The issues in the American region are even greater. Despite these independent countries being weak in strength and lacking qualification to survive on the European continent, in the distant Americas, we may not necessarily be their match.
War costs money, so we have to look at the issue of income and expenses. As for the plans to dig a canal in Central America, theyll be canceled immediately. We should not build infrastructure that we cannot defend, as it will only benefit others.
There are no problems with establishing colonial footholds in the Patagonian Plateau since there is hardly anyone living there.
There were several islands that Franz didnt comment on. He didnt know where they were, so he couldnt offer any evaluation.
These obscure places wouldnt even be found on future globes, so naturally, he had no impression of them.
Josip Jelai explained: Your Majesty, these plans have been thoroughly analyzed and researched, and they all have some degree of feasibility.
The Nicobar Islands, for example, are a legacy of the Austrian East India Company, now ruled by our private merchants.
Also, we already have colonial footholds in Kalimantan. In Malaysia, weve secured the most favored nation treatment.
Most of these are the achievements of private colonial teams rather than governmental organizations. Recently, the British occupied all of Australia, which raised their concerns, prompting them to seek assistance from the Colonial Ministry.
Since the British are currently busy suppressing the Indian rebellion, they wont have the energy to compete with us for territory in the short term, so the Colonial Ministry has agreed to this plan.
As for the plans to colonize the Americas, what we have in mind is economic colonization, the infiltration of Central America by economic means. The proposal to build a canal through Panama was made by capitalists.
Keeping these plans for now is for future consideration. If we can control the Central American countries, then building this canal would make sense.
Your Majesty, the countries in Central America are extremely weak, with virtually no industry and completely reliant on imported weapons and ammunition.
Their total population is barely 2 million. Each country averages only 300,000 people, of whom three-fifths are natives, one-fifth are mulattoes, and not even one-fifth are white.
Franz had nothing to say. Its no wonder the Colonial Ministry is turning its attention to Central America. With such terrible circumstances, it would be strange if they werent being eyed by others.
First, there would be economic colonization, followed by gradual migration. Once the number of immigrants is sufficient, they would overthrow the local government.
And it seems that there would not even be many difficulties. This was a consequence of the small population. As long as the Austrian government was willing to invest, colonizing these areas would not be difficult.
Upon realizing this, Franz could not help but criticize the Spaniards for their incompetence. It seems that the legacy left after the Habsburg dynasty split was so generous that they did not even value it.
If only their government had a little drive, they would not have let those territories become independent either. If that was really not possible, they could still push for dominion status and build economic unions anything would have been better than not profiting from those lands now.
All right, youve convinced me. However, lets shelve the canal plan for now. I dont want a canal improving American transportation until after America is divided.
Ever since reading the Austrian Global Strategic Plan, Franz began to pay more attention to collecting information from various countries.
You wouldnt know certain shocking facts until you researched them. If it were not for the geographical constraints that limited them, he would not even bother to develop the African continent, and would simply go over to colonize South America instead.
Just look at the populations of South American countries:
Peru has a territory of approximately 1.29 million square kilometers, with a population of about 2 million;
Paraguay has a territory of approximately 410,000 square kilometers, with a population of about 500,000;
Bolivia has a territory of approximately 1.1 million square kilometers, with a population of about 1.25 million;
Ecuador has a territory of approximately 280,000 square kilometers, with a population of about 800,000;
Brazil has a territory of approximately 8.51 million square kilometers, with a population of about 7.3 million.
With such a small population, there are still serious racial conflicts within the country. As the ruling class, whites are in the minority, with more being natives and slaves.
It makes sense when you think about it. Neither Portugal nor Spain were countries with large populations, yet they had so many colonial territories. Where exactly could they get so many immigrants from?
Without sufficient immigrants, local colonial development would naturally fail. Undeveloped colonies, in turn, further diminished the desire for immigration.
After falling into this vicious cycle, South American countries slowly missed their windows of opportunity for development. Later, when the United States rose to power, they were further suppressed and lost any remaining development opportunities.
This also has to do with the incompetence of the governments of various South American countries. If the governments had done a better job, becoming a regional power would not have been a problem.
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