Chapter 357: Isolated and Alone
The Second Schleswig War led to the collapse of the Vienna System, causing discord among many small countries in Europe. Without the protection of this system, everyone is back to the era of turmoil.
As the disruptor of order, Prussia naturally drew a lot of hatred. The most immediate consequence is that in the Second Schleswig War, various countries sided with the Danes.
Of course, this did not prevent them from supporting Prussia in the Russo-Prussian confrontation. International politics has always been about supporting what benefits oneself, and opposing what affects ones interests.
In St. Petersburg, the whole world was waiting for what the Russian government would do.
If it were during the time of Nicholas I, then there would be only one word fight. With its strong power, it wouldnt be difficult for the Russian Empire to cripple Prussia.
However, it is difficult to say how much the cost would be. At least one thing is certain, as long as the Russian government does not make a fatal mistake, the Kingdom of Prussia would not be able to make a counterattack.
Just look at the map, and youll see how vast the Russian Empire is. Prussia simply couldnt launch a direct attack; once a war began, it would be a war of attrition.
The Russians were not afraid of a war of attrition but at the same time, also most afraid of it. Apart from lacking money, the Russian government lacked nothing else.
Alexander II hesitated; he didnt want to engage in this war. Being financially strapped makes him uncertain. Dealing with Prussia might be manageable, but dealing with Britain and France behind them is much harder.
Foreign Minister Gorchakov analyzed, Your Majesty, the positions of various European countries have become clear. They all condemn Prussias illegal actions, but no country has taken concrete action.
It can be initially judged that Britain and France are exerting pressure on other countries to remain neutral in the Prusso-Danish War, to undermine us.
If we cannot protect the Kingdom of Denmark, our international reputation will inevitably suffer, and we may even lose our current international status.
The Prussian attitude is very firm, they have already rejected our advice. Diplomatic means are no longer viable to preserve the Kingdom of Denmark, only force can be relied upon.
Have the Austrians taken no action? Are they just letting the Vienna System collapse? Alexander II asked with concern.
As early as last year, when the Kingdom of Denmark merged with the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, Austria severed diplomatic ties with Denmark.
Now, the relationship between the two countries has not normalized, and the likelihood of the Austrian government supporting Denmark is almost zero, Foreign Minister Gorchakov replied.
Clearly, this was not the answer Alexander II was hoping for. The Austro-Prussian diplomatic rupture was not primarily due to conflicting interests between the two countries; rather, it was more of a political necessity.
The Austrian government deliberately made a gesture for the German people to see, demonstrating that their determination to unify the German region had never diminished.
Political correctness is effective for every government. Now that Prussia has broken the Vienna System and launched a war against Denmark, it is understandable that Austria has not taken action.
No matter what, Prussia is still a German country, while Denmark is not. Whether to help kin or help the righteous cause is an obvious question, the Austrian governments neutrality is simply because of its bad relationship with Prussia.
After a long silence, Alexander II continued to ask, If we go to war with the Kingdom of Prussia, on which side will Austria stand?
This is the crux of the matter. Prussia has already gained the support of Britain and France, and most European countries would prefer to see Russia fail. Without Austrias support, this war simply could not be waged.
Foreign Minister Gorchakov explained, It cannot be fully determined yet. Based on the intelligence we have gathered so far, the Austrian government is more likely to support us.
They want to unify the German territories, and Prussia is the biggest obstacle. A strong Prussia does not serve their interests.
Even if the Kingdom of Prussia were willing to join the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian government would not want to see a powerful member state emerge, weakening their control over the empire.
After hesitating for a moment, Alexander II made a decision, Tell the Austrian government that as long as we win this war, the Silesia region will be theirs. Apart from preventing them from unifying the German territories, the Foreign Ministry can negotiate other conditions on its own. We cannot succeed in this war without their support.
To fight is a must. The position of the Russian Empire was earned through battles and conquests. A Tsar who hesitates to wage war has no right to lead Russia.
It was not feasible to completely eliminate the Kingdom of Prussia, as it would create an opportunity for Austria to unify the German territories. However, its essential to give this rebellious junior a proper lesson.
Alexander II had come to a clear understanding; there was no escaping it. European countries all wanted to thwart Russias reforms. Even if they evade this time, there will be a next time.
At the slightest sign of weakness from the Russian Empire, a pack of wolves will pounce on the tiger. Even their staunchest ally, Austria, could become the vanguard of Russias partition.
Defeating Prussia to assert authority was the best choice, otherwise the Russian Empire would inevitably have to make sacrifices.
In the Royal Palace of Mexico, since ascending to the imperial throne, Maximilian I burst forth with boundless enthusiasm, striving to build Mexico into a great empire.
He governed diligently, loved his people, and worked hard to administer the realm, without leaning towards any interest group, striving for fairness and justice. He even granted amnesty to the republicans and spared his political enemies.
However, as time passed, he reluctantly discovered that the domestic situation did not improve as a result; instead, it worsened.
Granting amnesty to the republicans did not ease the political strife within the country. These individuals quickly regrouped and turned against him, the emperor.
Despite the emperors diligent governance and love for the people, the bureaucrats below him acted recklessly, rendering his efforts futile.
The most frustrating aspect was his pursuit of fairness and justice. The constitutionalists who supported his rise to power did not dominate the new government. Instead, Maximilian I shared power with the neutrals and opposing factions, which only fueled their dissatisfaction.
Many constitutionalist members felt hopeless about the emperor, believing that their investment had been wasted, and chose to withdraw their support, essentially watching coldly from the sidelines.
After all, Maximilian I was already the emperor, and even if the constitutionalists regretted their decision, there was no way to replace him with a new emperor.
Maximilian I selectively retained much of the reforms implemented by the previous government at the beginning of his reign, without considering the resistance from various sectors of society, which led to widespread discontent.
For example, at the start of his reign, the Catholic Church exerted significant influence, hoping to reclaim the land they had lost.
However, this land was not distributed to the people; instead, the majority fell into the hands of republican bureaucrats and their supporters, such as wealthy landowners and capitalists. Now that the republicans were losing political ground, the Church naturally sought to regain its power.
Under normal circumstances, Maximilian I would definitely stand on the side of his supporters and deal a blow at the Republicans, their enemy.
However, he believed that the Church should not hold too much land. These lands were reclaimed as state-owned and the government resold them to private individuals, which was a legal transaction.
Undoubtedly, this violated the principle of supporting ones own side while attacking the other side. If he could not bring benefits to his supporters, it was natural that they would not continue supporting him.
Within just a few short months, not only did Maximilian I fail to cultivate his own trusted regime, but he also drove many of his supporters to the opposing camp.
This is just one example of his many blunders. The most typical case of this was shortly after Maximilian I ascended the throne, he tripled the debt of the Mexican Empire.
As an idealist, he was naturally very easy to deceive.
Facing a financial crisis shortly after his coronation, the government needed funds to operate, the French forces intervening in the Mexican Civil War needed compensation, and the treasury had long been depleted.
Faced with this dilemma, Maximilian I had no choice but to borrow money abroad. Naturally, as his supporters, the French gladly accepted this offer, although their appetite was quite large.
In addition to the French, the interests of the other two intervening countries also had to be guaranteed. One of these was recognizing the debts owed by the previous government.
Here, Maximilian I made another mistake. Many of these debts were actually illegal and did not need to be inherited by the new government, yet he took them all on.
The famous Treaty of Miramar was signed in this context. Maximilian I entrusted a French bank to issue bonds worth 114 million pesos, of which the French retained one-third to repay their own debt and one-quarter to repay debts owed to other countries.
Adding various miscellaneous fees, only 42.18 million pesos eventually reached Maximilians hands, and this money still had to pay for the expenses of the French garrison troops and maintain the operations of the government.
Without achieving anything, the debt tripled. Naturally, the discerning individuals in Mexico looked down on this emperor.
Even if borrowing was necessary, at least the actual situation should have been considered. The Mexican government had no money to repay this debt, and now the French were demanding that Maximilian I pledge customs duties as collateral.
Maximilian I suddenly realized that he had been deceived.
The Mexican Empire was nowhere near as wealthy as rumored. While it did produce silver abundantly, most of these mineral resources were owned by foreign powers, and little tax revenue could be collected from them.
Understanding the importance of customs duties, Maximilian I was unwilling to hand them over to the French, and the secret agreement between the two sides came to an end.
Your Majesty, this is the treaty, sign it!
General Bazin, the French commander in Mexico, directly handed a document to Maximilian I showing no respect for the emperor whatsoever.
Maximilian I picked up the document, tore it to shreds without even looking at it, and scattered it all over the floor. In a cold tone, he said, Alright, you may leave now.
As a direct descendant of the Habsburgs, Maximilian also had a temper. If the French didnt show him respect, he certainly wouldnt show them any either.
Bazin left the palace with a livid face, refraining from making any threatening remarks. Disregarding Maximilian was one thing, but openly challenging him was another matter altogether.
After all, he was not some republican rabble. France was also a monarchy, and upholding the dignity of the monarchy was the shared will of the monarchies of Europe. Bazin would naturally not commit such a taboo.
Not getting the emperors signature was no problem, getting the signature of the cabinet would be the same. The French had originally planned to get any high official to sign, and then create a fait accompli.
Now that the French government had even appointed the officials for the Mexican customs, they were just waiting to complete the remaining formalities and take office.
However, a conflict arose between Bazin and Maximilian I during a banquet, prompting Bazin to deliberately take out the document to provoke Maximilian.
From the very beginning, the French had only wanted a puppet emperor. Unfortunately, Maximilian I was completely uncooperative, still striving to be a good monarch.
However, this effort had largely exacerbated the situation. As an emperor installed by the French in conjunction with the constitutionalists, conservatives, and the Church, Maximilian I did not stand politically with the classes that supported him.
He naively aspired to become the most impartial monarch, not acting as a spokesperson for any political faction. He hoped to establish a moderate government that would gain the common recognition of all sides.
Currently, he has succeeded in accomplishing half of his goal by achieving fairness and impartiality, without becoming a mouthpiece for any class or interest group.
But the remaining half was probably something he would never be able to achieve. If the domestic political groups were to demand he defy French coercion, Maximilian I would find himself truly isolated and alone.
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