Chapter 359: The Worst Organization
After seeing Aleister off, Stephen was left with a headache. It was easy to talk about it, doing it was an entirely different matter.
Austria wasnt America. The Hungarian territories were deeply influenced by German culture, especially the compulsory education pushed in recent decades which impacted an entire generation.
What is at the core of German culture? Thats a difficult question to answer, but theres one tradition that has always influenced this race: military culture.
In a country where military training is included in elementary school textbooks, discipline is ingrained from an early age. Discipline has become deeply rooted in many peoples marrows.
With such discipline, its not as easy as just saying a few words to convince people to take to the streets in protest. If you cant persuade them, theres a greater likelihood of being taken to the police station.
In theory, as long as theyre willing to spend the time to persuade, they can organize people. In practice, however, if theres even a slight mishap along the way and someone reports it, it will be a total failure.
If the Hungarian independence organization could rally tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets, they wouldnt have ended up in their current predicament.
Stephen asked, What do you all think? It seems the Americans are afraid of foreign intervention in this civil war and want us to stir up trouble for the Austrians.
As the leader of this independence organization, Stephen had gradually become more of a nominal leader. This is America, where liberalism is cherished. As a result, Stephens authority has been greatly diminished, and he cannot order around any of the members.
Senior revolutionary Cesar frowned and said, Mr. Stephen, the current situation is very troublesome. We know our strength very well, as does Aleister. If he hadnt seen a profit in it and helped us cover our tracks, the federal government would have likely cut off our funding long ago.
Weve lost our foundation in the country, and even if some of us still have connections, theyre dwindling with each passing day. Occasionally helping out might be fine, but if they catch wind of our plans and dont use it to claim credit or rewards for themselves, that would already be considered friendly enough.
Nominally, we still have over 28,000 members, but everyone knows most have either already met their maker or are on that path. As for political prisoners, the Austrian road-building army has always been a one-way trip.
Our members now consist of just a few hundred who have settled in the United States. Occasionally causing a bit of trouble might be manageable, but to pull off something, just us will not be enough.
It was precisely because Aleister understood the situation of the independent organization that he came up with this idea of organizing protests rather than armed revolution.
However, Aleister immigrated to the United States at a young age with his parents and was unfamiliar with the situation in Austria. His worldview and perspective are all based on the American system, so he naturally assumes that organizing protests would be very easy.
Even without support, he thinks that money can easily create momentum. While this might not be a problem in the United States, in Austria, its a different story altogether, and its simply not doable.
Cesars so-called sabotage wasnt all carried out by the Hungarian independence movement most was self-proclaimed.
Just like terrorist groups claiming responsibility for unrelated events to assert their presence, they did the same to gain visibility. They have taken credit for over 80% of major cases in Austria.
The Americans cannot and dare not verify. The American government of this era does not have the confidence to meddle in Europe. If they were to send people to investigate and were discovered, the federal government would not be able to bear the consequences.
Throughout, the federal government has never actively contacted them, nor assigned any tasks. Even the relationship between Aleister and the federal government is mere speculation.
An elderly man spoke sternly, Why dont we just go through the motions? Worst case, we wont take any more funding for future activities. We all have businesses and livelihoods anyway, its not like well starve. I dont believe the Americans would really dare hand us over. Arent they afraid well rat them out too?
Stephen calmly replied, Mr. Szalay, lets not entertain such childish notions. The Americans naturally wouldnt dare let us fall into Austrian hands, as that would create immense trouble for them.
But with the style of the Austrian government, even if we were dead, it wouldnt matter. The Americans wouldnt mind trading our bodies.
Among all the revolutionary organizations in Europe, the Austrian revolutionary organization is the least numerous. Their attitude towards political prisoners has always been to kill them and be done with it.
This was the most chilling part. Since Franzs ascension, the Austrian government had not pardoned a single political prisoner. Once labeled as such, they would be captured regardless of life or death.
Aside from outright defectors who surrendered to Austria, the only way for others to avoid pursuit was death itself revoking the warrant.
The revolution involved too many people. As long as they are not true high-ranking officials, and kept a low profile, not openly advocating for independence, revolution, or rebellion, who would recognize these small fries?
Unfortunately, many of the people present ended up in the United States without much money in their pockets. They used the banner of the Hungarian independence movement to seek help from fellow Hungarians. Now, they found themselves eligible for the Austrian political prisoners list.
Of course, such revolutionary groups defrauding funds werent unique in America.
The federal government does not investigate. On the one hand, its difficult to investigate such matters and can easily backfire. On the other hand, they politically need these organizations to exist to prove that the monarchy is not popular.
Historically, America had great success with this ploy. It was thanks to these ramshackle revolutionary groups that the American political model spread, laying the foundation to seize the global narrative.
Cesar hesitated a bit and said, Over here in the United States, there are plenty of these chaotic revolutionary organizations. In earlier years, there was even the Austrian Revolutionary Party, which had much more momentum than us.
But then Brooks, that guy, met with an accident, lost his leadership, and eventually surrendered to the Austrian government during internal strife, leading to the dissolution of the organization.
I think we should first try to muddle through if possible. If the Americans insist, we can always announce the dissolution of the Hungarian Independence Organization.
Without the organization, we probably wouldnt qualify as political prisoners. Then, we can use our domestic connections to help persuade the Austrian government to cancel their warrants against us, which is highly likely.
This was more a non-solution than a real solution. After over a decade in exile abroad, everyones lofty ambitions had been utterly worn down.
Nowadays, with wives and children to care for, how many people can abandon their families and wholeheartedly continue down a path that seems hopeless?
After some thought, Stephen said, Lets first reach out to other revolutionary organizations. The Italian Independence Organization and the Polish Independence Organization both have some strength, and we can collaborate with them.
Unless absolutely necessary, its best not to dissolve the Hungarian Independence Organization. Offending the federal government means our future prospects in America wont be good either.
The strongest revolutionary organizations in Austria are the Italian Independence Organization and the Polish Independence Organization, both of which are multinational revolutionary groups.
The Polish Independence Organization spans Russia, Austria, and Prussia, while the Italian Independence Organizations members are spread across regions like Sardinia, Lombardy, Venetia, the Papal States, Naples, and Tuscany.
These two multinational organizations are a hundred times better off than the Hungarian Independence Organization. Just looking at the number of immigrants they have in the United States shows the disparity.
The number of Italian immigrants in the United States ranks only behind the three major groups from England, Ireland, and Germany. Even Polish immigrants number in the hundreds of thousands, while Hungarian immigrants are fewer than ten thousand.
This makes it significantly more difficult for the Hungarian Independence Organization to grow and expand. With a smaller population base, how can they develop their membership? Its even more challenging to organize volunteers or paramilitary units to return to their homeland and initiate a revolution.
Stephen now pinned his hopes on collaborating with other revolutionary groups out of desperation.
Although the federal government lacked authority and many people didnt take it seriously, for this group of people at the bottom of American society and with no nation to rely on, they still couldnt afford to offend them.
In a country of immigrants like the United States, there is also a hierarchy. Generally, the stronger the mother country, the higher the social status within American society.
This is one of the reasons why many Hungarians refuse to join the independence organization. By not associating with them, they can at least identify themselves as Austrian immigrants. If they encounter any problems, they can still seek assistance from the Austrian embassy.
This was the reason Italian American criminal gangs became notorious. With large immigrant numbers but no protection from their homeland, they could only band together into societies that bred criminal organizations.
Hungarians are even more tragic because their small immigrant population means they have no influence, even if they do stick together in the United States.
In an estate outside of New York City, the Polish Independence Organization was also facing pressure from its financiers. Of course, their treatment was much better, at least no one threatened to hand them over.
Alexandra, a core member of the Polish Independence Organization, said, We should reject these unreasonable demands. All of the organizations strength is currently devoted to the uprising against the Russians. Provoking the Austrians now would be very unwise.
Kecia objected, But these capitalists have provided us with a lot of funding. Refusing their requests outright could make it difficult for us to seek help from them in the future.
Kecia was a second-generation immigrant; both her parents were members of the Polish Independence Organization, and she inherited their legacy.
However, while supporting Polish independence, it was also unavoidable to lean towards the United States. When considering issues, she often looked both ways.
Alexandra shook her head and said, Theres no need. If this uprising succeeds, the Kingdom of Poland will be restored, and whether or not we have their support wont matter.
Right now, ensuring the independence of Russian Poland is our top priority. The issue of Austrian Poland can be addressed in the future. To increase our chances of success, we cannot simultaneously face two enemies.
Clearly, the support from various European countries has given her confidence. In Alexandras view, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If dispersing forces led to the failure of the current uprising, she would become a sinner in Polish history.
However, the Polish Independence Organization is no longer a unified entity. Everyone is only temporarily united for Polish independence, with numerous internal interest groups.
Although many people knew that Alexandras opinion was correct, unfortunately, driven by their own interests, some still spoke out against her.
Youre acting like a coward. The whole world is supporting the independence of the Kingdom of Poland. If we dont break free from Austrian rule now, when will the next opportunity come?
If we miss this chance, the Kingdom of Poland will be permanently divided, and well never have another chance to reclaim Galicia from Austria.
It wasnt that Radzi objected to letting Russian Poland become independent first, the problem was that the big boss behind him wouldnt agree! He was a spy planted by the federal government within the Polish Independence Organization, so at this time, he had to make his stance clear.
Unlike small groups like the Hungarian Independence Organization, the Polish Independence Organization is a federation. Joining this organization is very simple just sign up. If one is good at organizing and deceiving, one can easily rise to high positions.
If the Polish Independence Organization were truly well-organized, with their scale, they would have achieved national independence long ago, without having to wait until after the World War.
The organizational structure is scattered around the world, but there is no central leadership; it relies solely on individual prestige for command.
Not only have Americans bought off some of its members, but almost every country has informants within it, including the Russians.
This organization has long been infiltrated like a sieve, including this Polish uprising, which leaked out in advance.
Before the uprising erupted, most of the leaders were arrested. To eliminate the threat, the Russian government decided temporarily to conscript locals and prepare to send all these suspicious individuals to Central Asia as cannon fodder.
If it werent for the fact that the Russian government was similarly rotten, with bureaucrats acting too slowly, creating an opportunity to reorganize the uprising, this uprising would have been aborted.
Of course, the arrest of a large number of leaders might also have been a good thing. In the historical January Uprising, it was precisely because these people were arrested that they were able to resist for over a year.
If these loud-mouthed strongmen had been left in command, resisting the Russian army for a month would have been considered a stroke of luck.
This is not a joke; its a fact. Just look at the history of the Polish revolutions, and youll see that the more leaders there are after the uprising, the shorter the revolution lasts.
Radzis remark coward directly angered Alexandra, who immediately threw a punch, and the two began to fight. With the persuasion of others, it quickly escalated into a brawl.
Of course, the fight ended as soon as it started. After it was over, everyone continued with the meeting. The wounded naturally left early, which was also a unique way of resolving things.
Without a doubt, Radzi was kicked out. Everyone wasnt foolish; his identity had long been discovered, but they were still in American territory so they had to give him some face.
Now its time to decide the fate of Poland, and these superficial niceties no longer matter. Basically, anyone suspected of being a spy from another country was kicked out in this manner.
The highly respected Mr. Chuscott spoke up, saying, Alright, the flies have been swatted away. Firstly, I must say that this uprising went more smoothly than expected. Despite the leak before the uprising, the insurgents still managed to occupy Warsaw.
From the current situation, our chances of success are very high, but we still need to see if we can withstand the Russian counterattack.
Whether to launch an uprising in Galicia or not, everyone can express their opinions. Our views can only serve as references; the ultimate decision-making power lies with the frontline commanders.
Clearly, after consecutive failures, the Polish Independence Organization has learned from its mistakes and is no longer so blindly arrogant.
This is also why various countries support the Polish Independence Organization. If things were chaotic all the time, money wouldnt just fall from the sky, and investments in them wouldnt be made haphazardly.
Of course, this is also related to the numerous groups within the Polish Independence Organization. Everyone is not subordinate to each other; they are only allies. The Polish Independence Organization in America is not the leader of the Polish independence movement.
Basically, whoever initiates the uprising calls the shots, and the opinions of other groups are merely for reference and do not have enforceable power.
Alexandra said, Ive already stated my opinion. Currently, its not suitable to make too many enemies. Galicia is not an important region to us, and the local population base is not mature. Austrias control over the region is much stronger than that of the Russians, and the Habsburgs are more popular than the Tsar.
In previous uprisings, whether in 1846 or 1848, they faced strong resistance from the local population. Many revolutionaries didnt die at the hands of the Austrian government but rather at the hands of local peasants and workers. I dont believe that initiating an uprising now will lead to success.
This is an embarrassing issue for many revolutionaries. The grassroots support in the Galicia region has always been poor. Its not that they havent tried, but the key issue is that the Poles did not dominate the local region.
After years of management by the Habsburgs, the local population of Ukrainians, Czechs, Germans, Slavs, and other ethnicities far outnumber the Poles.
Talking about Polish independence with these people naturally leads to tragedy. Thanks to the good reputation left behind by Polish nobles in the past, the local population decisively stood against them.
What hurt them the most was that many Poles thought it would be good to stay in Austria and also stood on the opposite side of them.
Before the cat is out of the bag, there can still be discussions. Now that its out, no one will foolishly propose to go ahead.
Its not just in Galicia; in fact, the same applies to Prussian Poland. After the Kingdom of Prussias Germanization efforts, the Polish Independence Organization also lost its grassroots support there.
This is also why whenever the Polish independence movement is mentioned, people think of Russia.
Its just too risky to stir up trouble on the territories of the other two powers; one misstep could land oneself in trouble. They can only agitate for independence in Russian Poland.
Seeing the atmosphere become awkward, Chuscott broke the silence, Since nobody has any objections, lets continue according to the original plan.
After the Kingdom of Poland is established, we can then consider reclaiming our territories from Austria and Prussia. Puhar, please organize our opinions and send them to Traugutt as soon as possible.
The young Puhar replied, No problem, Mr. Chuscott.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢