Chapter 80: Winds of Change
After the triumph of the bourgeois revolution, the situation in Europe did not improve; on the contrary, it deteriorated further.
The capitalist class, who had just seized power, swiftly revealed their greedy nature even before firmly establishing their rule.
The newly formed bourgeois governments not only failed to deliver on their previous promises but also intensified the exploitation of the lower classes.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance, and thus, the workers' and peasants' movements started to thrive.
Before Marshal Radetzky withdrew from Lombardy, he requisitioned a large amount of food. After the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied the region, Milan suffered from a food shortage. In order to gather provisions, they borrowed a portion of food from the local population as an emergency measure.
Borrowing and repaying seemed easy enough.
However, the Kingdom of Sardinia appeared to forget about repaying the borrowed provisions, which sparked discontent among the local population.
That was not the end of it. To raise funds for the war, the Kingdom of Sardinia started levying war taxes.
After successive increases by the bureaucrats, the amount of war taxes had already exceeded the capacity of the lower-class population to bear.
On April 21, 1848, unable to cope with the exorbitant taxes, the peasants in Brianza revolted, and the uprising quickly spread to regions like Salerno and Calabria.
The rebel forces occupied noble estates, seized granaries, and distributed food among the common people. They set fire to loan documents and paperwork, and in some places, even redistributed land.
The actions of the peasant uprising instilled fear in the capitalists and nobles. The Lombard government swiftly deployed troops to forcefully suppress the rebellion. This spontaneous uprising of the peasant class was quelled within a week.
The peasant uprising was just the beginning. After the occupation of Milan by the Kingdom of Sardinia, prices began to skyrocket. Taking bread as an example, its price surged by a staggering 74% from March to early May.
Capitalists seized this opportunity to profit from the national crisis, while the impoverished lower-class population struggled to make ends meet. This deeply hurt many of the supporters of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
On April 25, organized by the Workers’ Mutual Aid Society, over 5,000 workers in Milan took to the streets, petitioning the interim government appointed by the Kingdom of Sardinia to address soaring prices and safeguard workers' rights.
During this era, there were no comprehensive laws protecting workers’ rights. The best they had was the “Labour Protection Law” enacted by the Austrian government, along with its associated legislation.
However, the literacy rate among Milan’s workers was quite low, and political considerations were not at the forefront of their minds. The workers’ representatives simply copied a portion of Austria’s “Labour Protection Law” and added some clauses they thought were reasonable, submitting the petition.
In order to win over local capitalists and nobility, the interim government of the Kingdom of Sardinia naturally included individuals from the capitalist class. They promptly exploited this loophole, accusing the workers’ representatives of being Austrian spies and arrested them. Furthermore, troops were deployed to suppress the protest.
On April 28, a massive strike erupted in Milan as tens of thousands of workers took to the streets to fight for their rights. The interim government issued an order for the National Guard to “shoot at those disrupting social order,” resulting in the deaths of over three hundred people and the arrest of more than five hundred.
Milan was engulfed in a reign of White Terror. Under the repression of the bourgeois liberal government, the workers’ movement in Milan reached a low point.
TN: White Terror is the name of several episodes of mass violence in history, carried out by conservative or nationalist groups against anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, revolutionaries, or other opponents.
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The suppression of the workers’ and peasants’ movement was not limited to the Kingdom of Sardinia alone. In the southern states of Italy, the bourgeois liberal governments also suppressed the workers’ and peasants’ movement one after another.
In Naples, the National Guard ruthlessly shot workers on strike in the printing factories. In Rome, they mercilessly massacred the people who were demanding bread in front of the bakeries. In Palermo, the National Guard turned their swords against their fellow comrades from the January Revolution…
These reactionary actions of the bourgeois governments provided powerful support for the restoration of feudal powers.
No matter how they boast about the progress of capitalism over feudalism, the common people have realized that the capitalist regime is even more despicable than the feudal aristocracy.
The monarchs and aristocratic groups also seized this opportunity and launched a counterattack. Among them, the leading representative was the Austrian counter-revolutionary group led by Franz, which had already suppressed the majority of the revolution within Austria.
In the Italian region, Pope Pius IX, fearing that Italian unification would jeopardize his own throne and concerned about the possibility of war with Austria, which could result in the loss of support from Catholics, took action.
Thanks to the efforts of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, on April 29, 1848, Pope Pius IX issued the “Manifesto,” sounding the trumpet for the counterattack.
On May 15th, King Ferdinand II of Naples demanded that the members of parliament swear allegiance to the constitution, but he faced opposition from the bourgeois lawmakers.
That night, Ferdinand II deployed troops into the city and raised the sword against the bourgeois parliament.
In the Kingdom of Prussia, the disgruntled Junker nobility was plotting a counterattack, while King Frederick William III continued to engage in futile negotiations with the bourgeois government.
France.
As the birthplace of the European revolution, it naturally became the most vibrant place.
On April 23rd, France held constitutional elections, and the bourgeois republican faction achieved an overwhelming victory, excluding the working class from the core of power.
The rise of right-wing forces in France sparked discontent among the working class.
On April 26th, French workers launched armed uprisings in cities like Lyon and Limoges, but they failed. Workers’ Leader Blanqui issued a statement condemning the government’s betrayal of the revolution and declared that the revolution would be carried out to the end.
Class contradictions have escalated to become the main contradiction in France, with the working class and the bourgeoisie going their separate ways.
During the same period, the royalists were not idle either, silently extending their influence into the military.
If it weren’t for the fact that the royalists in France are divided into three factions, restraining each other, the bourgeoisie would have no concerns by now.
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Vienna.
As Franz looked at the intelligence gathered in his hands, he breathed a sigh of relief. History hadn’t undergone significant changes yet, and his butterfly effect hadn't completely altered the world.
The uprising in Lombardy meant that the support base of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the region was now on par with Austria. They no longer had to worry about being drawn into a people’s war.
TN: People’s war (Chinese: 人民战争), also called protracted people’s war, is a Maoist military strategy. First developed by the Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976), the basic concept behind people’s war is to maintain the support of the population and draw the enemy deep into the countryside (stretching their supply lines) where the population will bleed them dry through a mix of mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare.
Venice.
“Marshal, the enemy has arrived!” General Victor whispered into Marshal Radetzky’s ear.
“Hmm, since the enemy has arrived, there’s no need to hold back any longer. Order the 6th Division to teach those Tuscan troops a lesson, and order the 9th Division to eliminate the Papal Army attempting to cross the river!” Marshal Radetzky commanded coldly.
Leading the forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia into Venice had already been a challenging task, and Radetzky did not rely on strategies alone to defeat the enemy.
“Lord Marshal, I heard that King Charles Albert intends to personally command the front lines. If he gets involved, it could be our opportunity!” Edmond suggested.
“No need for that. We will set up our formations and engage the enemy in a decisive battle in the Mincio area. They have no choice but to face us.
In the Venetian region, the Kingdom of Sardinia’s logistical costs are twice as high as ours. You can calculate how much supplies they need to transport every day to maintain the frontline.” Marshal Radetzky calmly replied.
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