Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 50: Chapter 50, Frankfurt Conference

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On March 1, 1848, a conference of liberal representatives from various states was convened in Heidelberg, initiated by the liberal bourgeoisie of Baden and

Württemberg.

A total of 51 people attended the conference. most of whom were representatives of the South German States, with four Prussians, and just one Austrian.

The conference passed the “Declaration to the German People,” and decided to establish a committee of seven, responsible for preparing the German Preliminary Parliament (the precursor to the Frankfurt Assembly).

Without a doubt, the conference, as far as Austria was concerned, was represented.

No matter how others saw it, Franz certainly would not recognize the legitimacy of this conference. Previously preoccupied with domestic issues, he had not been able to attend to these matters, but now that the internal crisis had been contained, it was time to interfere in the affairs of the Germany Region.

Unlike in history, Austria’s bourgeoisie suffered a heavy blow, those remaining shivered on the sidelines, fearing that the government would easily dispose of them. Who would dare to make a fuss at this time?

The Frankfurt Assembly was on the horizon, yet Austria had not chosen its representatives. Instead, a group of wanted criminals was preparing to attend the conference.

Franz didn’t even know what the capitalists were thinking; this was doomed to fail from the start. Without recognition from the governments of the various countries, how could there be any talk of legitimacy?

“Prime Minister, what do you think of this fuss made by the capitalists?” Franz asked.

“Your Highness, I think we can simply ignore it. This conference is illegal to begin with; we simply do not have to recognize it!” Prime Minister Felix calmly stated.

In this era, Austria still had formidable capital; among the many German States, Austria was the strongest.

Franz frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. Historically, the Austrian Government did just that, with serious consequences. The parliament passed a proposal by Lesser Germany that excluded Austria.

To Franz, this conference seemed to have the Kingdom of Prussia pulling strings from behind the scenes, or else Austria would not have been excluded from the start.

“Prime Minister, do you really think so? If we don’t intervene, I guess the outcome of the general assembly will definitely be the establishment of a Lesser Germany that excludes Austria.

Whether or not this conference is legal, the influence it creates among the general populace is undeniable. Perhaps it is not yet obvious in Austria,

but in other regions, the influence has already begun to spread. Once the people accept this theory, it will lay the groundwork for Prussia to unify the aforementioned regions in the future,” Foreign Minister Metternich said, furrowing his brow.

“The Coachman of Europe” wasn’t called so for nothing. Although he didn’t believe in the unification of the Germany Region, Metternich, who pursued the balance of Europe, also opposed anyone trying to unify it.

Now that the Kingdom of Prussia had become very strong, if they were given more opportunities, their annexation of Northern Germany would no longer be a problem.

For Austria, this represented a significant threat. Historically, Metternich had already left the political scene at this time, losing his influence, powerless to stop all of this from happening.

Now that he was still serving as Austria’s Foreign Minister, of course, he had to take action, and causing chaos at the Frankfurt Assembly was the first step. This was also why Franz had placed him in the Cabinet; in terms of diplomacy, there were few in the world who could compare with him, even though the “Vienna System” he created had already collapsed.

“Mr. Metternich, please don’t alarm anyone here. What are these capitalists, and can they represent public opinion?

No government will recognize their legitimacy. As for this so-called German Congress, its authority doesn’t extend beyond Frankfurt!” Felix countered sharply.

“Don’t forget, the capitalists’ influence among the common people. With their newspapers, they can sway the opinions of an entire region. As far as I know, the Prussian Government has already had secret contacts with them.

Once their terms are met, the capitalists will support the Kingdom of Prussia in unifying the region of Lesser Germany, thus inevitably leading to war between us and the Kingdom of Prussia!” Metternich said nearly roaring.

Watching the two quarrel, their faces flushed as if they were about to come to blows, Franz hastily reprimanded, “Silence, both of you! You’re here to deliberate, not to bicker!”

On the surface, Franz seemed angry, but inwardly he was delighted. No monarch wishes for his subordinates to be of one mind. Besides, at this time, Franz was not yet the Emperor.

As the ruling Crown Prince, if the Cabinet were to unite, then Franz’s power would soon be marginalized. For the sake of balancing power, he couldn’t allow the Cabinet members to band together.

One was a former Prime Minister who had controlled Austria for over twenty years, and the other was the strong incumbent Prime Minister. The two strong-willed individuals inevitably clashed when their political views diverged.

“All right, just to be safe, whether or not it’s a Prussian conspiracy, we must disrupt this meeting, or at least minimize its impact.

If anyone has any suggestions, speak up. Our time is precious, and every wasted minute is a crime!”

Franz leaned toward Metternich. In later history, the establishment of the

Lesser German Empire amplified the Frankfurt Assembly’s status artificially.

As for how significant its role actually was, probably only those who had experienced it would know. Franz did not want to find out and prefered to destroy it.

Anyway, because of the Customs Union, Austria’s influence among the capitalists in the Germany Region was limited, far inferior to the Kingdom of Prussia’s. To hope for an agreement beneficial to one’s own side from this assembly was undoubtedly impossible.

“Why don’t we propose to establish a North and South Germanic Empire? If we promise the South Germanic States not to interfere in their internal affairs, the chance of success is still high!” Finance Minister Carl tentatively suggested.

“It’s no use. We might have a slight chance of persuading Each German Nation of South Germany, but it would definitely not pass at a conference represented by the bourgeoisie!

Besides, convincing them would come at too high a price, and in the end, it would still be only a nominal unification,” Metternich shook his head.

Franz was moved. If a South German Federal Empire could be established, then the Prussians would have nothing to do with it. Considering the religious beliefs, there was a clear divide between North and South Germany.

Even if it were only a nominal unification, with each still going their separate ways, economic means could still be employed to infiltrate and gradually influence their politics.

Unfortunately, now was not the time, at least not until Austria had resolved its internal conflicts. Otherwise, their statements would lack confidence..

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