Chapter 1606： The beginning of change two

The only good news is the Ukrainians. To tell the truth, whether it is Ukraine in this dimension or in Ukraine in history, during this period, the Ukrainians’ national independence tendency was the weakest, and the entire system was also the most chaotic. There were Ukrainian aristocrats. There are anarchists, there are Bolsheviks, and so on. For this chaotic West Ukraine that has not formed a unity, the prince can buy most of the low- and middle-level Ukrainians as long as they can guarantee their standard of living and basic rights. As for the top? Well, after seeing the slaughter of nobles by the Bolsheviks in other parts of Russia, they should know how to choose. The prince is asking for money at most, and the Bolsheviks are terrible!

But no matter what, with the addition of tens of millions of people, this will inevitably lead to the collapse of the dual regime of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If you look at Austria alone, the population is only more than 20 million, of which less than half are Germans. The obedient Czechs are no more than equal to the new population. In addition, there are many ethnic groups that are struggling for independence. In this case, simply granting independence to a certain ethnic group and then oppressing other ethnic groups with this ethnic group will not work. It is also the source of the weakness of the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

In fact, in history, Fritz was also aware of this problem in the later period of his rule. Even Archduke Ferdinand realized it. And other ethnic groups have never given up their requirements for national autonomy! In order to change the national issues in the empire, the rulers of Austria-Hungary have begun to consider countermeasures since the time of Crown Prince Ferdinand. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the ternary empire system proposed by Crown Prince Ferdinand-Austria, Hungary and Bohemia! However, this plan was opposed not only by the Germans and Hungarians in Bohemia, but also by Germany and Russia, because the latter feared that the independence of these peoples would bring it to the minorities in neighboring countries. Very bad demonstration effect!

In addition to this plan, some people in the Austro-Hungarian Empire proposed a plan to solve the domestic ethnic problems more easily. This plan was proposed by a professor named Aurel Popovich in 1906. He intends to imitate the Swiss federal government mechanism. (Switzerland is also a typical multi-ethnic country. As can be seen from his official language, this neutral country actually uses French, German, Italian, and Romansh as its official languages... ....) The entire Austro-Hungarian Empire is divided into 15 federal states and autonomous regions according to ethnicity and language. Each state has its own government and laws, and the state only has the dominant power in the national fields such as finance, national defense, customs, and transportation.

How about this plan? In fact, in the eyes of the prince, he can almost see the best plan for the Austro-Hungarian Empire at this stage. It is true that if implemented according to this plan, Austria's German national rule will also be divided. But it doesn’t matter. The basic disk of the German region is inclined to the imperial government. It doesn’t matter whether it is divided or not. What's more, it can also be divided from the German ruled areas of Bohemia and Moravia. The basic disk is actually expanded.

Hungary, the other pole of the empire, will also be divided according to this plan. Slovakia in the north of Hungary will become independent states, Transylvania in the southeast and Croatia in the south will also form states. If you count other places, the Hungarian government's control area will drop by more than one third. The weight of the Hungarian government within the empire will also decline.

As for the question of how to maintain the stability of the rule, don't forget that in this plan, the country has the dominant power on military and financial issues, that is to say, the Vienna government will command the entire army! Historically, the Austro-Hungarian army was actually divided into three parts, namely the Imperial Army and the kingdom's troops owned by the two kingdoms. In fact, in the second half of the 19th century, the Austrian and Hungarian armies hardly cooperated in combat; Both suppress domestic rebellions. The central government, which controls tariffs and national finances, will also have guarantees on funds. You know, Hungary had independent tariff rights in history! The kingdoms within the German Empire have no tariff rights!

This plan is actually a transition from the dualistic empire’s oligarchy to a federal system. It can meet the demands of various ethnic groups to the greatest extent while maintaining the unity of the country. At least the country has financial and military power, as well as domestic transportation hubs, postal Control. Moreover, after the areas under the rule of various ethnic groups are largely divided, even if some areas become independent, they will be quickly suppressed. It has centripetal force and is more stable than the dual empire. But needless to say, the Hungarians definitely disagree with this plan, and they died naturally.

If the Austro-Hungarian Empire obtains the territories of Ukraine and Russian Poland, this policy can also be directly extended to new regions, making it easier for the locals to accept. Of course, if you encounter diehard national independence elements, you don’t need to do anything. Having said that, everyone will see the real chapter directly on the battlefield!

In fact, Austria was also preparing during the civil strife in Hungary. Princess Mary is now the Grand Duke of Bohemia-Moravia. This is almost a prince's territory, so I won't move. The Galician region will be divided into Western Galicia, dominated by Poles, and Eastern Galicia, dominated by Ukrainians. Slovenians and Croats will also have their own ethnic provinces and some live in some Germans in other ethnic regions will also have subordinate autonomous regions.

At the same time, the Vienna government has contacted the representatives of the Slovaks, Slovenia, and Croatia, in exchange for the nationalization of the army and allegiance to the central government in exchange for a certain degree of national autonomy. This is not for the current desire for national autonomy. It is undoubtedly tempting for nations and regions that really want to be independent. Romanians in Transylvania are more troublesome, and now Vienna does not want to contact them.

As for the new territories, whether it is Russian Poland or West Ukraine, corresponding work is also being carried out. At the same time acting at the upper and lower levels, on the one hand the Austro-Hungarian Empire needs the help of the local nobles, but at the same time, the future industrialization and construction will also require a large amount of free labor, which determines that the Austro-Hungarian Empire cannot continue its Russian rule. It is necessary to strike a balance between the stability of the regime and the interests of the people.

In other words, so far, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been preparing for the new domestic political situation after the war, and now, Hungary is the biggest and most serious problem! After all, it is a country of 300,000 square kilometers. It is not easy to dismantle it or handle it properly. And this time Prime Minister Satie’s audience will be the time for a showdown between the two sides!

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