Good to see the Conservatives have found an able successor to Metternich, hopefully that'll keep the Empire in line. Good stuff 
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Divided But United - Austria 1836-1920
Now that the political turmoil had somewhat settled, Austria could go back to business. And business it was. The industrial centres of North Italy and Bohemia were full of unemployed Romanians, Slavs and Poles in search of a better life in the core regions of the Empire. Factories were expanded and new ones built to open up new jobs for the unemployed clerks and craftsmen. The fruit farms of Italy and the coal mines of Bohemia were bulging with new workforce. This progress was happening everywhere, so Austria's standing as an economic power didn't improve.
Austria continued to be the world's top producer of coal, and most recently, cattle. The weapons industry in Austria was also developing quickly, even though it wasn't nearly as big as in Prussia. Still, new rifles, artillery pieces and explosives were being churned out at a steady pace and this, of course, reflected to the army. Most of the new divisions now had an artillery or a regulars brigade attached to them, and thus the fighting capability of the Austrian army continued to improve. Alas, the same could not be said of the navy.
The Austrian Imperial Navy consisted of two man-o-war's and four flotillas of clipper transports. They could not defend the shores of Austria, not to mention project power anywhere. Luckily, the former Danish colonial territories were peaceful, and the West Indies even thrived.
Prince Alfred understood the power of the people, and in this case, he differed from his predecessor. Alfred was determined to keep his party in the parliament and fix the errors of Metternich. Social reforms were his tool.
Unemployment subsidies and minimum wages were introduced, and safety regulations in workplaces were improved greatly.
These reforms didn't empty the state treasury, but it was a close call anyway. Alfred gambled, for he assumed that after his reforms took effect, the state income would grow even if the running costs of the reforms slowed the growth down a bit. Luckily for Austria, he was correct and the state economy didn't crash and burn as some predicted.
All in all, year 1852 was quite good and Austria was more prosperous than ever before. The elections were coming in November, and people gazed hopefully at the future.
Surprising to see the government enact social welfare programs, though a smart decision. I wonder if they might be able to cultivate a brand of "Austrian" nationalism.
Sounds like Prince Alfred's anticipating Bismarck a little, binding the people to the state with social welfare. Good update!
I was thinking the same thing. Bribing the masses.Mettermrck said:Sounds like Prince Alfred's anticipating Bismarck a little, binding the people to the state with social welfare. Good update!
Divided But United - Austria 1836-1920
A voting area in Bohemia
A voting area in Bohemia
It was election month again. All parties, old and new, were ferociously campaigning to get the majority of the votes. The violent atmosphere of previous elections was long gone, especially since the Army was patrolling the streets everywhere to ensure that "the Peace of the Emperor" was in effect. As one might expect, some disturbances occured, but they were quickly dealt with and the perpetrators got to enjoy the comfort of the coldest prison cell available, for the whole winter.
Once again, the main battle was between the Federalists and the Conservatives, while the Radicals were trying to gobble up enough votes to remain in the parliament. The Liberals were quite certain of their victory, given the air of discontent around the Conservatives. Prince Alfred had cleared the public image of his party quite well, but even he could not know how the people would think about his party when they were in the voting booth. That didn't stop him from trying to find out, though.
The pressing issues were military spending, minority rights and freedom of religion. Some extremists also wanted to change the name and flag of the Empire to something more fitting the current political system of Austria. Abolishing the monarchy was not discussed, and wisely so. The Emperor loved his people, and expected the same love in return.
The result of the election was a narrow victory for the Federalists, who got 134 for seats of 410. That meant that they didn't have the simple majority that was needed to force a law through. The Conservatives got 127 seats, the Radicals got 81 seats and the new Neo-Absolutist party got 37 seats. The rest went to fringe parties and independents. Prince Alfred wasn't quite able to save his party from defeat, but at least it wasn't the defeat wasn't total.
These elections showed the major parties growing more and more, while the independents and fringe parties were constantly losing seats.
The new Prime Minister of the Empire was the leader of the federalists, a Hungarian politician named Béla Wenckheim. A somewhat reserved man, who didn't hold fiery speeches or massive demonstrations, but a skillful writer and a man of the people. He was mainly concerned about the inner development of the Empire, and had no interest in military affairs or foreign policy. Sadly, he would need exactly those two qualities in the coming years.
Béla Wenckheim, Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire
This is an unexpected turn, the Federalists. I wonder what they'll be able to do with their narrow majority. Look forward to seeing more updates!
It's not that he's incapable. He's just...inappropriate for the coming situation.stnylan said:
KanaX said:
that doesn't bode well...
And who could the new antagonist be, it's a little early for the Austro-Prussian war, or have I lost track of time.
Quite a fractured parliament. I wouldn't expect much to get done in the coming years.
KanaX said:Oh come on, you've had two updates in three days already.
Come on, one update per day? Please?
I assure you, the next update is anything but boring, and it's quite big too.Ahura Mazda said:A boring update would be enough