Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 411: Chapter 98, Colonial Localization – Mutual Forbearance for the Sake of the Nation
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Vienna, after a prolonged period of political maneuvering, on August 21, 1866, the Africa localization strategy was finally submitted as a formal proposal for discussion in the New Holy Roman Empire Parliament, and the moment to decide the Empire’s fate had arrived.

Should it be approved by the Imperial Parliament, then Africa would become a century-long strategy for the Shinra Empire, and even the national focus could potentially shift.

The comical scenario of European sovereigns turning into African chiefs was about to unfold in the 19th century.

Franz was not deranged, he had already done enough. Once the Africa localization strategy was approved, the impact on the future would be tremendous, both good and bad, and the strategy could even fail.

In such a situation, Franz naturally would not force the proposal through, as the Imperial Parliament was best suited to take the blame for such matters. The long waiting period was there to allow the Colonial Interest Group to work its magic and persuade the governments of the various Sub-States.

According to the constitution of Shinra, such significant national policies required the support of eighty percent of the parliament members in order for the proposal to be passed.

Undoubtedly, Württemberg, Bavaria, and the Lombardy Three Countries would definitely be supportive, as long as they still desired cotton from the African Continent, it would be impossible to halt the Africa localization process.

The main resistance came from within Austria itself, with the Hungarian Region and the Romanian Region being the most likely to be impacted by the Africa localization, as they are Austria’s two main granaries.

Inside Parker Lun Manor, representatives from all sides promoting the localization of the African Colonies gathered to discuss business strategies. In order to gain the support of the opposition, Baron Feckney proposed:

“Gentlemen, the main opposition now comes from the domestic farmers, a large group whose opinions the Empire cannot ignore.

I propose to make a commitment in the Imperial Parliament that the Austro-African Colonies will renounce the right to export grain to Europe, in exchange for the support of the domestic farming class.”

Not impacting local agriculture—that was the countermeasure that Baron Feckney had painstakingly come up with. At present, the food production in Austro-Africa is not high, basically self-sufficient, with an annual export value of less than 500,000 Divine Shield.

This is not due to government restrictions, but rather it is decided by economic benefits. Growing cash crops is clearly more lucrative, and everyone knows what to choose for the sake of money.

“Your Excellency, Baron, labour is currently scarce in Austro-Africa, and not many people grow food. We can make this promise.

However, as the number of immigrants increases and as the developed land also increases day by day, if we abandon the food industry, the competition will be very fierce in the future.”

The one raising objections was Count Daniel, who was one of the few major food producers on the African Continent. Don’t look at food’s low profits; what’s important is that it is guaranteed.

The price of cash crops fluctuates greatly and, although the profit margins can be larger, there’s a risk of overstocking. By contrast, food prices are more stable.

Because the Polish Region has become a battlefield, the Russians have lost a granary, and international food prices have risen by eight percent over the last two years.

After the price increase, the profits from food had caught up with those from cash crops. Count Daniel, who was expanding his production capacity, naturally did not want to lose the big European market.

Baron Feckney patiently explained, “That is a problem for the future. Right now, the most important thing is to change the status of the colonies and get the African localization bill passed.

With the rapid population growth domestically, the Vienna Government is even preparing to introduce a law to stimulate demographic growth to develop the African Continent.

With the constant increase in population, the demand for food will also rise. If the domestic population doubles, then without our encouragement, the Imperial Government will take the initiative to let us transport food.”

If chemical fertilizers had not been invented, Baron Feckney’s prediction would have become reality soon enough. With the current pace of domestic population growth, the population of the Empire would double in just over thirty years.

The direct consequence would be that Austria would go from being a food-exporting country to a food-importing country, and by then, aside from the Russians, all of Europe would be facing food shortages.

This bright prospect was what motivated them to invest in farms and plantations. Perhaps the profits didn’t match industry, but this was a long-term investment, and the lifespan of a factory was less than ten years.

In the Germany Region, where the land was scarce and densely populated, people valued land highly, and many believed that land would never depreciate.

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After the opening up of the colonies, this notion was somewhat challenged, yet most people still believed that land was the most valuable asset.

This is also why on Austro-Africa, there were farms and plantations everywhere, whereas in other European colonial regions of Africa, most were still wild and uncultivated.

It wasn’t for lack of effort on the part of the governments, the issue was that immigrants were unwilling to farm the land; what could be done about it?

After hesitating for a moment, Count Daniel nodded in agreement. At worst, they would reduce food production and switch to cash crops, which wasn’t a significant loss.

For the indigenization of the Austro-African Colonies, he was willing to pay this small price. He had already invested too much in turning lifetime nobility into hereditary fief aristocrats, and this was absolutely not the time for trouble to arise.

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On September 1, 1866, amid the incessant disputes of the Imperial Parliament, the representatives of the Austro-African Colonies pledged in the Imperial Parliament that, after the indigenization of the African Colony, they would not export grain to the European Continent and disrupt the international grain prices.

The turning point had arrived; even the members most opposed to the indigenization of Africa were now without objections.

As long as they could ensure that domestic grain prices were not affected, everything else was negotiable. As for the other industries, the Austro-African Colonies were not yet in a position to impact Austria.

Under Vienna’s grand immigration strategy, Austro-Africa simply didn’t have so much inexpensive labor. The cost of labor was higher than back home, infrastructure was only just beginning, and there was barely any industry to speak of.

As for the future, that was even less of a concern. Franz reckoned he would laugh in his dreams if Africa could ever be developed to catch up with the home country.

At worst, if the European king became a beggar in Africa, having such a vast heritage was enough to support the Empire’s supremacy for a century. Beyond that was not within his contemplation.

The world changed so swiftly; who knew someday humanity might burst out of the Solar System, or, through some misfortune, civilization could end prematurely?

With the greatest obstacle no longer existing, on September 1, 1866, the indigenization bill for the Austro-African Colonies was unanimously passed by the Imperial Parliament.

The delegation’s promises were also enshrined into law, becoming one of the precondition for indigenization.

From then on, the legal barriers to the indigenization of Austria’s Overseas Colonies had been swept away; of course, this was just the first step. The road to full indigenization of the colonies was still long.

It was impossible for every remote corner to qualify for indigenization. The specific restrictions would require careful study by the government.

The decisions of the Imperial Parliament were disseminated through newspapers and spread from Vienna to Europe and eventually worldwide. In high spirits, Franz penned “Endurance for the Country,” highly praising the actions of the Austro-African delegation.

These were his true thoughts; this was not Franz manipulating from behind the scenes, but rather their own decision.

This concession may not have been costly, but the effect was very clear, as it allayed the concerns of the domestic farming class. This group might not carry much weight politically, but their numbers were vast.

With still nearly thirty million people involved in agriculture in Austria, only with the stability of this group could the Empire remain stable.

Now that the issues had been resolved, so long as the price of grain wasn’t impacted, the broad mass of farmers naturally wouldn’t oppose the expansion of the Empire’s homeland.

The emergence of “Endurance for the Country” quickly gained acclaim from all quarters and swept across the European Continent, becoming a slogan for many countries’ propaganda.

This wasn’t because Franz’s writing was of such high caliber, nor was it flattery. What mattered was political correctness that helped to eradicate regional conflicts.

Of course, this was predicated on the terms put forth by Franz; if it had been proposed by an ordinary person, it likely wouldn’t have made a splash.

This is the privilege of the successful. Just look at the map of Austria; by now, he had become one of the greatest monarchs of his time.