Holy Roman Empire

Politics is such a wonder; the United States Government has had a difficult delivery, and global political pressure has suddenly vanished.

It seems out of sympathy for the unfortunate situation of the United States, not only have various targeting actions ceased, but the payment of war reparations has even been allowed to be postponed.

The international situation has eased, which should have been a cause for celebration, yet the wise men in America have become deeply worried.

Continued targeting by the Alliance would indeed lead the United States to steep losses, but external pressure could also unite the American people.

They initially wanted to divert public attention and reconcile disputes over reparation amounts among various federal states, at least completing the Grand Court and establishing the Central Government first, but now it has all become a pipe dream.

Knowing this to be an open scheme of the enemy, yet involving their own vital interests, the federal states simply could not back down.

The amount of war reparations is astronomical; retreating even one percent puts a heavy economic burden on state governments.

This extra money will inevitably fall on the shoulders of the people and businesses. Although politicians lack scruples, they cannot afford to lose votes.

Everyone knows that continuing this stalemate will eventually lead to a major disaster; unfortunately, involving real silver, no one can present a solution satisfactory to all parties.

Each federal state has its own leadership, and the absence of a Central Government for a day or two doesn't pose a problem; not having one for a month or two isn't a big issue either; but if there's no Central Government for a year or two, then big problems will arise.

Not everyone wishes to be governed from above; although the presence of the United States Central Government has already been minimal, it still cannot withstand the ambitions of careerists.

Once everyone gets used to the absence of the Washington Government, then it's truly the end for it.

All in all, the United States is just a country of immigrants founded a little over a century ago, inherently lacking cohesion, coming together solely out of mutual interest.

Since it's possible to unite over shared interests, it's equally possible to split over them.

One could imagine, after this wave passes, even if the United States doesn't split up, it would end up like its neighboring United States, transforming from a federation to a confederation.

It seems like just a change of one word, but it's actually a fundamental change in nature.

The relationship between the states and the Central Government directly becomes that of partners; everyone plays together when happy, but is ready to show you how they can leave at a moment's discontent.

In the past decades, the United States has seen more than one state threaten to leave, some even taking concrete actions.

Of course, the Washington Government had a hand in these comings and goings.

Adhering to the principle of "If I can't kill you, I'll at least make you miserable," successive Washington Governments have enjoyed stirring up trouble in this area.

Unfortunately, while others make noise, with the threat of the United States nearby, states of the United States dare not let go of their unity. Once calm is restored, they end up family again.

Everyone was just watching the spectacle, not expecting that now it would come to their own doorstep.

...

America is unstable, so is Eastern Europe. After the Tsarist Government rejected the "benevolent" mediation of the Continental Alliance, the situation of civil war plummeted again.

With an endless stream of "volunteers" heading to the anti-Russia front, the wave of independence surged again.

Originally only planning to hold their ground, the Finnish independence army came out fighting, and together with the Rebel Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Region, they both set their sights on the same target—St. Petersburg.

Not stopping there, Bulgarians on the Balkan Peninsula, after expelling the Russian Army, launched the battle of Constantinople (Tsarist Grad).

The Caucasian rebel army, not to be outdone, is now moving along the Volga River. Unable to determine specific strategic targets in the short term, it seems they are prepared to attack wherever possible.

The Ukrainian independence movement has also reached its climax; with the help of "volunteers," the independence army is gradually gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.

The situation in Central Asia remains rotten, with no sign of improvement. Siberia holds an advantage, but that's meaningless.

...

The Russian Army isn't lackluster; it's just that the rebel army is too arrogant. Planes and tanks have appeared on the battlefield causing the under-armed government forces to suffer greatly.

Suppression of the rebellion?

No, this is clearly starting a war with the European world. The cause of all this is the earlier rejection of international "mediation".

Now it is too late for regrets; the Continental Alliance is firmly seizing the Russian Army's main forces on the front lines, leaving the Tsarist Government no choice but to send farmers who had just put down their hoe into battle.

With the developments of the situation, more and more ethnic minorities within Russia are participating in the national independence movements.

If one were to delve into the reasons, it comes back to an article titled "On National Independence Movements". As the article has had such a significant impact, its author is naturally no ordinary person.

That was half a year ago; to add trouble for the Russians, Franz published "On National Independence Movements" in an Austrian newspaper.

In the article, he clearly stated his position:

"For those with their own civilization, a long tradition of history and culture, have long resided in a region (over five hundred years)—the mainstream ethnic group (80%) with a strong desire for independence, should be granted independence."

Unquestionably, this is a typical move of "having had one's fill, now smashing the pot." If it had been raised three or four decades ago, anyone daring to say this would have had an implacable hostility...

However, politics is such a profound mystery. Once one's own ethnic issues are resolved, it becomes time to stir up trouble.

In fact, Franz has been very restrainedactions_in his support for national independence movements, adding quite a few prerequisites.

The reason is naturally to avoid collateral damage. It's now the era of Colonial Empires, and as national independence movements rise, the primary targets are the major Colonial Empires.

Unlike the sparsely populated territories of the Holy Roman Colony, which are generally unaffected, other Colonial Empires are a different story altogether.

Especially those who just participated in the partition of India, each controlling millions of people—a rebellion among them could be fatal.

The duration of residence and the proportion of the population are not troublesome, the key lies in "civilization" and "historical culture."

These norms are not concrete standards; they exist if the European world believes they exist and are absent if deemed otherwise.

Even so, unintended damage has occurred.

According to incomplete statistics, after Franz published "On National Independence Movements", the latter half of 1905 saw the global eruption of national independence movements, doubling in number.

Russia was naturally the most affected, as the movements evidently targeted them. The enlightened individuals of various ethnicities desiring independence would naturally not miss this rare opportunity.

Besides this political signal, there was another highly significant political event: the "Russian-Austrian Alliance" was due to expire at the end of the year.

From the current situation, the possibility of renewal between the two countries is virtually zero. Once the "Russian-Austrian Alliance" ends, the Tsarist Government will face an even grimmer international situation.

…

1905 was destined to be an extraordinary year, with major events occurring from the beginning to the end of the year.

Under Franz's indication, on November 7, 1905, the Imperial Parliament passed the resolution to upgrade the Austrian Central American Colony to the Latin America Duchy, the Austrian Southeast Asia to Southeast Asian Commonwealth and the Austro-North American Colony to Maple Duchy.

One must eat their food one bite at a time; to provide everyone a grace period, Franz personally took on the role of King.

It proved to be an effective approach. The criticisms about the establishment of the three Sub-States soon disappeared.

To many opponents, the Emperor serving as King himself was a signal of concession. Just looking at Franz's titles would illustrate, they are the plight of countless students.

With so many titles, the Holy Roman Empire remains the Holy Roman Empire, and the governing model hasn't changed due to one additional title of the Emperor.

After all, it's just a title, not worth directly opposing the Emperor for such a trifling matter. After all, people were opposing the establishment of Sub-States, not the Emperor himself.

…

In Vienna Palace, Franz looked at the abdication decree he drafted, confirmed there were no issues, and slowly stated, "Release it!"

"Father…"

Before Frederick could finish, Franz interrupted, "Enough, no need to say more. Since I have decided to abdicate after Christmas, I will not change my decision.

Don't worry, just tell the outside world that my health is poor and I need to rest. At seventy or eighty years old, who could accuse me of feigning illness?

From now on, you should learn to adapt to the life of a monarch. You will have to face all sorts of problems yourself in the future.

The throne is not only an honor but also a responsibility. You've seen a lot over the years, but it's not enough; the world of a monarch is much more cruel.

As the restorer of the Habsburg dynasty, I have been placed on too high a pedestal by outsiders; even if I do make actual mistakes, people automatically concoct a host of reasons.

Especially in recent years, I've almost been mythologized. Just look at the Parliament, any proposal I suggest in the last few years passes unanimously.

The reason for the proposals passing is not because of the content, but because the person pushing it is me—Joseph-Franz.

This is very dangerous. If this continues, I fear I might lose myself and truly believe I am omnipotent.

It's important for one to have self-awareness; we are all merely ordinary beings. We just stand a bit higher, see a bit further and are slightly smarter than the average person; fundamentally, we remain ordinary.

Retiring now is the best choice for the country, the family, and myself.

Unfortunately for you, having a father like me means inevitable comparison and criticism in the years to come. This will require you to maintain your equanimity and deal with everything rationally."

Having too much prestige can sometimes be problematic. If the successor is not mentally strong enough, it's easy to fall into despair.

However, Franz felt this would not be a big issue. Frederick was not young anymore; his mind was mature, especially with Franz himself in support.

As the concerned party, Franz now understood why ancient emperors were wise and valiant in their youth but often erred in their later years.

Living daily amidst flattery, where lies turn into truths, Franz still had choices unlike those predecessors.

To ensure a smooth and courageous withdrawal this time, Franz even used his "poor health" as an excuse.

Given his age, this explanation was very persuasive. The Emperor, worn out from dedication to the state, needed to abdicate prematurely.

Whether others believe it or not, Franz believed it himself.

With the grand event of the Emperor's abdication drawing attention, passing the thrones of the three Sub-States to his other three sons seemed trivial.

Out of fatherly love, which is understandable for someone of an advanced age. The eldest inheriting the main estate and assigning each of his other sons an estate to establish themselves aligns with European tradition.

After all, it's just a piece of the colony, still a "remote and impoverished land," which is generally acceptable.

If anyone wanted to oppose it, there was no ground to speak out at this time, since the Emperor was "critically ill."

Causing turbulence at this juncture, potentially disturbing the Emperor's "recovery" and inadvertently causing his demise, would lead to serious consequences.

With Franz's influence, the Holy Roman Empire would discard them forever. Such a terrifying consequence was enough to deter any political figure.

In order to successfully complete the Sub-State plan, Franz was fully committed, even using himself if necessary.