May 29, 1867.
Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Deak finally reached a consensus and signed the "Austro-Hungarian Compromise" on May 29, 1867, restoring the Hungarian parliant.
From today on, the Austrian Empire has completely co to an end, with the power center of the Austrian Empire divided into two.
And dostic citizens can only choose between Austrian and Hungarian nationality and cannot hold both an Austrian Empire passport and a Hungarian Kingdom passport simultaneously.
The foundation that maintains the existence of this nation is the Habsburg Emperor, who simultaneously serves as the King of both countries, highlighting how absurd and fragile the politics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are.
From now on, all decisions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire must be negotiated by the Austrian and Hungarian governnts, marking the beginning of serious administrative internal friction.
The current Austro-Hungarian Empire naturally held no ceremonies, and everything was accomplished in the quiet agreents between the nobles of the two countries.
Ernst returned to the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s territory again, this ti as a forced engagent, as it was related to the grand undertaking of European immigration and could not be taken lightly.
The new Hungarian governnt was about to part ways with the Austrian governnt, and the object of Ernst’s dealings shifted from the Austrian governnt to the Hungarian governnt.
Now that Hungary had autonomy, Ernst wanted to test if this new governnt would cause trouble for his actions.
After a few days of contact, Ernst found that the new Austro-Hungarian Empire was easier to deal with than the Austrian Empire.
As a bona fide Prussian, the Hungarian governnt treated Ernst with great respect, especially regarding immigration issues.
This group did not object and even hoped to cooperate with Ernst.
This isn’t surprising; the real essence of the Hungarian nobles’ push for independence was for their own interests. To truly drive Austria out would leave them with nowhere to cry when things go wrong.
After all, without Austria, Hungary alone would not withstand becoming a dish on the Tsarist Russia’s platter, although the current Tsarist Russia had experienced the defeat in the Crian War.
But to Europe, especially to Central and Eastern European countries, it remains a behemoth.
Moreover, it is constantly thinking of further expansion to the west, which is the foundation for why Britain and France allow the Austro-Hungarian Empire to continue to exist.
Hungary fears the Russians because of the massive Slavic population within its borders.
Among the many nationalities within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Yugoslavs are not only nurous but also at the bottom of society, especially the Serbs.
The Serbian communities are widely distributed within Hungary, and even combined, all the Germans and Hungarians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire do not form the majority ethnic group.
Thus, the test facing the newly ford Austro-Hungarian Empire is extrely severe. Austria and Hungary compromised, and those nurous ethnic groups naturally grew more ambitious.
This isn’t just aid at Austria; it’s also directed towards Hungary, as the internal situation in Hungary is equally a hotbed for ethnonationalism.
This is the foundation for cooperation between Ernst and the Hungarian nobles: to reduce the population of other ethnic groups within Hungary as much as possible.
The Hungarian nobles allowed Ernst to continuously export any non-Magyar population from within Hungary to the East African colonies.
This made Ernst’s immigration work within the Austro-Hungarian Empire smoother. From the Austrian side, Ernst could carry out large-scale emigration from places like Slovenia, Croatia, Galicia, Czech, and Slovakia.
And within Hungary, Ernst could more recklessly devour other ethnic populations.
This differs from what Ernst initially believed would happen after the establishnt of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, thinking the authorities might curb the population outflow as the situation stabilized.
The upper echelons of the Austrian and Hungarian governnts aren’t fools, especially the Hungarian governnt, which rose to prosperity through nationalism. Wouldn’t others do the sa? It’s better to be proactive and prevent problems before they occur.
Ernst now found himself having to persuade Franz to avoid dragging his feet on Hungary.
It had to be ntioned that among the asures Franz had taken to counterbalance Hungary was one aid at winning over the lower classes in Hungary.
Franz required the Hungarian governnt to ensure the rights of ethnic groups outside the Hungarian nobility, that is, non-Magyars.
Now, Ernst couldn’t let Franz do as he did historically; if Hungarians didn’t trouble those below them, how would Ernst have the opportunity to chip away at the Austro-Hungarian Empire?
...
i Quan Palace.
"Ernst, you are indeed diligent, running to Austria every other day. What do you plan this ti?" Franz asked Ernst.
Unfazed, Ernst replied, "Your Majesty, Austria feels like ho to , so of course, I co often."
"You rascal! What do you take Austria for?" Hearing Ernst’s shaless words, the usually serious and steady Franz found it sowhat amusing.
That guy is always up to sothing, and he talks like this, probably because I stupidly agreed to my mother arranging Karina’s marriage back then.
Thinking this in his heart, in practice, Franz approved of Ernst, much like how he acknowledged that, despite their cunning and treacherous diplomacy, the British always seed to end up on the winning side.
Although Franz himself was rigid and conservative, it didn’t hinder him from appreciating those who were smooth and unconventionally effective, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been attracted to Princess Sisi’s free and romantic personality back then.
"There are no outsiders here, tell , what trick are you trying this ti?" Franz said to Ernst.
Without holding back, Ernst directly replied, "Your Majesty, now that Hungary has achieved equal status with Austria, I wonder how you plan to handle the attitude towards other ethnic groups within Hungary?"
ntioning Hungary instantly soured Franz’s mood, and he said, "All ethnic groups in Hungary are my subjects, and of course, I must treat them equally."
Ernst imdiately replied, "I hope Your Majesty considers carefully before making any substantial promises to the lower classes in Hungary."
"Ernst, what do you an by that?" Franz asked.
Ernst answered, "Your Majesty, it’s understandable for you to care for your subjects, but Austria today isn’t the Austrian Empire of the past! I imagine you’re very upset about Hungary’s severance of the Empire’s power, but anger often leads to a loss of rationality."
"For example, you are the Emperor of the entire Empire, but what actually maintains your connection with the whole Empire are your nobles and officials. Now that Hungary has independently established its own governnt, you can no longer act impulsively. Previously, you only had to handle Austrian affairs to command the entire Empire, but now you face two governnts, so you must proceed with caution."
"Although Hungary has weakened the central governnt’s power, what’s done is done, and pouring fuel on the fire won’t help. After all, Hungary is still part of the Habsburgs. Instead of finding trouble for the Hungarians, let the Hungarians find trouble for themselves."
"If you personally intervene, the Hungarian nobles will definitely think you are being biased, inciting them further. In reality, when it cos to public opinion, local nobles always have the upper hand over the central governnt. As long as the Hungarians lie and deceive, they can stir up the confused populace against the central decisions..."
In summary, Ernst was advising Franz not to proactively uphold the interests of other ethnic groups within Hungary. It was enough to express concern; actively opposing the Hungarian nobles would easily cause trouble.
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