Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 387: An Unrealistic Strategy

After putting down the African Strategy, Franz could only lament that everyones goals were too grandiose, aiming to encircle over half the African continent in one swoop.

Yes, encircle, not occupy. Currently, Austria has not even completed one-third of the aforementioned plan, with the actually controlled area possibly less than one-fifth.

Even though Franz had made efforts at immigration, the current population of Austrian African territories was still less than five million.

Controlling such a vast land of 7,000,000-8,000,000 square kilometers with so few people illustrates the extent of how sparsely populated the land is.

Of course, this does not account for the local indigenous populations, or else the number would have long surpassed tens of millions.

If the next strategic steps were to be completed, a population of several tens of millions would be required. However, the entire population of the new Holy Roman Empire had just crossed the 60 million threshold.

By now, the world has almost been completely divided, and the last piece of unclaimed land will certainly not be exempt from fierce competition.

Currently, France and Austria have advanced to the forefront of colonizing Africa, followed closely by the British, Portuguese, and Dutch, who also have a few colonies.

This macro strategy from the Colonial Ministry would be better described as an ideal strategy.

As long as countries are not foolish, they will not allow this plan to become a reality.

After a rough look at the map, Franz estimated that the area stretching from Guinea and Mali in the west, to Libya in the north, the Boer Republics in the south, and Somalia in the east, despite the lack of satellite positioning in this era, would likely total around 20 million square kilometers when added up.

After some thought, Franz picked up a pen and began crossing out parts of it, intending to send it back to the colonial ministry for them to redo it.

This unrealistic strategy simply lacked feasibility. Unless a world war were to be provoked and Austria emerged as the ultimate victor, there would be no chance of realizing it.

However, Franz was not a warmonger, and Austria was not the Second Reich of history, which felt compelled to challenge the world.

While many believed that the Second Reich started wars due to economic development, and needing resources and markets, Franz believed it was primarily about resources, as market issues could be resolved.

The world economy operates in a large cycle, while national economies operate in smaller cycles. In theory, as long as this cycle continues to operate normally, the economy can sustain development.

At the core of this economic cycle are population and resources, and currently, the global population is only around one billion.

Of this, Europe has around 275 million, with the four major powers of Russia, Austria, France, and Britain totaling over 200 million.

Asia has around 820 million, with the two populous Eastern nations accounting for 700 million, leaving the rest of the regions similarly sparsely populated.

Africa has around 60 million inhabitants, with colonial activities influencing local population growth. However, due to significant emigration in recent years, many areas are experiencing negative growth.

The Americas have around 60 million inhabitants, illustrating the true sparsity of population. North and South America combined have such a small population, with the two American nations alone accounting for half of it.

Currently, international trade volume is not significant. The economies of various countries primarily rely on domestic factors. Taking Austria as an example, the proportion of international trade in the economy is less than 5% of the total.

If colonial trade volume were included in the domestic economy, then the significance of international trade in the Austrian economy would be even less noteworthy.

This is determined by productivity. With limited total wealth and overly homogeneous exportable goods, trade volume simply cannot be increased.

Currently, the largest export commodities on the international market are textiles, followed by foodstuffs. There is virtually no significant market for industrial products or machinery and equipment.

On the whole international market, the total value of all export commodities combined is less than one billion pounds, and in fact, it is less than seven hundred million pounds.

With such a small market, the domestic market is the main force driving each countrys economy. Whether its Britain, France, or Austria, the total economic output of their domestic markets cannot be measured by a mere billion. It would require at least two to three billion.

In an era dominated by domestic economies, the most important factor is still internal circulation. As long as there are sufficient resources, theoretically, the economy can develop normally.

Specifically, one can look at the United States. Many people believe that Latin America is the backyard of the United States, a dumping ground for American industrial products.

However, the reality is that Latin America has a total population of only two million, with 60-70% still comprised of native American tribes, which have minimal purchasing power.

Furthermore, South American countries do not buy American products; they prefer to import European goods rather than American junk.

Yet from the late 19th century, the US economy still grew by leaps and bounds, increasing ninefold in forty years.

This is the power of resources. Despite a lack of sufficient export markets for goods, while the Germans were driven to the battlefield by capital, American capital was able to hold steady, relying on its own abundant resources.

In Franzs view, resources are the core of colonization. Under this philosophy, there is a movement towards the integration of the colonies.

After much hesitation, Franz did not directly reject this unrealistic strategy. He was very averse to making grand promises but found that doing so was highly effective.

Otherwise, history would not have seen so many fanciful and unrealistic plans, such as the British Cape to Cairo plan which goes from Cairo to South Africa directly from south to north.

This plan included Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Although this plan was very ambitious, it was eventually realized by John Bull. However, it did not last long before the colonial empire collapsed.

As latecomers to the party, the Germans also came up with the Teutonic Africa Plan, which was not as ambitious, only including Namibia, Angola, Congo, and Tanzania.

The success of a strategy depends on strength, not on the scale of ambition, so this strategy failed.

The French Senegal to Somalia Plan was somewhat extreme; after occupying North Africa, the French planned to advance from Senegal to Somalia.

This plan was similar to Austrias strategic plan. The difference between Guinea to Somalia and Senegal to Somalia was not significant.

As for Austrias goal of reaching the Boer Republics in the south, this had already been tenuously achieved, with a 1,000-strong settler outpost in Zimbabwe.

Reaching Libya in the north also posed no difficulty, as that was an inland area of Africa that competitors could not yet access.

The only part still a long way off was reaching Somalia in the east, blocked by Sudan and Ethiopia in between. Of course, it was also possible to take a detour through Uganda and Kenya.

In practice, it is definitely not as simple as that. Because Austrias colonial strategy includes all these regions.

Regardless, it is commendable in spirit. Since this plan has been submitted, it represents the Colonial Ministrys belief in the possibility of its success.

Of course, this success does not mean that all objectives will be achieved. It simply means that the plan is strategically completed, with a few colonial territories inevitably left out.

Considering that it was a critical moment for the integration of colonies, Franz tacitly approved the existence of this plan. Of course, when it comes to the specific implementation, it cannot be rigidly applied.

For example, priority should be given to areas connected to rivers, while desert regions should be considered later. Areas with strong indigenous presence should be temporarily set aside, and expansion in areas that may provoke conflict should be restrained...

In this era, there were no national borders in Africa. It was mostly just a collection of indigenous tribes, so the concept of a nation was rather unclear.

Naturally, this colonial strategy wouldnt adhere to the borders of later times, and in fact, Franz couldnt even identify those future borders on the map.

After some modifications, Franz successfully condensed this strategic plan.

For example, they wouldnt compete with the French for the desert regions in North Africa, as they were practically unmanageable during this period anyway.

Specifically, much of Mali was relinquished, and the Niger region was essentially abandoned. Franz was even prepared to abandon Chad if not for its strategic connection to Libya; its retention was a reluctant compromise.

Ethiopia and Somalia in the east were also placed at the very end of the priority list by Franz, and would not be targeted until other regions were occupied.

Namibia and Tanzania were relegated to the second-to-last priority, essentially falling into the category of abandoned areas. The remaining territories would depend on the capabilities of Franzs subordinates to seize as much territory as possible.

As a result, this plan was reduced by about one-third, significantly increasing its feasibility.

Occupying more than half of the African continent would breed resentment, but Franz believed that controlling one-third or around forty percent of the continent could be achieved.

This was determined by a combination of strength and strategic advantage. Once the colonial integration strategy succeeded, it would mark another peak in immigration. With a sufficient population, Franz would not fear any challenges on the African continent.

For instance, in the current situation of West Africa and Congo, with millions of local inhabitants, who would have the capability to seize control of these areas?

War also requires costs, and without sufficient benefits, it is not enough to compel colonial empires to initiate wars.

On the African continent, apart from the gold mines in South Africa, no other regions are significant enough to provoke wars between great powers.

In reality, the gold mines of South Africa are also not worth a bloody battle by two great powers. Although the gold reserves are high, before being extracted, it is nothing special.

Despite the annual production of hundreds of tons, the extraction of gold also incurs costs. Franz doesnt believe that he will be able to recoup the costs of war with gold in his lifetime.