Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 413: The Second Industrial Revolution Begins

Franz is very busy. After the colonial integration of African colonies was approved, more than a dozen colonial cities have already submitted applications.

There is no doubt that this is a roundabout route. First, allow eligible regions to be integrated, and then deal with the remaining areas once they meet the criteria.

After all, these cities are the core of the colonies, and the surrounding areas still need to be handed over to them for administration. They can then be split from them when they develop in the future.

This is the consensus reached between the Austrian government and the influential forces in the colonies. Now that no one wants to cause unrest for independence, they naturally don’t care about administrative divisions.

To show his appreciation, Franz personally met with representatives from the colonies. These nobles are his supporters and will be the cornerstone of future rule over the African continent.

In terms of interests, everyone belongs to a larger interest group. Franz is the major shareholder in this group, while they are the minor shareholders. When one suffers, they all suffer; when one prospers, they all prosper.

Internationally, Britain seems to be getting restless again, likely stimulated by the rapprochement between France and Austria.

On September 2, 1866, the British Foreign Secretary visited St. Petersburg, publicly stating that they aimed to improve relations between Britain and Russia. On September 28, the British government issued a diplomatic note, seeking to mediate the Russo-Prussian War.

If it weren’t for intelligence reports indicating that the Russian revolutionaries had been secretly sent back to their homeland by the Prussians, Franz would have almost believed it.

The Franco-Austrian alliance versus the Anglo-Russian alliance, just thinking about it seems exciting.

However, this can only be imagined. Given the deep-seated conflicts between Britain and Russia, a real alliance is unattainable.

Moreover, the Russian Empire is simply too powerful. Once they complete their internal reforms, they’ll become the undisputed hegemon of the continent. Unless the British government has collectively gone crazy, they won’t support such a behemoth.

So, this is aimed at the Russo-Austrian alliance. To dismantle this alliance, the British have spared no effort.

This is a conspiracy. If Russia accepts the goodwill of the British, it will inevitably arouse suspicion from Austria.

Such suspicions during peacetime might not matter much, but during the Russo-Prussian War, they can be quite detrimental. If the Austrian government hesitates even slightly, the Russians will suffer greatly.

Once such a situation arises, it won’t be long before the Russo-Austrian alliance exists in name only.

Knowing all this, will Franz prevent this from happening?

The answer is: No!

The reason is very pragmatic: the strategic value of the Russo-Austrian alliance has already been fulfilled. Over the next decade or two, the Russians will have to address its internal conflicts, and the eastern front is already secure.

The security brought by that is more reliable than the security provided by the alliance itself. Regardless of what the Russian government may think, they don’t pose an immediate threat to Austria’s strength.

Given this situation, is it still necessary to remain tied to the Russians?

The world is just that pragmatic. All Franz can do is not dissolve the alliance and continue to maintain a good relationship between the two countries.

Even Alexander II might make the same choice. The Russo-Austrian alliance still holds value for them, allowing them to safely navigate through periods of weakness.

For the sake of strategic security, the Russian government won’t dissolve the alliance either. This time limit only applies when the Russian Empire is in a vulnerable state.

In the future, as long as the Russian government aims to expand on the European continent, the Russo-Austrian alliance will be more or less at its end. Similarly, when Austria unifies Germany, it will also mark the end of the alliance between the two countries.

Is there a solution? Of course, there is. For example, inciting the Russian government to engage in conflict over India could prolong the alliance for many more years.

Achieving this is not easy or difficult, as long as one is willing to spend money, it can be done.

For the Russians to invade British-occupied India is not an easy path. The cost of war will absolutely be extremely high. As long as there is a financial backer willing to pay, the Russian government will have no objection.

As for the future, who knows? But for now, Franz cannot afford such expenses. If he had such a large sum of money, he would rather invest it in the industrial revolution.

The Second Industrial Revolution has already begun, and Austria is one of its birthplaces. The year 1866 marked a significant milestone in this regard.

In May, the engineer Siemens, from the new Holy Roman Empire, invented the world’s first high-power generator. This marked the arrival of the electric age. Prior to this, due to the low power output of generators, they couldn’t be used in industrial production.

With the advent of the electric age, as the center of the empire, Vienna naturally gets to enjoy the results first. Franz immediately decided to install streetlights in Vienna.

Electric light bulbs had already appeared in the previous century. In 1854, German watchmaker Henry Goebel invented the carbonized bamboo filament light bulb, which could stay lit for 400 hours.

As soon as this was reported in the newspapers, Franz took notice. He bought the patent directly, even if Goebel hadn’t registered it yet.

Franz still had principles. He would not stoop so low as to steal someone’s patent. Then, of course, the carbon filament was switched to a tungsten filament, with a vacuum environment added as well.

Improving existing technology is much faster than developing it from scratch. In a little over a year, Franz managed to accomplish it. Then Franz led the way into the electric age, initiating a lighting revolution in the palace.

Because of the low power of generators, electricity was an expensive luxury, accessible only to the wealthy.

With the appearance of high-power generators, not only did the cost of electricity decrease, but it also became feasible for industrial use, prompting Franz to promote its use. What better advertisement than Vienna being illuminated?

There will be no need to pay for advertising. Newspapers would spread the news worldwide. Then, London and Paris would surely follow suit, and if the Russian government had the money, they’d probably do the same.

Making money and such are trivial matters. The most important thing is to make a name for oneself and attract more people to get into the electricity industry. Otherwise, with just Franz’s efforts, it would take ages before electricity could be popularized in industry.

In August, the transatlantic telegraph was completed, enabling direct communication between Europe and America for the very first time.

This is different from the previous telegraph. Before this, the telegraph lines between Europe and America weren’t directly connected. They were relayed through islands in the middle of the Atlantic, with ships needed to transmit the messages in between.

This was a technological limitation. Constrained by the era, no one knew much about the seabed conditions, and laying cables depended on luck.

If luck wasn’t on their side, the cables could be damaged by marine life, requiring them to be laid again. Special underwater terrain could also affect the laying process.

One section of the underwater cable kept experiencing problems until now. Before this, that section had to rely on ships to relay messages. Apart from the delay in messages, the operating costs were also high, making commercialization impossible.

Now things are different. It’s now possible to directly connect two continents, greatly increasing the commercial value.

As a result, the British have already announced plans to lay underwater cables from London to Canada and London to South Africa, and India.

The French are also preparing to lay underwater cables: from Paris to French-controlled American territories and from Paris to French-controlled Asian territories.

Franz has also ordered the laying of two underwater cables: one from Africa to Central America and another from Africa to New Bavaria (New Guinea).

Telegraph lines from France and Austria to Africa have long been connected, so there’s no need to repeat that. The issue of duplication of telegraph lines in various countries will be unavoidable as no one wants to be at the mercy of others.

Moreover, this isn’t a loss-making venture. Most telegraph lines in these regions can be profitable. Lines that would incur losses are simply not laid.

For example, Franz has no plans to lay underwater cables to connect Alaska. Since acquiring this territory from the Russians, apart from establishing a fur company, no development has taken place.

If it weren’t for asserting sovereignty, the Austrian government wouldn’t even bother sending tax officials there. It’s a land that loses more than it earns, costing tens of thousands of guilders in expenditures every year.

Establishing telegraph lines naturally isn’t necessary. No one was afraid of it being taken over. No country would wage a bloody war with Austria just for a land of ice and snow.

This is just the beginning. Soon, all the major colonial empires took action, everyone knowing the strategic importance of the telegraph. To strengthen control over the colonies, this is indispensable.

In September, Alfred Nobel invented nitroglycerin. Of course, this was still highly classified, and would not be announced publicly until after the Russo-Prussian War.

After all, this was also a game-changing weapon of war. If announced prematurely, and the Russians wanted to buy it, whether to sell or not would be a headache-inducing problem.

Not selling would impact relations, but selling could very likely influence the outcome of the war. Against the fortresses and fortifications of this era, explosives were utterly devastating weapons. Many previously impregnable defense lines were now no longer enough.

On the surface, Austria certainly would not sell military weapons to Prussia. And this exclusive new invention was destined not to be sold to both parties.

The Russians winning the war isn’t what Franz wanted to see. If the Russian government lost the war, it might need twenty years to recover. But if they won, they might stir up trouble again in just a decade or so.

The tenacity of the Russian Bear did not need to be doubted, not to mention their capacity for recklessness. To avoid such troubles, Franz decisively chose to postpone.

Alfred Nobel’s story is also legendary. In 1860, he began research on nitroglycerin explosives.

In 1863, Nobel returned to Sweden and worked with his father and brother to manufacture explosives. Due to an accidental explosion that destroyed the factory and killed his brother, the government prohibited them from continuing experiments.

As a result of the explosion at the nitroglycerin factory, his brother Emil tragically died, forcing the closure of the Swedish factory.

At this point, the Austrian Arsenal extended an olive branch. The two sides quickly reached an agreement to jointly develop explosives.

In reality, most arms manufacturers are government-operated. Otherwise, who would they sell the weapons they produce to?

The butterfly effect played a role, and at this juncture, Nobel did not burn bridges but instead chose the safer option of cooperation.

This was not surprising, as Nobel was a scientist but also a businessman.

Avoiding risk is an instinct. There was more than just him conducting explosives research at that time. Before results emerged, no one knew if there would be a market for the product.

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These are just some of the more impactful technological advancements. There were many minor inventions as well. The Second Industrial Revolution had already begun, and 1866 merely marked the beginning of a new era.