Holy Roman Empire

France’s decision to restart its colonial development plan stirred up a significant controversy. With Austria as a successful example, no one could say for certain that France would fail.

In recent years, France had gradually fallen behind in international competition, largely due to a bottleneck in domestic economic growth that left it lagging behind Britain and Austria.

Particularly in the past two years, France’s economic growth rate had sharply declined, while Britain and Austria’s economies continued to surge forward.

This disparity was evident in the overall economic output. Once surpassed by France, Britain now seemed poised to catch up again.

This was no minor issue. The British Isles had a total population of only 31 million, compared to France’s nearly 60 million.

When calculating per capita income, the income of the average French citizen was just 60% of that of a British citizen.

The disparity was primarily due to the underdevelopment of Italy, especially southern Italy, where the economy remained largely agricultural and had seen little growth in recent years.

In terms of total industrial output, the gap was even more stark. Greater France’s industrial production was less than half of Britain’s and only 40% of Austria’s.

This gap continued to widen over time. While people of this era might not fully grasp the significance of industrialization, they could certainly feel the pinch of empty pockets.

At its peak, French fiscal revenue had almost rivaled Britain’s. During Napoleon III’s era, France could even compete with Britain in an arms race. Now, however, France’s fiscal revenue was only slightly higher than that of Britain’s home islands.

This was partly due to the butterfly effect. With Italy divided in two and half of it under French colonial rule during France’s peak, the country’s fiscal revenue approaching Britain’s was not surprising.

However, there was significant “exaggeration” in those numbers. The real economy constituted a small portion, with manufacturing accounting for only about 10% of France’s economic output. The rest was agriculture, financial services, and some other service sectors, with finance dominating.

But bubbles were bubbles, and no amount of beautiful lies could turn them into reality.

Since the last economic crisis, France’s bubble economy has burst. Without a solid industrial foundation, the financial sector alone could not sustain an empire.

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As the greatest beneficiary of colonial development, the Austrian government undoubtedly had the clearest understanding of the immense benefits involved.

If the rewards weren’t substantial enough, Austrian Africa would never have developed to its current state, no matter how much Franz insisted.

Simply put, once a colony was developed, there would no longer be a shortage of industrial raw materials, and a robust market for goods would also be established.

Currently, the market in Austrian Africa was already comparable to that of Spain. When all of Austria’s colonies were combined, this market was nearly on par with the Prussian-Polish Federation. And this was only the beginning. With a land area of 20 million square kilometers, its development potential far surpassed them.

It was precisely this vast “reserve market,” along with Austria’s large domestic market, that had propelled Austria to become the world’s leading industrial nation.

Since France restarted its colonial development plan, the Austrian government had been on high alert. The French Empire was already massive, and if it managed to resolve its final weaknesses, it would pose a significant threat to Austria.

Minister of Economy Reinhardt Haldergen remarked, “France’s economic development is constrained by a shortage of industrial raw materials, and it’s reaching its limits. The French government’s decision to restart its colonial development plan is clearly a desperate attempt at salvation.

If the French plan succeeds, our hopes of economically defeating France will become a pipe dream.

Europe is small and cannot accommodate so many major powers. With industrialization advancing, conflicts between nations will only increase, potentially leading to a continent-wide war.

If we fail to suppress France now, future clashes between France and Austria will be inevitable, this is beyond the control of any individual.

For the long-term stability of the empire, we must proactively eliminate this hidden danger. I propose that we take action against France and sabotage their colonial development plan.”

It was impossible not to remain vigilant as Napoleon’s legacy left a lasting impression. Even after so many years, the Austrian government had never let its guard down against France.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “I object. The French colonial development plan has failed once before, and whether it will succeed this time is also uncertain.

We cannot prematurely push Austria and France into opposition because of an uncertain risk.

If we act against every potential threat, then the Prussian-Polish Federation, Russia, and Britain also pose threats. Are we going to make enemies of the entire world?”

Economic Minister Reinhardt Haldergen countered, “That’s different. Britain is a maritime power. While its threat to us is significant, it does not threaten our very existence.

The Prussian-Polish Federation and the Russian Empire are at odds with each other, which consumes most of their energy. We only need to play a balancing act between them.

France, however, is an exception. Like us, it is a land power, and its military strength is very similar to ours. Our main advantage lies in economics.

If France manages to overcome this weakness, its government might once again pursue expansionist policies. We cannot sit idly by and watch Napoleon’s legacy repeat itself!”

Colonial Minister Stephen offered a more moderate view, “It’s not that serious. Developing colonies isn’t something that can be achieved overnight, it requires decades of consistent investment.

Currently, it seems that French society is not particularly enthusiastic about colonial development, and the government’s ability to fund such efforts is limited.

We all know the state of France’s colonies. Most of them are deserts and wastelands with few areas suitable for human habitation.

French colonies in the Americas and Asia are too distant and small in size to be of immediate concern. For now, the French likely won’t focus on them.

The real development potential lies in French Algeria, Egypt, half of Tunisia, and parts of Morocco. Even then, only some coastal areas are worthwhile.

According to the data we’ve gathered, these regions have relatively limited mineral resources. While several rich deposits have been found, most are difficult to exploit due to natural conditions.

As for areas suitable for agriculture, they likely won’t exceed 400,000 square kilometers. Even if the French develop a plantation economy, it’s uncertain whether they can succeed given external competition.”

(Author’s Note: Arable land in the above regions: Algeria 210,000 square kilometers, Morocco 220,000 square kilometers, Tunisia 70,000 square kilometers, and Egypt 35,000 square kilometers.)

The “Desert Empire” truly lives up to its tragic nickname. Although the French occupy less than 30% of the African continent, they hold three-quarters of its deserts.

As the world’s third-largest colonial empire, France’s vast territory is impressive in size, but its tangible benefits might not even compare to those of the Dutch. At least the Dutch East Indies are rich and prosperous.

Prime Minister Felix commented, “We must not underestimate the French. Their foundation is still solid. If the French government is determined, they do have the financial capacity to execute their colonial development plan.

Even if they didn’t develop all their colonies, simply focusing on Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt would increase France’s overall national strength by 20-30%.

This poses a potential threat to us. However, it’s an issue for the future, and it’s too early to discuss it now.

Taking direct action to sabotage the French colonial development plan would be too extreme. Things haven’t escalated to that point yet, and confronting France prematurely would not be worth the cost.

For now, we only need to covertly create some obstacles to delay their colonial efforts. The longer we can stall them, the more advantageous it is for us.”

Sabotage is inevitable. While Britain, France, and Austria are allies, they are also rivals. If any one of them can be undermined, none of the others would hesitate to act behind the scenes.

Franz nodded in agreement. There was no need to rush into conflict.

The French had only just announced their plan and hadn’t even started implementing it. It would be more effective to strike when they were midway through execution.

For now, small acts of sabotage would suffice, similar to what the French did during Austria’s colonial development phase.

At that time, the French were busy expanding their own colonies and had limited influence in Africa, with fewer resources to spare.

Later, as large waves of immigrants flowed into Africa, Austria’s power on the continent grew rapidly, making sabotage efforts against them increasingly futile.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg suggested, “The Paris Conference is nearing its end. Once territorial spheres of influence are formally delineated, any action would have to account for the positions of other nations.

Our priority remains securing sufficient development time. If we want to delay the French colonial plan, we should target their economy rather than risk triggering direct military conflict.”