The Hungarian Crisis (1)
"Did a hydrogen explosion really work? Is this some kind of joke?"
Of course, the limitations of this tactic were clear. Forcing soldiers to strap hydrogen cylinders to their backs and carry out suicide charges was hardly a normal tactical maneuver. It felt more like a lucky punch landed on a panicked Russian army.
Then again, even the Kamikaze suicide attacks or the Banzai charges of my original world had been effective at first. What kind of crazy country would adopt such a thing as an actual doctrine? It only worked initially because the enemy was caught completely off guard. Once they adapted, all they had to do was deploy snipers to pick them off from a distance, or rain down enough firepower to prevent them from even getting close.
But.
"Urah for the Tsar!"
"Tenno Heika Banzai!"
Failing to implement that simple solution, both armies frequently allowed their lines to be breached by hydrogen explosions. By utilizing suicide bombers and guerrillas, both sides freely employed tactics that were simultaneously absurd yet advanced. Absurd yet advanced—it might sound like a contradiction, but that was exactly what it was.
Fortunately, history hadn't changed enough to alter the short-term outcome. A supply line stretching over seven thousand kilometers. An unexpectedly powerful Japanese Navy. A domestic situation in Russia that was a complete mess beyond imagination. No matter how well they fought, they couldn't change the ultimate result of the war.
The problem was me.
"My God, the power of those hydrogen explosions is incredible!"
"Vice Chairman Stahl! We must expand our hydrogen production facilities immediately."
"What about dropping hydrogen cylinders from giant airships?"
"..."
A climate that viewed soldiers as nothing more than consumables. A tendency to compensate for lacking military power with bizarre doctrines like 'spiritual strength' or trying to knock out the enemy with a single decisive blow like a 'decisive fleet battle.'
If this is how things are, what will happen to the Great War?
This was driving me crazy.
Come to think of it, weren't the Japanese Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Balkan states all absurd nations that advocated for such bizarre suicide charges? No, actually, it made me feel a sudden swell of patriotism. At least we were the best of the hopeless empires surrounding the Balkans...
In any case, 1904 passed quickly, and the dawn of 1905 arrived. The Japanese Empire captured Port Arthur a month earlier than in the original history. Soon, Russia would gather every last soldier for a final, desperate clash of souls against Japan, both on land and at sea.
But.
It's about time.
On January 22, 1905, the Bloody Sunday incident would occur. The Tsar would commit the madness of ordering Cossack cavalry to charge with bayonets against workers who merely wanted a wage increase. Starting with that event, Russia would be thrown into utter chaos.
And as I said, that event would by no means remain confined to Russian domestic politics.
Let's see... in the original history, was universal suffrage introduced in Austria-Hungary in 1906? It must have been due to Russia's influence.
Thanks to this incident, a parliament and a constitution would finally be established even in the Russian Empire. Neighboring countries, including Austria-Hungary, would also accelerate their reforms.
Honestly, I didn't know what would happen. At least within Austria-Hungary, history had changed quite a bit, even if it seemed minor. Actually, could it really be called minor when an unimaginable history was unfolding, with the Kaiser playing nice with the Social Democratic Workers' Party? At this rate, the Empire might actually survive without the imperial family collapsing, and even emerge victorious in World War I.
I need to decide on a direction soon.
Even before Bloody Sunday, the Empire was already undergoing rapid changes. In Hungary, the Hungarian Independence Party had become the largest party in parliament. Because of this, yet another independence crisis was brewing in Hungary. Furthermore, triggered by the events in Russia, nationwide strikes were breaking out as wage disputes and labor conditions became entangled with ethnic issues.
Is this why they introduced universal suffrage in the original history?
For that stubborn Kaiser to approve universal suffrage meant it was truly an extraordinary crisis.
In that case...
Yes, the direction was clear. I didn't want Austria-Hungary to tear itself apart. The larger the nation's weight class, the more useful it would be for changing history. Therefore, the goal was to defuse ethnic conflicts and redirect all that explosive energy toward "socialism." Indeed, the bread on the table today was far more important than some vague concept of ethnic identity.
"The communist mob is gathering in the square!"
"We must disperse them, even if we have to deploy the Cossack cavalry!"
"But wait, isn't that an Orthodox priest leading the protest march?"
"My God... even an Orthodox priest has joined the Reds? Suppress them with force immediately!"
Perhaps Russia actually had a chance of winning the Russo-Japanese War. No matter how backward and barbaric the Russian Empire was—though, frankly, there were few times in Russian history when it wasn't—what if they leveraged their overwhelming size to supply troops, food, and ammunition to the Far East? Even if their navy was utterly crushed by the formidable Japanese fleet, the Russian Empire might have emerged as the ultimate victor.
But then came the monumental event that changed the course of the war.
On January 22, 1905, the Russian Empire went ahead and committed a massacre of innocent civilians right in the heart of St. Petersburg.
Naturally, the entire world was turned upside down. Triggered by Bloody Sunday, workers went on a general strike. Realizing that a peaceful solution was no longer possible, Russian workers did not hesitate to resort to armed struggle, including assassinations and riots.
Austria-Hungary could not escape the ripples of this event. Even so, the imperial court in Vienna had absolutely no leisure to worry about strikes or labor liberation.
In January 1905, the Hungarian parliamentary elections were held. Ever since the Compromise, the pro-Austrian Liberal Party had always held the majority. However, for the first time, the Hungarian Independence Party won a majority and, following the will of its supporters, began to push a hardline stance for Hungarian independence.
"Guarantee broader autonomy?"
"Where is there any more autonomy to give! If Hungary handles its own foreign affairs and military, that's just independence!"
"The Compromise was a mistake from the beginning. If Hungary gains independence, Bohemia and Croatia will be in danger too!"
To the imperial family and the nobility, who treated workers worse than dogs anyway, the Hungarian independence crisis was the true threat. At this rate, the country would literally collapse! The fact that the stubborn Kaiser Franz Joseph I went so far as to grant Universal Suffrage is a testament to how dire the national crisis was at the time.
Ethnic conflict. That was indeed the Empire's Achilles' heel.
They'll contact us soon. This is exactly why the imperial court backed the Social Democratic Workers' Party.
Suppressing ethnic nationalism by expanding welfare and guaranteeing freedoms. This was a strategy shared by both Stahl and the Kaiser. Although the revolution had not yet intensified, it was only a matter of time.
But when Stahl visited the headquarters of the Social Democratic Workers' Party for the first time in a while, he slapped his forehead in exasperation.
"The time has finally come for the Empire to fall! We must rouse the workers to rise up all at once and crush this feudal empire!"
"We have succeeded in empowering the workers through the Stahl-Ferdinand Model. Now is the time for revolution! Workers of the world, unite!"
Sigh... what an absolute circus.
The radicals, who had been lying low, were now running wild to seize control of the party, completely out of touch with reality. Their debates ranged from republicanism to communism. Of course, with a great power like Russia shaking from a massive uprising, our own revolutionaries were undoubtedly thrilled. Seeing it happen in backward Russia made them feel like they could do it too.
But to Stahl, a man from the future, it was simply absurd.
In the end, neither Russia, Austria-Hungary, nor even the Ottoman Empire will collapse before World War I. They'll all survive just fine.
It was still too early. Sweating profusely, party leader Viktor Adler greeted Stahl.
"Director Stahl, you've arrived? As you can see, the party is in this state... I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly."
"It's fine. I expected as much."
It really couldn't be helped. This was a time when the radicals were gaining traction. However, at such a critical juncture, the party could not afford to be divided like this. If hegemony fell into the hands of the radicals, they would lose the trust of the imperial court. And when universal suffrage was actually implemented, they would be pushed aside by the Christian Social Party and relegated to a perpetual opposition party.
"What is the current state of the party?"
"It's complicated. Right now, the radicals and the reformists are at each other's throats. But even among the radicals, they are fighting each other."
"...?"
This was the problem with big-tent parties.
"What on earth do those radicals actually want? What goal are they fighting for?"
"Some want to trigger a communist revolution, while others want to abolish the monarchy entirely."
"Sigh..."
Then the ethnic issues were all too predictable. From advocating for Hungarian independence to proposing a federalized Austria, the radicals were fighting among themselves, unable to agree on a single path.
"Stahl! Director Stahl is here! What do you think, Director?"
"...About what?"
"About this wave currently sweeping across Europe!"
"This wave? Which wave are you referring to? Abolishing the monarchy? A constitutional monarchy? Shorter working hours? Higher wages? Nationalization of capital? Federalizing Austria? Czech independence? If so, should the Russian-speaking regions in the east be annexed into the Kingdom of Serbia?"
"N-No, such treasonous talk..."
"Representative, didn't you say that nations have the right to self-determination? What if those ethnic groups wish to be absorbed by Russia or the Ottoman Empire?"
At Stahl's sharp rebuke, the chaotic room instantly fell ice-cold. They cried out for revolution, yet they hadn't decided on a single thing they actually wanted to revolutionize.
"The Empire is on the verge of tearing itself apart. Is there anyone here who truly wishes for Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Galicia to all become independent nations?"
"..."
Indeed. Although there were extremists regarding ethnic issues among them, none of them actually wanted everyone to scatter and become foreign countries to one another.
"To be frank, what does any of that matter?"
"That's not true! As you've said yourself, Director Stahl, there are countless ethnic groups in this empire. Yet their will is ignored, and the government is run solely for the benefit of Germans and Hungarians!"
"No. What you should be angry about is that the will of the workers is being ignored, and the government is run solely for the benefit of the archaic nobility and the capitalists colluding with them."
"..."
"In accordance with our party platform, our absolute priority must be Universal Suffrage."
For now, he had managed to stop them from tearing each other apart over ethnic issues. In this empire, mishandling ethnic questions was a straight ticket to the gallows. Even if one spoke in favor of the radicals' tastes, it was a catch-22. Should each ethnic group gain independence? Or should they form a federation and live as citizens of the same country? One wrong word, and you would be branded a traitor even by your own allies. It was best to keep this issue swept under the rug as much as possible. Just like the Stahl-Ferdinand Model, defining what constituted an "ethnic group" was entirely a matter of convenience and interpretation.
At least we avoided drawing the ire of the imperial court. They must be extremely on edge as it is.
With that, the infighting over ethnic issues ground to a halt inside the headquarters of the Social Democratic Workers' Party.
"...Right. Universal suffrage comes first."
"But what if we also fight for a bill that mandates a certain percentage of worker representatives on corporate boards?"
"What? Are you insane?! That's pure red talk!"
"Why on earth should we compromise with the industrialists? Workers of the world, unite!"
Of course, unifying the party's stance was still a long way off... but Stahl believed that as long as they kept republicanism and nationalism firmly suppressed, the Kaiser would tolerate the rest.