The Sarajevo Commotion (1)
Roughly a year and three months had already passed since the Emperor's shocking worker declaration. And with that, the Emperor's first reform package—the implementation of universal suffrage—had been successfully completed.
Granting equal voting rights to every adult male in the empire was merely the beginning, but even this alone sent massive shockwaves through European society.
Just look at the manifesto the Kaiser had released to advocate for the reform. What was it again? The Empire is the pillar that protects the worker? The mere fact that a man of imperial stature had even mentioned labor issues was an absolute bombshell.
Of course, the reaction from Western Europe, including Germany, was surprisingly lukewarm.
"Expanding labor welfare? We've been doing that since Bismarck's time."
"Isn't it traditional for feudal empires to throw efficiency out the window anyway? Nothing special about it."
After all, it was something the German Empire was already doing. The only difference was whether the Emperor himself had officially recognized 'socialism' or not.
If anything, Germany's Wilhelm II clapped his hands in sheer delight.
"We must compromise with the Kaiser immediately! What do you mean, 'revolution,' when our workers are falling ill and dying right now?!"
"That reactionary is at it again. Unless private property is abolished, this hell will only repeat itself!"
"Rosa Luxemburg, look at reality! Get a grip!"
"To think that such a person is the party leader in Germany, the very land where Marx was born and raised. I quit!"
"Ha! You, who fled back here after failing to spark a communist revolution in Poland, dare to speak of—"
"What did you just say?!"
The Social Democratic Party of Germany was instantly torn apart by intense ideological conflicts: revolution versus reform, democracy versus the dictatorship of the proletariat. The party lost half its members in the blink of an eye, marking the premature birth of the Communist Party of Germany several years ahead of schedule.
Naturally, Wilhelm II was deeply grateful to the Austrian Kaiser, as the reds he so thoroughly detested were busy self-destructing on their own.
In any case, unlike the lukewarm reactions of the Western European nations, the most violent response came from the three hopeless empires of the Balkans.
"Another rebellion has broken out in Greece!"
"In Macedonia as well!"
"Constitutionalists are operating in the shadows of Constantinople!"
The Ottoman Empire was falling apart at the seams. Among the hopeless trio of the Balkans, the Ottomans were by far in the worst shape. In an attempt to strengthen his absolute monarchy and suppress the rising tide of constitutionalism and nationalism, Sultan Abdul Hamid II followed the Austrian Emperor's example and declared a radical communist reform.
"I have realized what the constitutionalists, the liberals, and the nationalists all have in common."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"They are all bourgeois oppressors of the working class!"
"...?"
"Bring down the hammer upon the capitalists who exploit and oppress the value of labor! You have nothing to lose but your chains, and a world to win! Muslims of all nations, unite!"
With his eyes rolled back in fanatic zeal, the Sultan drew up plans to confiscate the factories of Constantinople and distribute them among his own relatives. Naturally, the empire's rebel factions weren't about to watch this happen idly. In any other country, a civil war or a coup would have erupted on the spot. However, the Ottoman Empire was already in a state of perpetual civil war, and the Sultan making disastrous blunders was nothing new. Ironically, things remained surprisingly quiet.
For a desperate empire, this level of slapstick comedy was something that not only European diplomats but even the Ottoman subjects themselves could easily laugh off.
From the perspective of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the one they had to worry about most was, without a question, the Russian Empire.
"Abide by the agreement of 1903!"
"What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"The secret treaty we signed right before the Russo-Japanese War! Didn't we agree to refrain from expanding our influence in the Balkans and halt any provocative interference in each other's internal affairs?"
"...?"
Russia perceived the Austrian Emperor's bizarre behavior as a direct provocation. The Russian Empire was still reeling from its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War and the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. In the midst of this, the Austrian Emperor was adopting a friendly stance toward socialism? And even hinting at suppressing Slavic nationalism? To Russia, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.
"Cease the ethnic oppression within your empire immediately!"
"What are you talking about? All subjects of our empire are equal. There is no discrimination between ethnicities!"
"That is precisely the problem! Because of you, Russia's reds and Polish independence activists are running wild as we speak!"
Of course, the Tsar could have simply followed the Kaiser's lead and magnanimously abolished formal discrimination, but there was no way he would do that. The grand tradition of the Russian Empire was paranoia. This was a time-honored tradition stretching from the future Soviet Union all the way to the modern Russian Federation. A paranoid person considers even the simple act of their neighbor breathing to be a personal attack. Therefore, Austria-Hungary's constitutional reforms and adoption of socialism were, without a doubt, a grave assault on Russia.
"...The non-aggression pact is over. The Far East is already a lost cause. It is time to turn our gaze back to the Balkans and the Black Sea."
"What do you propose we do?"
"The usual way, of course."
The Russian Empire's method of intervening in the Balkans was always the same, yet always lethal: Slavs, Orthodoxy, Serbia. Of course, in the original history, Russia pushed Serbia far too hard, and the ultra-nationalists backed by Serbia ended up making the colossal blunder of shooting the Archduke. This triggered World War I, ultimately sweeping both the Kingdom of Serbia and the Russian Empire into the dustbin of history. But regardless of the future, they were thoroughly annoyed by Austria-Hungary right now. Thus, a sinister Balkan conspiracy—the kind only the Russian Empire could orchestrate—was about to begin.
I remembered the celebration party we threw when we first created penicillin. Back then, driven to despair because the stubborn Austrian academic community refused to accept my discovery, I had held a modest gathering with Dr. Freud and my father's leftist friends. And now, at my military discharge party, the crowd gathered before me was extraordinary, even by my standards.
There was Sigmund Freud, wearing a broad grin after finally selling six thousand copies of The Interpretation of Dreams. Beside him was Dr. Karl Landsteiner, who had traveled around administering penicillin with me and had now even discovered blood groups.
"Come to think of it, aren't you two going to win the Nobel Prize before me?!"
"That Nobel Prize has indeed been quite the talk of the town lately, Director Stahl," Dr. Landsteiner replied.
Damn it. I had developed both penicillin and synthetic ammonia, so when on earth was I going to get that stupid Nobel Prize? Well, historically, the Nobel Prize always took a long time from discovery to award. Didn't Einstein discover the photoelectric effect in 1905 and only receive the prize sixteen years later? Since they were an incredibly conservative bunch, it would probably take a few more years. Frankly, by this point, I was far more famous as the Marx Stahl of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model than as Marx Stahl the genius chemist.
Aside from them, there was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Chairman Karl Wittgenstein and his family, and Viktor Adler of the Social Democratic Workers' Party. There was also the king of infidelity, Archduke Otto, and his son Archduke Karl, who was far more suited to the title of a saint than I was.
The Stahl Faction all-stars are all here.
From scientists and capitalists to socialists. The heir to the throne, along with the second and third in line to the succession. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of bizarre combination this was.
"Ah, Dr. Freud. Congratulations. I heard The Interpretation of Dreams is finally a massive hit?"
"Don't flatter me too much, young Stahl. It was only natural."
"You whined about it for nearly ten years after it was published, though..."
"By the way, Stahl. When on earth are you going to get married?"
*Cough!* I had tried to tease Dr. Freud, only to be struck right where it hurt.
"Are you, perhaps, actually homosexual?"
"...Excuse me?"
"You don't seem to have any interest in dating, let alone marriage. Even Catholic priests secretly keep a lover or two these days."
Traumatic memories of my first meeting with Freud flashed through my mind. Of course, the political repercussions now were vastly different from when I was just a fifteen-year-old kid. Archduke Otto chimed in, seizing the perfect opportunity.
"When I was your age, I had four girlfriends at once."
"...Your son is looking quite sad, Your Highness. Didn't you promise not to say things like that?"
"Well, in any case, when I was young, unless you were royalty like me, everyone got married around your age."
"I'll take care of it myself."
"Yes, make sure you don't wait too long. We wouldn't want people actually mistaking you for a homosexual, just as Dr. Freud suggested."
It was a problem I had forgotten for a while—or rather, desperately tried to ignore. Marriage. Of course, by this era, free love had become relatively common, as Archduke Franz Ferdinand's own marriage had shown. Divorce happened occasionally, and famous figures like Friedrich Nietzsche, Beethoven, and Tesla never married at all. Even so, remaining unmarried was still viewed as somewhat abnormal.
Sigh, I don't know.
Should I just... marry the revolution, like the German communist Rosa Luxemburg?
"My daughter is older than you, but she happens to be of marriageable age. What do you think?" Chairman Wittgenstein asked with a sly grin.
*Ha, this is tough.* I had run myself ragged trying to alter the course of history, and now, at the tender age of twenty-three, even my dating life and marriage carried heavy political weight.
"Now is not the time to worry about dating or marriage, Chairman. The Hungarian nobility are openly boycotting the elections. How can I think of romance in a situation like this?"
"...Is that so? I understand."
Was it just my imagination, or did a shadow briefly cross Chairman Wittgenstein's face? In any case, I gravitated toward Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Viktor Adler to start discussing politics.
"Yes, you hit the nail on the head, Director Stahl," Archduke Franz Ferdinand said. "The Hungarian nobles are throwing a fit, refusing to accept the results of the general election."
"It seems they felt a sudden wave of vertigo once they actually saw the report card."
"We might face another threat of rebellion soon. We must manage this carefully."
The nobles advocating for Hungarian independence were reportedly rioting over the election. In the original history, universal suffrage was never implemented in Hungary. This time, I had barely managed to push it through by shifting the focus to social democratic issues. Naturally, I had anticipated this backlash from Hungary.
"We have no choice but to accelerate the reforms further to suppress their resistance," I said.
Then, Chairman Wittgenstein chimed in.
"The capitalists have been acting rather suspicious lately."
"They should be making several times more than they ever did, thanks to an unprecedented economic boom."
"That is true. But surely you know the nature of capitalists better than anyone, don't you?"
Indeed. The capitalists were probably making twice as much as usual. However, due to the rise of the Social Democratic Workers' Party and my various reforms and negotiations, they had to share a portion of that double profit with the workers, leaving them with only 1.5 times their usual earnings. Consequently, the capitalists were bound to harbor some resentment.
"Since military authority belongs solely to His Majesty, we don't have to worry about an outright rebellion," Franz Ferdinand noted. "But the movements of certain nobles are highly suspicious. Especially those who support German nationalism."
"Even so, what can they really do besides lending their names to nationalist parties?"
"True. His Majesty can easily keep the nobility's discontent in check."
"Yes. Rather than them, we should focus on keeping an eye on the radical nationalist factions, who might pull some crazy stunt at any moment... Wait."
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Chairman Wittgenstein, and Archduke Otto. All three had pointed out ominous signs from their respective viewpoints. Hungary. Capitalists. Conservative German nobility. Radical nationalists. These were all factions I had kept in mind. I had essentially left them alone, judging that their political power didn't pose a significant threat.
But... Wait a minute... This feels ominous.
Lately, everything had been going far too smoothly. And after spending several chaotic years in Austria, I had learned one thing: when things go this well, something is bound to go horribly wrong. I sat in my chair, lost in thought. I began to contemplate what would happen to the empire if all these factions decided to revolt at the exact same time.
If even a single spark lands in the wrong place, we're in deep trouble.
Of course, I didn't think these completely different factions could seamlessly coordinate and pull off a sophisticated rebellion. If they were capable of that, the empire would have collapsed long ago. Even so, if multiple issues erupted simultaneously, it would be an absolute nightmare to clean up.
Nah, there's no way. That's impossible.
I shook my head, recalling the original timeline. The next major historical event was probably... the annexation of Bosnia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire next year, right? We still had time.
Or so I thought.
Not long after, Slavic nationalist sentiment began to spread like wildfire across the South Slav regions, including Serbia and Croatia. No doubt the Kingdom of Serbia—or rather, the Russian Empire backing them—was fanning the flames, looking for a fight.
"That crazy Tsar... How long has it even been since the Russo-Japanese War and the Polish rebellion ended, and he's already throwing another tantrum?!"
Why could nothing ever be easy!