What are Austria's core industries developing
Franz still has no answer in his mind. The resources of the Austrian Empire are still very rich, and almost nothing is lacking in the initial stage of industrialization.
Historically, from Austria to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there was no external colonial expansion, which was related to the richness of local resources.
Of course, this is limited to the early stage. From the perspective of development, Austria's domestic resources are not enough.
Taking the steel industry as an example, in the era when the annual output of steel in various countries is 10,000 tons, 100,000 tons and 1 million tons, Austria has no shortage of resources. In the era of 100 million tons, it is difficult to continue.
This is a long-term problem, and Franz won't need to worry about it for at least a few decades.
In theory, most industries can become pillar industries in Austria, such as agriculture and agro-processing, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, military industry, railways, shipbuilding, textiles...
This is the advantage of a solid foundation. Before Lombardy and Venice were not lost, the industrial volume of Austria was very close to that of the French.
It's no surprise that Austria in this era is a combination of Austria-Hungary + half of Italy, and Lombardy + Venice is equal to half of Italy.
Franz won't say stupid things about how all industries go hand in hand. The competition in this world is so fierce. If the government can't tilt policies towards certain industries, can you guarantee that you will beat your competitors
Not to mention Austria, even the British, as the only industrial country in the world, have not developed in an all-round way, focusing on the financial industry, shipbuilding industry, and textile industry.
This multiple-choice question is not easy to do. Once a choice is made, it is a national policy that has remained unchanged for decades, and the domestic economic development will be changed accordingly.
There are many factors that determine the national pillar industry, including: resources, market, industry advantages, interest groups, national development direction, international situation...
free economy? market economy
Just say it, don't take it seriously, or you're ready to cry.
In any successful country, the pillar industries are supported by policies, such as: tax reduction, introduction of policies that are conducive to the development of the industry...
Schönbrunn Palace
Franz was walking on the square with Felix, discussing the direction of Austria's development along the way.
"Prime Minister, where do you see Austria's future strategic focus?" Franz asked
This is an age of the jungle, and expansion is the theme of this age. Since the Vienna system was broken, European countries have entered a new round of competition.
Small countries have no choice but to go with the flow; if big countries want to develop, they sail against the current, and if they do not advance, they will retreat.
The Austrian Empire is actually at a crossroads, and the choice of Russia-Austria alliance is Austria's first strategic choice, but this time it is an ally.
Why did the Austro-Hungarian Empire step on the powder keg of the Balkans in history? Is it really what experts and scholars have commented on - is it a strategic decision-making mistake
Franz originally thought so, but after being in the situation, he found out that he was wrong.
Austria had many opportunities for external expansion, but they held back, and finally chose to step on the Balkans, which was definitely not what the rulers wanted.
As long as you think about the international environment at the time, Franz understands that this is a forced choice.
During the Great World War, all the great powers were expanding their power, but only Austria and Spain stayed where they were and did not keep up with everyone's pace.
This means that there are two sheep mixed in with the wolf pack. If you don't want to be eaten, you must at least disguise yourself as a wolf.
Austria occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina, packaged itself as a wolf, in exchange for a few years of peace; Spain did nothing, the Americans found the fat sheep, and then the Spanish-American War broke out.
Prime Minister Felix replied without hesitation: "Germany!"
"Why?" Franz asked
Prime Minister Felix thought for a while and said: "After the annexation of the South German region, we have a direct border with the French. Don't look at the good relationship between Fao and Austria, but the French people's European hegemony has always existed, and we have to consider the Western Front. defense.
There is also the Kingdom of Prussia who has to guard against it. In order to avoid the interference of various countries, when we unify the South German state, they will also annex the North German region, resulting in the fact that Germany is divided into two parts.
After the unification of North Germany, the strength of the Kingdom of Prussia will increase by at least four levels, and the threat will be greatly enhanced than it is now. The most important thing is that they still have the ambition to unify the entire German region. "
"What if we lead to misfortune?" Franz asked
Austria is so big that it looks difficult to mess with, and once it annexes the southern German state, it will be even more difficult to mess with.
In contrast, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands are all soft persimmons, or soft persimmons that are fat and oily.
Belgium has a developed industry, the Netherlands has a developed maritime industry, and there is a large colony. Luxembourg, a small place, is also a country of steel.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the Prussians are powerless and want to expand to the west. The French will not be able to pass the test, and the British will not agree." Felix thought for a while and said.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the Prussians have no courage to challenge the French.
As for the attitude of the British, in fact, as long as Prussia can overthrow the French, without the thugs, they can do nothing, and the big problem is that they will be blocked by sea for a few years.
The French are not easy to mess with, but compared to the enhanced Austria+Russia combination, they are a little easier to deal with.
"Then it requires the ambition of the Prussians and the interest of the French in the Rhineland region. As long as one of them is satisfied, this war can be detonated." Franz said confidently.
There is no way, other countries are the state has the army, and Prussia is the army has the country. Nationalism has awakened again, and when it is a little stimulated, it will burn.
If they don't have the guts to start a war, isn't there still Austria? The big deal is that Prussians join forces to dry France, and they don't believe that the Prussians can resist the temptation.
After eating the pie, they will have to fight to the end with the French in the future, and by the way, the road for Yingpu to join forces is also broken, and the political system of the Three Emperors Alliance to dominate the European continent is established again.
Do you want to do this? Franz was puzzled. It seems that this pattern is most beneficial to the Russians.
Austria only gained a stable rear, grabbed a few French colonies at most, and the Russians' road to the sea was unobstructed.
Felix smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I believe the Prussians will be very interested in this proposal, but do they have the strength to swallow this bait
Although Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are also German nation-states, they themselves do not admit that desperate resistance is necessary.
Even if Prussia defeated the French with our help, wouldn't the British still support it
If you can't eat it in one bite, there won't be a second chance. As long as the Prussians and Britain and France turn their faces, we will no longer support them. "
A word awakens the dreamer, the Kingdom of Prussia is not the German Empire of the later generations, and the size gap between the two sides is huge, how can the same strength erupt
The Netherlands has a population of about 3.06 million, Belgium has a population of about 4.4 million, and Luxembourg has a population of about 200,000. Most of these people are Catholics. The Kingdom of Prussia has a population of about 13 million. Can they digest it
The economic aggregate of the three countries combined is almost the same as that of the Kingdom of Prussia.
Of course, this is only the current comparison of the strengths of the two sides, and changes will definitely occur in the future, but no matter what changes occur, it will not be easy to annex a country with rising nationalism.
Franz even thinks that the annexation of these three countries by Prussia is more like a dream than the annexation of the Balkans by Austria.
Well, actually just think about it.
Without external force, it is possible to slowly nibble. If you swallow it in one bite, you will either be killed with blood, or you will be choked to death.
That being the case, Franz knew what to do.
Austria is no match for the British, at least in their three core industries, Austria cannot be their opponent. It doesn't matter, the development path of the British cannot be learned from Austria.
In Franz's view, head-to-head with core industries is the best way to suppress them. If the core industries to defeat the Prussians are laid out in advance, then they will only be a military power.
Franz made the same choice as Prussia, giving priority to the development of military industry, railways, manufacturing, plus Austria's advantageous industry-agricultural processing industry.
The construction of railways depends on government investment and encouragement of private investment. Commercial competition is also an internal problem. The military industry also relies on government funding. In this era, the international market can only be regarded as a small supplement, and Maoxiong next door is a good customer.
The manufacturing industry can only compete in the international market, but Franz is not worried. With the big market of the Holy Roman League and the good ally of Mao Xiong, it is much stronger than Prussia in history.
Needless to say, the agricultural product processing industry has almost no competitors. Austria's biggest competitors in the European grain market, Russia and the Ottoman Empire, all export grain directly.
Historically, the Russians exported wheat and imported flour at the same time. This is not a joke on the Internet, but it really exists in this era.
It's not surprising that the ship has taken out the grain, and when it comes back, the ship is empty, and the bottom of the silo has to be pressed with stones. The shrewd merchants found the flour in the Russian market at a good price, found it profitable, and sold it back to the Russians.
This also means that Austria's competitors in this field are food processing companies in food importing countries, and the two sides have drawn a distance from the beginning in terms of cost.
This kind of industry that has advantages and does not require much investment is naturally a key development. Historically, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary was the largest flour supplier in Europe.
As for the iron and steel industry, which is valued by countless travelers and even considered to be the embodiment of national strength, why is it not the core of development
Just look at how little steel is in demand in this day and age.
The Austrian Empire has only 20,000 to 30,000 tons of raw steel every year, the Russians have several thousand tons of raw steel, and the British are not much better, with an annual output of less than 100,000 tons of raw steel.
There is no way, the market demand is so great. Even if pig iron is added, the demand is not too high. Anyway, no one has exceeded the million-ton mark.
If the steel industry is regarded as the core industry, believe it or not, after a few months, there will be a lot of unsalable steel in the Austrian market
At that time, in order to solve these unsalable steel, the government had to invest a lot of money in other industries. In the end, it was surprised to find that the steel industry did not develop, and the industrial crisis came first.
Rather than this, it is better to develop railways and the military industry to drive the consumption of steel. If there is market demand, there will be production. This is the law of the market.
The key development of the steel industry is ahead of its time, not to mention the high-tech industry. In addition to the military industry, a country's economic model is the market to determine the prospects for industrial development.
This era is a high-tech desert, and many epoch-making products cannot be promoted even if they are produced in the laboratory.
This advanced field is not a core industry of a country. As a secondary key development object, it is still possible to carry out technical reserves in advance.