NOVPUBAfter a round of research and discussion, Franz finally came up with an unexpected answer — the British could no longer bear it.
This "could no longer bear it" did not mean that the British were about to be finished. In fact, the Great Britain Empire was at its peak, and no one could threaten their global empire yet.
It was just that the very nature of a colonial empire was to make money, and now there were too many international conflicts, with countries stabbing each other in the back and setting traps, greatly increasing the maintenance costs of the colonies.
The investment was getting bigger and bigger, but the benefits obtained were not growing in sync, and sometimes even decreased due to turmoil. Under such circumstances, it was not surprising that the London Government wanted to stop these unnecessary struggles and reduce the costs of colonization.
In the original timeline, there was also a Colonial Conference (the Berlin Conference), but it was initiated by the Belgians, with Leopold II using the contradictions between the major powers to successfully acquire the Congo Region.
Now that the Congo Region had fallen into Austria’s hands early on, and the African Continent was almost completely divided up, Leopold II naturally would not engage in a futile effort.
There would be no Berlin Conference now, and the major colonial empires still lacked an opportunity to deeply communicate and mediate conflicts.
Though England, France, and Austria had formed an alliance, they only reached a consensus on core issues; as for the details of each colony, there had been no time to discuss them.
Do not think that just because the three great powers had an advantage in the division of colonies, they could do as they pleased; in fact, all the major colonial empires were not to be provoked.
Perhaps their military strength was not comparable to the three countries, but they were still capable of backstabbing secretly, such as spreading nationalism and supporting colonial independence movements.
In recent years, the tumult in colonies was the best proof. If someone were to count, they would find that the number of uprisings in colonies was increasing year by year.
If this situation continued, no one should expect to make money happily. Especially for the British, who had the most colonies, the costs they paid for governance were also the highest.
The Vienna Government did not feel this as acutely, and that was due to Austria’s colonization policies and unique geographical environment.
Although Austria’s colonies were not small in size, the indigenous population was not large. With so few people, how much trouble could there be?
A rebellion that could be suppressed with just the police was hardly worth mentioning. By contrast, the British situation was tragic; not only did they have the largest territory, but they also had the highest population.
In recent years, nearly half of the colonial uprisings occurred in British colonies — it would be concerning if the London Government wasn’t worried.
This was the result of the British making enemies everywhere — openly, no one dared to do anything to them, but stabbing them in the back secretly came without pressure.
Not to elaborate, but Austria alone invested millions of Divine Shields annually, specifically for exporting various ideologies and thoughts, most of which were aimed at the British. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
The London Government was not without its countermeasures, but they could not find the right chess pieces; otherwise, the British would not have gone to great lengths to preserve the Ottoman Empire.
The British had eaten the most in the colonial movement and offended the most people. Now, not just Austria, but nearly every major colonial empire in Europe was engaged in machinations behind the scenes.
As long as no evidence could be found, besides retaliating secretly, there was nothing the London Government could do openly.
Even if they wanted to find an excuse to apply diplomatic pressure on smaller countries, France and Austria would step in to mediate, leaving them no outlet for their frustrations.
This was the disadvantage of having a large population. The total population of British colonies was as high as four to five hundred million, the total population of French colonies was only forty to fifty million, and the total population of Austrian colonies was less than thirty million, not even on the same level.
In the colonial movement, the British gained the richest rewards, but they also paid the highest governance costs.
"Population is wealth" is not always a correct statement; it requires a process of transformation. Only by utilizing the population can wealth be created.
Undoubtedly, the British could not possibly make use of so many people in the colonies. Otherwise, not only France and Austria, but even if all the countries in Europe were to unite, they would not be a match for them.
In the development of the colonies, Austria made the most efficient use of labor. This was not because Franz was exploiting a loophole or that the Vienna Government managed so well, but rather it was determined by the quality of the population.
The population in Austrian colonies might not be large, but European immigrants and their descendants accounted for more than half of the total population.
This was a number that England and France could not compete with; their population bases determined that they could not bring out so many immigrants. Without enough immigrants and with local indigenous productivity being extremely backward, the wealth created was naturally limited.
This was something the French probably felt most deeply. Just looking at the fiscal revenue of the colonies, French colonies had been losing money for many years.
There was nothing surprising about this, as it was not just France that experienced financial losses in colonies; nearly all of the colonial empires went through it.
However, this usually happened in the early stages of colonial development, and after a certain level of development, they would turn a loss into a profit; the continuously losing colonies were only a minority.
Austria was one of these exceptions; at its peak, it lost tens of millions of Divine Shields annually, and even now, many areas were still losing money, and overall, they were just breaking even.
Of course, this was only calculating the direct fiscal revenue of the colonial government. If one considered the economic boost the colonies brought to the domestic economy, then the situation changed.
The British were resented because they occupied the most fertile land. Even with the most backward governance methods, they could turn a direct profit, and earn more than anyone else.
Compared to them, the French were in a tragic state. Compared to the same historical period, they managed the "Desert Empire" even more thoroughly.
Since it is a Desert Empire, naturally, don’t expect the land to be very fertile. Before the underground natural resources were exploited, French African was a concentration camp of rotten land.
If it hadn’t been for Napoleon III, who moved immigrants from the Balkan Peninsula and Italian Area years ago, to develop North Africa to a certain extent, the losses would likely have been even more severe by now.
Of course, having many deserts is not without benefits. At least in terms of ruling costs, the French didn’t have to spend much.
Rebels in other areas could scurry around and hide in the mountains, but in the desert regions, straying away from the oasis meant certain death. Therefore, the French rule in North Africa was quite stable.
Having clarified his thoughts, Franz was very clear: it was the general trend to resolve international disputes through negotiation and to reduce international conflicts.
Driven by interests, almost all Colonial Empires had a demand for reducing the costs of colonial rule. Under such circumstances, if one were to obstruct, they would stand against everyone.
Franz disliked the idea of futilely resisting the inevitable, since it was a common demand. He decided to get involved as well.
Austria was also a member of the Colonial Empires, and reducing some disputes would be profitable for them too, though not as much as the British got.
Franz, "Reducing international conflicts and the cost of maintaining colonies benefits everyone, we don’t need to be the villains.
Now let’s think about how much benefit we can gain this time."
Can the cost of maintaining colonies really be reduced?
Franz didn’t believe so in his heart!
Perhaps it could be reduced in the short term, but in the long term, it was destined to grow. Especially in densely populated areas, the future costs of rule would inevitably increase dramatically.
Everything else was easy to handle, except for ideologies and beliefs. Once spread, they became uncontrollable. Once released, they could no longer be taken back.
The seeds had been sown, and nobody knew when they would take root, sprout, and then bloom and bear fruit.
Prime Minister Felix, "Your Majesty, in reality, we have become mere onlookers at this partition conference. There’s too little left that is suitable for us and that we can actually acquire.
The areas still available for colonization are only parts of the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the Far East, the Indochina Peninsula, and some areas of East Africa.
The South America region barely counts, but since they have already gained independence, considering the costs of rule, these areas are only suited as economic colonies."
"The most suitable for us is the Ottoman Empire. In other regions, either our competitors are too strong, or the distance is too far for our reach, making the gain not worth the loss.
England and France will not allow us to swallow the Ottoman Empire, so it’s very difficult for us to gain anything from this partition feast."
"Economic colonies" is a new concept proposed by European scholars as the cost of colonial rule continued to rise.
To put it simply, when the direct cost of rule is too high, they switch to supporting proxies to govern and extract wealth through unequal trade agreements.
This concept has many supporters. In everyone’s understanding, colonies exist for making money. As long as profit can be made, how to rule is not significant.
Prime Minister Felix cited only large colonial blocks. Besides these, there are many smaller pieces not worthy of attention due to their smaller size or lower economic value.
Among these areas, the wealthiest is undoubtedly the Far Eastern region. However, this is where the situation is most complex, with a conglomerate of great powers’ influences.
Austria has no foothold there and has missed the opportunity to participate. Moreover, the distance is too far, beyond Austria’s capability to project power.
Persia is considered a possession by the British and is adjacent to the Indian region. John Bull watches it closely, ready to fall out with anyone who interferes.
The Kingdom of Prussia occupies a corner of the Indochina Peninsula, the British are involved, and the French are desperately contesting. If Austria tried to get involved at this point, they would unquestionably be squeezed out.
The East Africa region for Austria is already a "chicken rib" – an expendable asset. Its economic value is limited, and it will lose money for a long time. Moreover, the strategic locations have already been preempted by the British, making acquisition almost impossible.
Although the countries in South America are suitable as economic colonies, due to distance, the influence of England and France is greater there, and Austria’s influence is confined to Colombia, near the Central American Colony.
Franz nodded helplessly, admitting that in this last colonizing feast, Austria was no longer a protagonist. Rash participation could even lead to joint exclusion by others.
"I was too greedy, the benefits Austria has gained are already plenty, and it has attracted considerable envy. Now it is time to digest these gains well.
In this partitioning feast, it’s enough to preserve our existing interests. If we gain something, it’s a pleasant surprise; if not, we shouldn’t be upset. It’s not worth getting worked up over some scraps."
Having timely adjusted his attitude, Franz felt much more relaxed. Greed is the original sin of mankind. If one cannot control their greed, it will invariably lead down a path of no return.
The feast of spoils involved many countries. Although it seemed like there was a substantial amount of leftovers, once distributed to any specific country, there wasn’t much.
