With the end of the Prussian War, Frederick The Great's marriage was also put on the agenda, which was also a big deal for Austria.
Hanover's inability to take control of the German Federal Empire was largely due to the Duchy of Baden. Without them leading a group of small states to oppose the central government in the Imperial Parliament, the German Federal Empire would not be so divided.
Of course, Austria also played a big part in this. Without the support of the Government of Vienna, the Duchy of Baden did not have the ability to pull in so many allies.
The marriage at this time was actually Franz's encouragement to the Duchy of Baden so that they would not be afraid and continue to oppose Hanover. If anything happened, Austria would be there to support them.
This kind of support was especially important at the moment when the British were making trouble in the North German Empire. Otherwise, after Hanover and Prussia formed a dual kingdom, the group of small states would not be able to withstand it.
In fact, Franz was also very conflicted.
On one hand, he did not want to see the North German Empire being integrated, which would increase the difficulty of unification; on the other hand, he wanted to use George I's hand to clean up the bunch of small states, so as not to leave trouble for the future.
Supporting the Duchy of Baden was also a last resort. Although there were many states in the German Region, they were basically a bunch of small beans, each weaker than the other. Most of them were at the level of a mayor, and even some were at the level of a village chief.
The Duchy of Baden was also the tall among the short, and its overall strength was about half of Hanover's. With the support of Austria, they could barely compete.
No matter how small they were, they had the status of an independent state and had at least one vote in the Imperial Parliament.
It would be fine if there were no meetings, but if there were really something that needed to be held, it would be troublesome if there were too many people.
From a management point of view, reducing the number of states was undoubtedly a good thing. Franz would not do this kind of thing that would make people hate him. Otherwise, there would not be the existence of the Duchy of Liechtenstein.
Now that he supported the Duchy of Baden, it was not to deliberately provoke George I and lure him into using violent means to solve the problem.
It was not known whether George I was smart or not brave enough, but in short, he did not fall for it.
The central government was not strong enough, and the small states naturally did not buy it.
At first, everyone was still afraid of Hanover's strength, but after seeing George I's inaction, they became bolder and simply used the Imperial Parliament to make the central government a mere figurehead.
This was also the fundamental reason why the Federal Empire of Germany could not be integrated. The rulers of the small states were used to freedom and were unwilling to give up the power in their hands.
The Habsburg Dynasty was very prideful. They couldn't be careless with the marriage of the crown prince. Naturally, it would be a big event.
Franz didn't need to ask about the specific preparation work. There were specialized staff in charge. He only needed to communicate with the royal family of Baden as an elder and confirm the date.
Frankly speaking, if it wasn't to show his respect, Franz wouldn't even ask about this personally.
It couldn't be helped. There had been too much work recently. Even a salted fish emperor like him felt busy.
He had to pay attention to the negotiations between Prussia and Russia, and he was working on the new Vienna System. He also had to pay attention to the resettlement of refugees, as well as the great purge carried out by the Tsarist government …
Compared to before, Franz had been working overtime every day for more than eight hours. He had not taken a break for five days in a row.
If he continued to work so diligently, Franz suspected that he would die of depression. If his sons were not so young, he would definitely find a strong man to replace them.
He had just spoken to the Grand Duke of Baden on the phone and finalized the marriage of Frederick The Great. Before he had time to rest, things came knocking on his door again.
…
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the embassy in St. Peter's Castle has just sent news that Crown Prince Alexandrovich has stopped the purge.
The Tsarist government blamed the assassination of Alexander Ii Of Russia on the People's Will Party, and Alexandrovich, as the crown prince, announced the execution order for the assassins.
The suspects arrested by the Tsarist government, except for those who have been identified as suspicious, have been released one after another. "
Putting the blame on the People's Will Party meant that the purge was coming to an end. The revolutionaries were wanted, and generally speaking, it was not a burden to be in debt.
Of course, this time might be an exception. The crime of regicide made the People's Will Party famous, but it also pushed them to hell.
If there were no accidents, the remaining People's Will Party would definitely change their name and continue to carry out the unfinished revolutionary cause.
If they continued to carry this name, they would not even be able to get international sponsors. Monarchies would not sponsor "regicide."
This was political correctness. In the era of strong monarchies, politicians would not make such an obvious mistake.
Franz nodded, "It seems that the Tsarist government is about to usher in a reshuffle. If there are no accidents, the road of reform of the Russians will stop.
Alexandrovich is not his father, Alexander II Of Russia, and has no determination to continue the reform. This is also a good thing for us.
Since the Russians have made a decision, then hand over all the People's Will Party we arrested to the Tsarist government. We don't need to overstep our authority. "
The situation in Russia was very obvious. With the continuous deepening of Alexander II Of Russia's reform, more and more interest groups were involved, and the strength of the opposition was also growing.
The reform could be carried out because Tsar controlled the army. Alexander II Of Russia's reform from top to bottom was completely pushed through by strength.
If Alexandrovich wanted to continue to deepen the reform, the most important thing to do now was to expand the "regicide" case and take the opportunity to suppress the conservatives who opposed the reform.
Alexander II Of Russia liberated the serfs and gave everyone land. He had a very good reputation among the people.
Using the "regicide" case as an excuse, even if the conservatives wanted to fight back, they would not be able to get the support of the people.
A few aristocrats and capitalists alone were actually the same. After killing a few leaders, the rest would make the right choice.
Alexandrovich only killed a few of the most active ones and stopped the purge, which was undoubtedly giving up the biggest trump card in his hand.
Of course, it could not be said that his decision was wrong. The strength of the opposition was not weak. If the purge really expanded, it would certainly cause a lot of trouble.
Alexandrovich did not have his father's prestige, nor did he have his father's great talent. If he really deepened the reform, he might not be able to control the situation, so it was not surprising that he chose to compromise.
After the reform of Alexander II Of Russia, the contradictions in the Russian Empire had tended to ease. The most dangerous time had passed, and it was not difficult to be a peaceful emperor.
If he was not prepared to continue to deepen the reform, then it would be meaningless to continue to suppress the opposition. After beating them for a while, he immediately stopped, which was enough to prove Alexandrovich's political skills.
For Franz, a weak Russian Empire was the best Russia. If the Tsarist government really completed the internal reform, it would be a real threat to Austria.
It was good that Alexandrovich was willing to stop. Otherwise, Franz would find ways to destroy them, and then the relationship between Russia and Austria would be finished.
After the purge, as the executor of the death of Alexander II Of Russia, the Public Opinion Party naturally had to pay the price in blood.
Not only would the Public Opinion Party members arrested in Austria be unlucky, but the Public Opinion Party members arrested in other countries would probably not be able to escape the gallows.
It was useless to flee to the hostile Prussia. In order to avoid suspicion, the Government of Berlin would only work harder and use them as a greeting gift to the people of Russia.
It was impossible to pardon them. If the assassination failed, there was a chance to fight for leniency. Alexander II Of Russia was dead, so it was useless to say anything now.
Not only was the Tsarist government unwilling to let them go, but the Russian people were also unwilling to let them go.
In any case, in the eyes of the people at the bottom, Alexander II Of Russia was a hero.
Although the defeat in the first war between Prussia and Russia damaged his glorious image, later, he was brave and won again, so the stain was erased.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Minister of Police replied.
The unlucky people of the Public Opinion Party were not worthy of everyone's pity. They had to be responsible for what they did.
As a monarchy, everyone had the same position on the issue of cracking down on the "regicide."
Fortunately, the Public Opinion Party was only a small organization in the revolutionary party. If it was a large organization with many members, there would be a river of blood.
Once again, the facts proved that a motley crew could not achieve anything. A reckless action by a few teenagers ruined the future of the Russian People's Will Party.
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