After a series of fierce battles, Franz had finally cleared away the obstacles at home and abroad, and the Austrian Empire could at last devote its energies primarily to development.
In 1848, the Austrian Empire's fiscal revenue surpassed that of Britain and France for the first time, reaching 758 million Florins and ranking first in the world.
Due to the outbreak of the Revolution, France's revenue was cut in half from the 1.6 billion Francs it had taken in during Louis Philippe's reign. Its fiscal revenue for the year stood at only 800 million Francs, and it was saddled with nearly three billion Francs in debt.
(In the same period historically, France's fiscal revenue was about 1.4 billion Francs.)
Due to the economic crisis, strikes, severed trade routes, war, and a host of other factors, Britain's fiscal revenue plunged to 60 million Pounds Sterling (equivalent to 600 million Florins in this book).
Russia took in 360 million Rubles. Its financial strength far exceeded that of Russia in the same period historically. Moreover, after gaining Trabzon and Erzurum at the Third Vienna Conference, and thanks to its close relationship with the Austrian Empire, Russia's economy would continue to improve.
Although Prussia had been through the wringer in 1848, its fiscal report still looked very impressive. Its revenue for the year reached a staggering 140 million Thalers, or about 210 million Florins.
The Kingdom of Sardinia's fiscal revenue plunged to 20 million Lira, essentially stripping it of any chance of continuing to vie for supremacy. Simply maintaining its rule had become extremely difficult.
(Historically, the Kingdom of Sardinia had always been the wealthiest country in Italy. Some even believed that, before 1848, its fiscal revenue had already exceeded 100 million Lira, or about 50 million Florins.
In the same period, the Austrian