Two or Three Attempts to Form the Zollverein (Part 1)

Metternich, lagging behind, sighed as he watched his two colleagues. Although these men were full of confidence, based on his understanding of the old Emperor, this attempt would likely end in failure as well.

Yet, as an idealist, he was unwilling to give up, even if the hope was slim.

Metternich quite enjoyed the title "Chancellor of Europe." However, only after becoming the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire did he realize that guiding the destiny of a nation was far less effortless than he had imagined.

In the past, as a diplomat, he could skillfully defuse any situation with words, no matter how many people besieged or slandered him.

However, as Prime Minister of the Empire, without money, he could not even afford to hire a clerk, let alone issue decrees outside of Vienna, let alone carry out reforms.

The internal relations of the Austrian Empire were even more complex than the situation in Europe. Joining the Zollverein was clearly beneficial to the Austrian Empire in every way.

Yet, it met with fierce opposition—opposition far more intense than he had anticipated.

Because the abolition of tariffs would affect the income of some, and the entry of goods from the German regions into Austria would affect the profits of others; even the increase in the German population of Austria would threaten the status of certain individuals.

And Emperor Francis II was soft-hearted and afraid of taking responsibility. Thus, the final result would most likely be to do nothing and maintain the status quo.

Metternich knew clearly that to maintain Austria's position as the leader of the German Confederation, one must either join the Zollverein or prevent its formation.

He had tried the latter, but failed.

Under the leadership of Prussia, six North German states formed a customs union in 1826, abolishing tariffs between the participating states.

The following year, two major South German states, Bavaria and Württemberg, formed the South German Customs Union, and other South German states later joined to counter the customs union organized by Prussia.

In 1828, Hanover, Saxony, Thuringia, and the cities of the Hanseatic League formed a Central German Customs Union to oppose Prussia.

But who would turn away from money? These organizations, formed to oppose Prussia, all crumbled and eventually became the foundation of the Zollverein.

The establishment of the Zollverein was good news for Prussia, and it was equally good news for Austria.

Although Austrian goods could not compare to those of Britain and France at the time, or even to those of the Belgians, Metternich was still confident when compared to Prussia.

As long as they controlled the Zollverein, they could not only alleviate the strained economic situation in Austria but also strengthen their control over the German Confederation, thereby reviving the glory of a great power.

With money, Metternich could carry out reforms and realize his ambitions.

On the other side, Prince Windisch-Graetz and a group of powerful nobles also arrived at the palace gates. They had only one goal for this trip: to prevent Austria from joining the Zollverein. Because Bohemia was close to South Germany and Saxony, the abolition of tariffs would greatly affect the income of local nobles and officials.

Prince Esterhazy even traveled overnight from Hungary with his men, though not for the sake of money. In his view, trading with Prussia would make it easier for him to purchase Prussian luxury goods (amber, agate, pearls) at a lower cost.

However, once Austria established closer ties with Germany, the German population in Austria would increase, which would very likely affect the power of the Hungarian nobles within the Empire—a prospect he and his peers could not tolerate.

Bolster, a banker and effectively a representative of the Rothschild family, opposed it because Salomon Rothschild wanted to maintain a monopoly over the banking business of the Austrian Empire forever.

Currently, within the Austrian Empire, several well-known banking families had either declined or were in a state of shock due to the inability to recover imperial debts.

Once the restrictions were lifted, North German banks would enter the Austrian Empire, thereby affecting the family's interests.

Inside the Mirror Hall in Vienna, a fierce argument broke out between the two sides.

Those supporting the entry into the Zollverein—whether Metternich, Kolowrat, or Bruck—were all experts in their respective fields.

This meant the debate had no suspense from the very beginning.

Or so it seemed.

However, could the side that was correct and well-reasoned always win?

Presenting facts and reasoning was clearly not the forte of these noble lords; fishing in troubled waters and playing palace politics were their true professions.

The advisors they had hired with heavy gold were no slackers, either.

In particular, the high nobles seized upon the fact that Metternich had once attempted to establish a Zollverein with Austria at its core, only for it to end in an unpleasant breakup.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten? How that time with Saxony ended in such discord, and how Bavaria acted with such treachery?"

"Indeed, indeed, even Baden and Württemberg turned against us because of it. Have you forgotten all of that?" another high noble chimed in.

Metternich recalled how those powerful figures had been so clever by half, leading to the dissolution of the alliance.

Because Saxony's industrial products competed with Austria's, and agricultural products from Prussia might enter Hungary through Saxony, their interests were threatened.

To prevent the Austrian Empire from trading with Saxony, the opponents even bribed officials to block the Saxon delegation from entering the country. In the end, the Saxon delegation had to enter Austria via Bavaria.

At the meeting, these high nobles proposed harsh conditions, even demanding that the Saxon government limit the quantity and variety of goods exported to Austria, causing the Saxon ambassador to leave in a rage.

Afterward, they bribed the courtiers around the King of Saxony, spreading false news that "Austria intends to make Saxony a vassal."

At that time, the King of Saxony, Anthony I, still prided himself as the master of the "first power of North Germany," fantasizing about annexing Prussia sooner or later and then standing on equal footing with Austria. How could he accept the humiliation of becoming a vassal to Austria?

Thus, the commercial alliance between Austria and Saxony was declared broken.

The three South German states were closer to Austria in culture and religion, possessed a strong liberal spirit, were very interested in profitable ventures, and many Pan-Germanists even considered themselves subjects of the Holy Roman Empire.

The churches of the three South German states also hoped to use this to draw closer to Austria to resist the influence of North German Protestants, while the Austrian church hoped to use it to strengthen the influence of the Catholic Church to counter the growing Protestant forces within the country.

Under Metternich's skillful blending, the attitudes of the church, the public, and the bureaucracy were unprecedentedly unified; it was already an irresistible trend, but the high nobles were not reconciled.

The high nobles first tried to repeat their old tricks, intending to make things difficult for the delegation. However, Metternich had learned his lesson this time and found a general who was both a noble and an outcast from the noble circles—Julius Haynau—to receive the delegation.

This man was the illegitimate son of the Elector of Hesse and had no right of inheritance, so he should not have been a noble. But during the Napoleonic Wars, he had come to Austria alone and performed brilliantly on the battlefield, earning a title in the Austrian Empire.

The "proper" high nobles held such self-made illegitimate sons in great contempt. At the same time, Haynau looked down upon those "so-called nobles" who relied on the shade of their ancestors and wet their pants at the first sign of battle.

Haynau also had another identity that made the high nobles despise him even more. He was a Jew; his mother was the daughter of a Jewish merchant who first married a blacksmith and then, unable to endure the loneliness, became the mistress of the Grand Duke of Hesse, secretly giving birth to Haynau.

Men like Haynau were unacceptable to the high nobles, yet Haynau's reputation for brutality made anyone attempting to cause trouble steer clear.

But this time, the high nobles went even further. Their actions could no longer be called detrimental to the country; they were outright treasonous. This time, they went directly to the French.