While the civil service examinations were causing a tremendous stir, the Austrian army far away in the Papal States, seen off by Pope Pius IX, began its journey home.
Having only just ascended to the presidency and hoping to make his presence felt through intervention in the Papal States, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte had no choice but to regretfully abandon the idea.
The Austrian army had already finished the job, and Pope Pius IX had no intention whatsoever of changing masters. If the French army went over now, it would be an invasion.
If the Austrian army had not withdrawn, perhaps Pius IX would have brought in the French to keep them in check. But now that they were already leaving, why would he go looking for trouble?
History took a turn here. French influence failed to penetrate deep into Italy, and through its military intervention in the Papal States, Austria preserved its influence over the Italian states.
This was enormously important to Austria's industrial and commercial circles. Preserving political influence also meant preserving this commercial market, injecting a powerful stimulant into the ongoing Industrial Revolution.
At the new round of government meetings, Finance Minister Karl Ludwig von Bruck declared with high spirits, "The development of industry and commerce cannot be separated from markets.
Looking across the nations of the world, only the United Kingdom has completed the Industrial Revolution, and that rests upon the foundation of its vast colonies.
Austria does not possess broad colonial territories. If we wish to catch up with the United Kingdom, we must establish a market belonging to Austria.
Through a series of reforms, we have unleashed the domestic market, but it still needs time to develop and is far from sufficient to meet the practical needs of our industrial and commercial growth.
By using diplomatic