At Schönbrunn Palace, Franz was still anxiously awaiting the outcome of the American Civil War. As for the controversy stirred up by the enormous expense of the Central American colonies, he did not take it to heart at all.
The wool came off the sheep's back. Without the Central American colonies, Austria would not have been able to reap huge profits from the American Civil War, and now those profits were being spent on developing the Central American colonies.
Since the Americans had footed the bill, why should he feel any pain over it?
Being able to obtain Central America and drive a nail into the Americans' backyard was already an enormous gain.
Though the Panama region had not fallen into his hands, Austrian influence had already spread into it. Franz's goal was merely to delay the opening of the Panama Canal and cause a little sabotage. He did not necessarily have to seize the land itself.
When one stood at a different height, one naturally viewed problems differently. Franz had always defined overseas colonies as: sources of raw materials + markets in the present, and future spheres of Austrian economic + political influence.
The United Kingdom had actually done quite well in this regard. The Commonwealth's strategic vision had been very successful. Its only problem was that the Soviet Union and the United States were too powerful, while Britain had declined.
Weakness was the original sin. Britain lacked strength, so the Commonwealth naturally could not fulfill its intended role. Still, it retained some economic and political benefits—better than nothing.
Austria could fully follow its example. The Holy Roman Empire's unique system was naturally designed for precisely this kind of situation.
Whether through enfeoffed states or autonomous provinces, it took every party's interests into account while preserving national unity. So