When the bubble burst, the Holy Roman Empire, as the economic leader, suffered the greatest losses. Britain, the second-largest industrial power in the capitalist world economic system, naturally suffered the second-greatest losses.
Regardless of whether the two nations had already become political adversaries, their economies had long since been tied together. The Holy Roman Empire's economic bubble was severe, and Britain's was hardly any smaller.
In fact, the crisis should have erupted once the Continental War ended, but the various powers had joined forces to suppress it.
The Vienna Government took measures, and the London Government did not sit idle either. During the Gladstone Cabinet's tenure, Britain's diplomatic strategy had nearly collapsed across the board. If economic prosperity vanished as well, the British public would probably tear them apart alive.
The Cabinet wanted to safely see out the last of its term, while the financial conglomerates needed time to withdraw. The two sides hit it off at once and artificially created a latter-stage boom in the virtual economy.
The economic crisis that should have broken out in 1893 had been forcibly dragged out until now. If the Vienna stock market had not suffered a collapse, the crisis would likely have been delayed even longer.
Against this backdrop, Robert Cecil, who had only just taken office, was in for a tragedy. Before he had even warmed his seat, the stock market crash arrived, and an economic crisis was visibly on the verge of breaking out as well.
Britain practiced a free economy these days, and the government was not supposed to interfere with the market. Of course, that was merely something to hear and leave at that; anyone who took it seriously had already lost.
Being unable to intervene directly in the market did not mean not intervening at all. In