Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 121: Austrian Civil Service Examination

Chapter 121: Austrian Civil Service Examination

The Austrian government has been very busy lately. It needs to fulfill its promises of military honors and rewards after the war has ended. It also recently took over properties from the church, which require management. Additionally, there’s a need for widespread compulsory education, which requires strong cooperation from local governments…

With so much on the government’s plate, it’s facing a shortage of manpower. When there’s a personnel shortage, external recruitment becomes necessary.

In this world, there can be a shortage of all kinds of talents, but one thing that will never be in short supply is people who want to become government officials.

Of course, there may be exceptions in harsh conditions, but in Austria itself, that is simply impossible.

It was unknown how many noble children are currently unemployed at home, struggling to find opportunities, gradually regressing into idleness.

Now that an opportunity has arisen, they naturally want to join the ruling group.

It shouldn’t be mistaken that grassroots civil servants are not in demand. For fallen nobility, finding a respectable job is not easy.

Austria is conservative, and the vast majority of young aristocrats are unwilling to work for capitalists, as it would damage their family’s reputation.

They would rather join the military and slowly climb the ranks than work under capitalists for a handsome salary, as it would make them feel insulted and compromise their dignity.

Initially, when Franz proposed a nationwide civil service examination, it faced strong opposition from the government. After analyzing the practical situation, he wisely abandoned this tempting idea.

In this era, intellectuals are not common, mainly consisting of nobility, capitalists, and the middle class. Commoners with the qualifications to participate in such an examination are extremely rare, and even if there were such individuals, Franz would not dare to use them.

As a qualified monarch, the first priority is to ensure the loyalty of one’s subordinates. As for their abilities, ordinary civil servants don’t need exceptional skills. As long as their intelligence is above the passing grade and they can execute their superiors’ orders, they are qualified for the job.

So this time, they selected candidates from among the nobility. All in all, the nobility generally had a higher overall level of ability, and they had inherited some life experiences from their elders that nouveau riche individuals couldn’t compare with.

Of course, the Emperor still had his reputation to uphold, so there was still a civil service examination, but this was a uniquely Austrian civil service examination that excluded most people from qualifying.

For example: educational requirements starting from secondary school, passing a social knowledge level examination, having correct political beliefs, no records of misconduct, no criminal records for the past three generations, industry avoidance policies for parents and relatives, and children not being eligible for supervisory positions...

If it weren’t for the nobility’s children getting preferential treatment and going directly to the second round, this civil service examination could be considered fair overall.

At least theoretically, the government’s eligibility criteria made sense. When these restrictions were published in the newspapers, there was an uproar in public opinion.

What surprised Franz was that these blatantly exclusionary conditions were seen as a significant improvement in Austrian government reform by the outside world, and public opinion gave it high praise.

If he wasn’t certain that he didn’t manipulate public opinion, he would have suspected that all these positive reviews were the work of paid comments.

There were, of course, people who opposed these conditions. Many young students had their reservations, and given their participation in protests and criticism of the government, these activities might hinder their ability to apply for civil service positions.

However, they had to keep their opinions to themselves. Since the Ministry of Education had strengthened the quality management of school education, their academic workload had increased significantly.

Franz introduced the magic weapon for success known as “examinations” to the Austrian education system. Monthly exams, mid-term exams every six months, and annual exams were implemented.

The results of each exam were publicly posted, so anyone not afraid of losing face could give it a try. The future graduation certificate would include the academic performance during their time at school.

If you fail three consecutive times, you’ll likely have to repeat the grade. If repeating doesn’t work out, then you’ll have to wait for the school to advise you to leave.

Of course, wealthy and willful tycoons can continue to play; if they don’t want to repeat, they just need to pay.

The first time requires a fee of 5,000 florins, the second time costs 10,000 florins, the third time demands 20,000 florins...

If you have the money, you can certainly buy your way through; Austrian universities don’t mind selling degrees. If you have enough money, you can even modify your academic performance.

Under the high pressure from the Ministry of Education, Austrian students spend their days “happily” studying.

Dare to skip class? You’ll be expelled directly. If you have the courage to try, see what good consequences await you after being expelled from school.

The most restricted bourgeoisie collectively remains silent at this time. The Austrian government has been targeting them for quite some time, and there are plenty of restrictive measures in place.

There’s no way around it; their fellow conspirators planned that damn March Revolution, and their success has infuriated the Austrian government. Even though those bastards are either dead or gone, the government clearly still holds a grudge.

They were all clever people with extensive experience in social struggle, and they are aware they can’t stick their necks out right now. Even if they have some ideas, it would have to wait until things calm down.

Franz foresaw these circumstances in advance. What worries him most is that someone might oppose the privileges of the nobility and trigger domestic unrest.

Originally, the nobility already had the upper hand, and now they go directly to the second round, leaving no chance for others. It’s simply not giving others an opportunity.

As it turns out, Franz worried too much. The vast majority of the Austrian people aren’t that politically aware. No matter what conditions are set, it’s impossible for them to have a chance. They simply don’t care as long as it doesn’t affect them personally.

Regarding the de facto prohibition of capitalists becoming government officials, everyone strongly agrees. These guys are shady enough already; imagine what they’d do if they were in government positions?

Well, since nobody is expressing any objections, Franz will just assume there aren’t any.

The matter has been settled, whether it’s through written exams or direct interviews, how each department recruits people, Franz can’t be bothered to get involved; he just wants results.

The bureaucrats aren’t fools either. The individuals they are currently recruiting are expected to be productive, and they are merely low-level civil servants. How could they possibly bring in a group of aristocrats to cause trouble?

If they don’t perform well, it means they’ll be held accountable by higher-ranking officials. The Austrian government doesn’t have temporary staff positions to use as scapegoats. If subordinates don’t perform well, their immediate superiors will suffer as well.

Since Prime Minister Felix took office and cleaned up the Austrian bureaucracy, the government’s efficiency has improved significantly.

……

The Schönbrunn Palace is located in the southwest of Vienna, and its construction began in the 17th century. It underwent several expansions and was finally completed during the reign of Queen Maria Theresa.

With 1441 rooms and a total area of 26,000 square meters, the palace incorporates various regional cultural styles and is second in extravagance only to the Palace of Versailles.

Franz was born in the Schönbrunn Palace, and perhaps influenced by memories from his past life, he held a unique affection for this place. After ascending to the throne, he frequently resided here.

Inside the palace, there are dedicated areas designed in Eastern classical styles, such as Chinese rooms adorned with inlaid rosewood, ebony, and ivory, as well as Japanese-style rooms decorated with gold leaf and lacquer.

The interior of the rooms is adorned with decorations in a unified Eastern style. Ceramic objects are embedded in the walls and ceilings. Among the diverse array of ceramics displayed, you can find Chinese celadon, Ming Dynasty Wanli period polychrome porcelain plates, and unique flower vases, to name a few.

Before reincarnating, picking up any of these items could have elevated him from a mediocre life, but now they are displayed before him in wholesale quantities.

Despite the initial excitement, Franz didn’t feel much about them anymore. What’s the big deal about antiques? At his current status, anything he used would be considered an antique or artifact in later generations.

The condition, of course, is that he continues to succeed. If he were to fail, the value of these objects would plummet.

Franz is well aware that the luxurious Schönbrunn Palace is essentially an unfinished project. When it was originally designed, its scale and grandeur rivaled that of the Palace of Versailles, but due to financial limitations, the original design couldn’t be fully realized.

As a person with principles, Franz doesn’t mind eventually completing the palace’s original design, but that’s a matter for the future. At present, he is unwilling to invest money in it.

It’s unclear exactly when it started, but Franz has developed a fondness for sitting beneath a giant camphor tree, sipping tea, and reading newspapers.

“Your Majesty, Prince Windisch-Grätz requests an audience.”

The melodious voice of a maid interrupted Franz’s wandering thoughts, bringing him back to the present.

“Bring him in and fetch an extra chair,” Franz instructed.

In informal gatherings with his ministers, Franz maintained an atmosphere of mutual respect. Chairs were casually placed, and everyone was free to sit or stand as they pleased. Coffee, tea, or juice—whatever they preferred; they could simply ask a servant to provide.

Unless it’s their first meeting, Franz usually keeps his greetings brief. Afterwards, it’s a matter of “you do as you please” because one shouldn’t expect the great Emperor to engage in pleasantries every day.

Prince Windisch-Grätz, well aware of Franz’s style, swiftly conducted the appropriate courtesies. As a high-ranking nobleman, he possessed his own distinctive manner.

After exchanging greetings and taking a seat, he summoned a cup of coffee from a maid and then began to speak.

“Your Majesty, with the expansion of personnel across government departments, our retired officers need to be accommodated as well. How about assigning them to certain positions?”

In Austria, it was a common practice to promote military officers to civil positions. For example, in Franz’s current cabinet, all members were former military officers.

This was the choice of most nobles in the German regions. Adult offsprings were required to serve in the military, even if it was only nominally, just to fulfill the formality.

Given the prevailing environment, transitioning from the military to civilian positions was quite common and unproblematic. When Prince Windisch-Grätz made this request, he was essentially looking to provide preferential treatment.

“In principle, there should be no problem. However, their suitability for specific positions will need to be assessed before any decisions are made,” Franz calmly responded.

Prince Windisch-Grätz continued to advocate, “Your Majesty, these retiring officers have demonstrated their military achievements, and they…”

“I understand all of this. It’s precisely for their own good that I believe they should be placed in positions that suit them.

If they are given roles they are not qualified for, I don’t see it as a reward, but rather as setting them up for failure.

The Austrian government is no longer the same as it used to be. Now, every government employee is expected to be responsible for their work.

If there are problems due to their own lack of ability, they will also be held accountable. Do you want these heroes to suffer a tarnished reputation for the rest of their lives?” Franz asked in response.

Feeling that perhaps he had expressed his thoughts rather strongly, Franz added, “Instead of discussing this here, why don’t we consider providing some training for retired officers at the Ministry of War? If they acquire the necessary skills, they’ll have a better chance to compete with others, don’t you think?”

Franz did indeed favor giving preferential treatment to military personnel, but the fundamental principle of equal opportunity couldn’t be discarded. If their capabilities weren’t up to par, they would have to take on simpler roles.