Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 588: Prussian-Poland Union

Jerusalem

With Franz’s arrival, the ancient city was brought back to life. Pilgrims from all over the world caused Jerusalem to prosper overnight. The inns were packed, and even the city’s buildings had been turned into temporary guest rooms, yet still, it wasn’t enough to meet the demand.

To solve the accommodation issue, the city’s management committee had no choice but to set up temporary lodging outside the city.

This coronation was of great significance, and naturally, the guests attending were of considerable status. Almost all of Europe’s great noble families had sent their core members, and more than a dozen monarchs had arrived.

Well, this was characteristic of the Holy Roman Empire. With so many states, there were naturally many rulers.

Regardless of the size of the states, since they had come to show support, they had to be treated with full royal treatment. This, in turn, created a challenge for accommodation.

The Jerusalem royal palace had limited space, and it was already somewhat cramped with Franz’s large family living there, so there was no room to host the guests.

This “cramped” state was relative, of course. No matter how modest it was, they weren’t about to cram these important figures into shared rooms.

Each monarch needed a mansion, and not just any mansion—it had to come with dozens of rooms for their entourage. However, Jerusalem didn’t have that many mansions, and even after the city’s management committee hastily converted some buildings, they still couldn’t provide enough accommodations.

The great nobles cared about appearances. Since they had come from far away to support the event, the reception absolutely had to be flawless.

Due to limited resources, the accommodations could be understood as somewhat lacking, but proper etiquette had to be followed, with each guest receiving the treatment their status demanded.

And thus, Franz had a headache. Under Ottoman rule, Jerusalem was just a small town, and with such a sudden influx of people, the reception work had become a major problem.

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Berlin

After ascending to the Polish throne, William I was pleased for a single day, but that joy quickly faded.

The previous Polish government had been overly idealistic, enacting a series of policies that seemed promising on the surface but were actually filled with hidden dangers, leaving behind a mess for William I to clean up.

Poland’s natural conditions were not bad. Under normal circumstances, achieving fiscal balance would not have been a problem as long as the government avoided self-destructive policies.

William I’s abilities were indeed commendable. Upon taking power, he immediately abolished a series of “idealistic policies” set by the previous government, and as a result, the government’s fiscal expenditures decreased dramatically.

While this cost-cutting was effective, it was not enough to pull the Polish government out of its financial crisis. The debts left by the previous administration were the primary cause of the fiscal instability.

To increase revenue, Wilhelm I initiated internal reforms within the Kingdom of Poland. Unfortunately, the Polish government’s bureaucracy was too weak to carry out his directives.

This outcome was inevitable. Any reform would inevitably infringe upon the interests of certain groups, and in pushing these reforms, William I also harmed the privileges of the bureaucrats.

For example, William I’s new economic policy focused on selling off loss-making state-owned enterprises to reduce the government’s financial burden and stimulate the development of a capitalist market economy.

Most of the state-owned enterprises under the Polish government’s control had been confiscated from the Russians during Poland’s independence. These enterprises were inextricably linked to the Russian Empire.

After Poland gained independence, commercial trade with the Russian Empire nearly ceased, leaving these enterprises without their original markets, and they were already struggling to survive.

At this time, they encountered a group of idealistic officials, and the result was predictably bleak. The enterprises quickly became detached from the market and were entirely dependent on government funding to stay afloat.

Poland did not have a planned economy, and in a free-market system, when businesses follow only government directives, the outcome is inevitable. Due to the Polish government’s rigid management, interest groups gradually emerged, causing the enterprises’ losses to worsen over time.

These mounting business losses plunged the Polish government’s finances into a deeper crisis, with the deficit growing day by day.

Officials below fabricated a slew of data, under the guise of building a strong industrial nation, and inflated project reports to swindle government funds. While these tricks fooled the inexperienced Polish government, they could not deceive the shrewd William I.

Once the lies were exposed, the problems became clear, and reform became a necessity. Naturally, the vested interests who refused to accept defeat fiercely resisted, and Poland’s internal political struggle intensified.

There was no easy solution. Prussia’s desire to annex Poland was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and Poland still had an independent governing body.

For the sake of political balance, the trusted individuals William I promoted to manage the Kingdom of Poland had to be Poles themselves.

This drastically limited the pool of candidates, forcing William I to compromise on many occasions. The direct consequence of this was a fierce struggle between reformers and conservatives, with both sides fighting relentlessly.

From the monarch’s perspective, this kind of struggle was beneficial, as it ensured the king’s elevated and untouchable position.

For the country, this level of political struggle was already interfering with the normal functioning of the government and affecting national development.

The conflicts went beyond just these issues. After selling the Rhineland, the Prussian government began an active effort to resettle people in the area. Many of these immigrants were not settled within Prussia but in the Kingdom of Poland.

This move did help promote national integration, but it also caused a series of problems. For instance, local Poles could not compete with these immigrants for jobs.

Late into the night, the lights were still on in the Berlin Palace as William I continued to handle state affairs, his body weary from the long day.

Not only was the king still working, but the top levels of the Prussian government were also present in the palace.

Foreign Minister Geoffrey Friedman said, “Your Majesty, the time is ripe. All of Europe’s attention is focused on Jerusalem, and now is the moment to push for the union of the two countries.”

The Kingdom of Prussia had long desired to annex Poland, and preparations had been in place for many years. Now, it was time to pull the net.

William I maintained a calm and composed expression, showing no outward reaction, though if someone was observant, they might notice a flicker of joy in his eyes, carefully concealed.

Prime Minister Moltke supported the idea, “Your Majesty, this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With Franz being crowned King of Jerusalem, most of the Austrian leadership is occupied in the Middle East, leaving them unable to interfere in the Prussian-Polish union.

We have already relinquished the Rhineland, and the other nations have mentally prepared for this union. Even if there is some resistance, it won’t be too strong. Apart from the Russians, no one is likely to oppose it fiercely.”

Abandoning the Rhineland had both advantages and disadvantages, with the biggest benefit being that the Prussian government was no longer threatened by France and no longer needed to worry about the French.

After a moment of silence, William I slowly spoke, “The union of Prussia and Poland is inevitable, but before that, there is one more thing we must do.

The immigration work in the Rhineland is progressing very poorly, and soon we will be handing the region over to the German Federal Empire. After that, it will be difficult to recruit people.

After the Prussian-Polish union, the first issue we will face is ethnic conflict. Historically, we’ve dealt with this before, and we can also learn from the Austrians’ approach.

If the dominant ethnic group can hold an overwhelming majority, it will make the work of promoting ethnic integration much easier in the future.”

Assimilating the Polish population was one of the great achievements of the Kingdom of Prussia. At least three million Poles were successfully assimilated, making it a classic case of ethnic integration in Europe.

These successful experiences undoubtedly boosted the confidence of the Prussian government. Without such successes, given how assertive the Poles were, who would dare target them?

Prime Minister Moltke, bracing himself, explained, “Your Majesty, the slow progress of the immigration work is primarily due to resettlement issues. It’s easy to relocate large numbers of people, but providing corresponding employment opportunities is much harder.”

This is the real problem. If it were possible to provide all of them with jobs, the Prussian government would have long issued a mandatory order to have the local population evacuated.

Clearly, that’s not feasible. Creating a million jobs is not something that can be done overnight. So far, the Prussian government has resettled 400,000 people, which is already a remarkable achievement.