Holy Roman Empire

It has always been easier to identify problems than to solve them. The development challenges facing France are evident to all, but overcoming them remains a difficult task.

Finance Minister Alain said, “Your Majesty, we should follow Austria’s example and develop our colonies! France possesses ten million square kilometers of colonial territory. If we can properly develop it, most of the industrial raw materials needed domestically can be addressed.”

The idea of “developing colonies” was not new. As far back as the era of Napoleon III, the French government had already formulated an ambitious colonial development plan.

To support this, the French government launched a large-scale immigration project, relocating over a million people from the Balkans, Italy, and the French mainland to North Africa.

The influx of immigrants did contribute somewhat to the development of French Africa, but ultimately, the initiative ended in failure.

It wasn’t for lack of effort on the French government’s part, it was simply that no amount of effort seemed to work. Aside from developing some valuable mineral resources, other industries failed to take off.

This is completely different from Austria. Austrian Africa managed to develop because there was a group of nobles and settlers who loved farming and established a plantation economy in the region.

As more settlers arrived, the colonial government’s revenues increased, infrastructure gradually improved, and with better transportation, nearby mineral resources began to be exploited, creating a virtuous cycle.

French Africa, on the other hand, had a different story. The French had no interest in farming. They were only interested in precious metals like gold and silver. Industries with lower returns, such as farms and plantations, received no investment.

If even the French weren’t willing to invest, one couldn’t expect the immigrants to do so. And even if some immigrants wanted to establish farms or plantations, they needed money for it!

With private capital unwilling to get involved, the entire effort relied on the French government’s investments, which inevitably could not be sustained for long.

Since the local economy didn’t develop, mining operations continued to rely on cheaper native labor. In this context, France’s colonial development plans quickly fell apart.

Minister of Economic Affairs Elsa said, “Lord Marquis, restarting the colonial development plan isn’t as easy as it sounds.

The biggest problem is that people are unwilling to invest in the colonies. Even if they do, they’re only interested in mineral resources, with very few willing to invest in other sectors.

Relying solely on the government to develop the colonies would come at an immense cost.”

Finance Minister Alain said, “We can increase government investment and introduce policies to encourage people to move to the colonies for development. As long as we persist, success will come eventually.

No matter the cost, it must be done. France is not lacking in technology. The reason our industrial development lags behind that of Britain and Austria is that we lack an adequate supply of cheap industrial raw materials.

If we cannot change the current predicament of being dependent on others for industrial raw materials, our industry will never thrive!”

Minister of Economic Affairs Elsa shook her head and then said, “Lord Marquis, you should share these views with the nationalists and idealists outside, they might support you.

In reality, we all know that the nobles, capitalists, and even ordinary citizens at home won’t see it that way.

It’s easy to shout a few slogans, but when it comes to asking people to invest money in colonial development, the first unavoidable question is about returns. RäꞐՕ𐌱ƐS̩

Not all colonies are created equal. On the surface, we appear to be the world’s third-largest colonial empire, an impressive position. But we must admit that compared to Britain and Austria, the value of our colonies is significantly lower.

Surely, Your Excellency, you don’t think that vast expanse of desert holds much value?

After excluding these barren lands, the remaining territory accounts for less than a third. A large portion of this remaining land is also unsuitable for development due to geographical constraints.

Even if developed, it may not meet domestic needs. At the very least, French Africa lacks the coal resources we need most urgently.”

This is the harsh reality. Like Austria, the majority of France’s colonies are concentrated on the African continent, much of which is desert.

Harsh natural conditions and an inhospitable climate are the biggest obstacles to the development of French Africa. When investment doesn’t yield proportional returns, capitalists will naturally abandon it.

Finance Minister Alain, uncertain, said, “Coal resources may only seem scarce for now, but that doesn’t mean French Africa has none. Our exploration in these regions is far too underdeveloped. If we continue, we’ll eventually find them.

Africa is a vast continent! It’s impossible that there’s no coal. We just need to be patient and send out more exploration teams. There will be results eventually.”

By this point, Alain had lost much of his confidence. France’s coal shortage was a long-standing issue. During Napoleon III’s reign, numerous prospecting teams were sent out to address it.

It’s not that they found nothing, several coal mines were discovered, but most of them had low reserves and were extremely difficult to extract, rendering them economically unviable.

Blaming the prospecting teams for not working hard enough would be unfair. If the coal simply isn’t there, it’s not as if they can magically create it.

Minister of War Patrice de MacMahon retorted, “Lord Marquis, that’s merely a theoretical possibility. In reality, the distribution of mineral resources is determined by God, not by the size of the land. Just because the territory is vast doesn’t mean it’s rich in resources.

If we want to solve the coal shortage, it would be more practical to look for solutions from our neighboring countries than to place hope in unrealistic fantasies.”

Patrice de MacMahon, a war hawk of the French government, advocated for the expansion of France’s territory to the west of the Rhine, including Belgium, the Rhineland, and parts of Baden. His stance clashed sharply with that of Alain, who led the peace faction.

Now that the coal resource issue had come up, MacMahon seized the opportunity to push his agenda for expansion into Central Europe.

Finance Minister Alain, without hesitation, countered, “Marshal, if you can ensure the neutrality of Britain and Austria, I wouldn’t oppose advancing into Central Europe.

But if you can’t, then you should abandon such impractical fantasies… unless you want to endure another pan-European anti-French war.”

MacMahon responded with a cold laugh, sneering, “Coward!”

“The international situation is crystal clear. Prussia and Russia are sworn enemies, deeply hostile to each other. A second Russo-Prussian war could break out at any time, leaving them powerless to interfere with our actions.

Without Prussia or Russia’s involvement, Spain is under our influence, Italy has been annexed, Switzerland has declared perpetual neutrality, and the Nordic Federation is isolated in the north, unable to intervene. Where is this supposed anti-French alliance?

As long as we act quickly and establish facts on the ground, smaller countries like the Netherlands and Portugal wouldn’t dare send troops. Britain’s army is limited in strength, and Austria is the only real power that could interfere. A one-on-one confrontation, what’s there to fear?”

Having not yet experienced the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, the French remained incredibly proud. With the decline of the Russian Empire, the French government proclaimed itself the world’s greatest land power for political reasons.

Over time, this self-praise became so frequent that it inflated the confidence of the French military. Patrice de MacMahon was no exception, gradually becoming dismissive of other nations.

Foreign Minister Montreux cautioned, “Marshal, a one-on-one conflict doesn’t exist. Britain and Austria will inevitably join forces. The army might ignore their threat, but the navy cannot.

If we fail to win the war quickly, we’ll face a prolonged blockade. And setting other issues aside, food alone will become a major problem.”

The French of the time were supremely confident in their strength. The newspapers boasted daily, and after hearing such rhetoric repeatedly, the French government’s self-confidence reached unprecedented heights.

Of course, the government’s leadership hadn’t completely lost touch with reality. Their faith was primarily in the army, as for the navy, it was another story. The Royal Navy’s reputation loomed too large, and the French didn’t yet have the confidence to challenge it.

Finance Minister Alain waved his hand dismissively, “We’re off-topic. Today’s meeting is an economic conference to discuss how to address Austria’s entry into the free trade system, not a military meeting.”

Though the remark seemed casual, it was a warning to Patrice de MacMahon for overstepping his bounds. Economic policy was the government’s domain, not the military’s.

While the Minister of War was a member of the government, his authority was explicitly confined to military matters, leaving him out of economic policy discussions.

…

Napoleon IV rubbed his temples, reflecting on how infighting had become second nature within the French government.

Disputes within the cabinet were still manageable, but during larger meetings, disagreements could escalate into near physical altercations.

While poor relationships among subordinates gave the emperor, as an arbiter, more leverage, it severely harmed governmental efficiency.

By the time a consensus was reached through arguments, it was often too late. To improve efficiency, Napoleon IV frequently had to step in and mediate directly.

This approach significantly undermined royal authority. However, there was no alternative. When subordinates were tasked with resolving issues, they often refused to cooperate, leaving Napoleon IV no choice but to take the reins himself.

Take the current situation, for example. The finance minister’s proposal to restart the colonial development plan was clearly unpopular.

If Napoleon IV wanted to move forward with the plan, he would have to personally support and advocate for it.

Seeing that the argument was leading nowhere, Napoleon IV interrupted, “Can we stop debating the specifics for now and first list out all the available plans? Let’s see how many options we actually have.

If we have no alternatives, then even the worst plan is better than no plan at all. Whatever happens, we cannot sit idly by, that would be a slow death!”

Clearly, their options were already very limited. If France chose to join the free trade system, it would first have to solve the raw materials issue.

As for relying on capital to drive industrial innovation, lower production costs, and maintain market competitiveness to retain its current market share? Apologies, but that’s idealism. While France as a nation may not lack capital, the same cannot be said for its industrial sector.

Investors already found returns from the real economy too low and were reluctant to invest in industry. If France joined the free trade system, the increased competition and further diluted profits would only discourage capitalists from investing even more.

Restarting the colonial development plan might not be the best option, but it was the only viable choice under the circumstances.

Moreover, this plan would not yield immediate returns. It would take another ten or twenty years before any real benefits could be seen.

While it might not completely resolve France’s dependence on imported raw materials, achieving self-sufficiency for most industrial inputs was still within reach.

The precondition, of course, was that the French plan succeeded in truly developing its colonies. If it failed, the situation would remain unchanged or even worsen.

Faced with these realities, and with Napoleon IV’s support, the French government narrowly passed the finance minister’s proposed “Restarting the Colonial Development Plan.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!