Chapter 15: Chapter 15 – Count Kolowrat

Wanting to fan the flames, Franz visited Count , another powerful figure amongst the conservatives, to express his concern regarding the tension in Vienna.

Due to his origin as the highest-ranking noble, Franz was naturally on the side of the conservatives. As a result, even though Franz’s role in this political conflict was no secret within the top echelon of the government, no one leaked the information.

And even if someone did leak the information, nothing would change. The contradiction between the nobility and the bourgeoisie could no longer be resolved.

It would be a fool’s errand to attempt to convince either side to back down since both the nobility and the bourgeoisie had been cornered. If each didn’t suppress the other, the days of their decline wouldn’t be very far.

Aside from being too young, the reason Franz had not been pushed up onto the political stage was because Emperor Ferdinand I’s Regency Council did not want to give up their power so easily; naturally, since they wielded great power, they also had to bear the criticism from their political adversaries.

In such a situation, putting Franz on the frontline against the bourgeoisie would simply serve to fastrack his political career and result in the termination of the Regency Council.

***

Over the past few days, the political atmosphere in Vienna had changed.

In the past, quite frequently, reformists had attacked the conservatives, claiming that they deprived serfs of their personal freedom and liberty, cynically exploited them, and obstructed Austria’s progress.

However, this situation changed following the nobility’s counterattack. The public realized that there was something even worse than serfdom when comparing the lives of workers and serfs.

The nobles, even as morally depraved as they were, would not make serfs work 15 to 16 hours a day except during the busy farming season because they simply did not have so much work to be done.

Indoor lighting was not cheap at that time. The capitalists could make money by making workers work overtime at night, but the noble would lose money if they did the same to the serfs.

Generally speaking, the lives of workers and serfs were equally tough. But relatively speaking, the lives of workers of this age was worse. Factories were like prisons. Once a worker entered, it was hard to get out, and any carelessness could lead to punishment.

As for payments, it was totally dependent on the moral integrity of the capitalists: one might get paid a little if working under a conscientious boss, while one could end up owing their boss huge sums of money despite years of hard work if working under a vicious boss.

Demanding payments had been a problem forever.

Happiness was out of the question as a way to compare things; so was misery.

Because of the manipulation of public opinion by the nobility, the working class suddenly realized that they were the most miserable class of all. Then, they certainly had to support the government on the Labor Protection Act.

The so-called constitutional reform, national election, and the abolition of serfdom could all be put off indefinitely. They had to prioritize matters concerning their own interests first.

The same was true of the bourgeoisie: they were tough and would not take one step back when it came to self-interest. Patriotism was now forgotten by everyone.

Chancellor Metternich, caught in the middle, had a headache. He was strong in diplomacy but seemed powerless to resolve internal conflicts.

Just as with the previous issue regarding abolition of serfdom, he was busy negotiating with representatives of the bourgeoisie in an attempt to come up with a compromise acceptable to everyone.

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***

“Lord Chancellor, I would like to know when the Labor Protection Act will be passed?” asked Count Kolowrat, coolly.

As one of Chancellor Metternich's main political adversaries, how could he not use this situation to push the man down. Even without Franz’s suggestion, he would have still pursued this course of action.

“Lord Count, the passing of every legislation takes time since we have to investigate the situation and conduct a comprehensive analysis. You must be patient,” replied Chancellor Metternich, disdainfully.

He did not bother to even feign politeness towards this political adversary of his. Besides, no matter what he did, the two would remain on opposite sides.

Count Kolowrat rebuked, impassioned, “Lord Chancellor, it is not I who can no longer remain patient; it is the workers outside. You must know, every day in Austria, hundreds of workers die due to ruthless exploitation by the vile capitalists! Do they not claim to be humanitarians? Well, what are they doing to the workers while accusing us of immorally depriving serfs of their freedom?”

“Are the workers not humans? You must know, most of those workers were previously serfs whom we had released. Instead of making their lives better, the capitalists have pushed them into the abyss! Sooner or later, their endless greed is going to destroy the whole of Austria and you will be the one to blame!” roared Count Kolowrat, as he jabbed a finger at Chancellor Metternich’s face.

Checkmate!

The aim of liberating serfs had been to improve their lives, but all the evidence pointed to the contrary: the serfs’ lives had gotten worse since they were liberated.

This was a heavy blow to Chancellor Metternich’s prestige. After all, he had been the biggest advocate of the abolition of serfdom. If he didn’t resolve this issue soon, his political career would be over.

But to resolve this issue, he would have to break off his ties with the capitalists, who were in support of the abolition of serfdom. In fact, he may even have to suppress them.

This was the case because most of the reformists in the country were capitalists. Standing against them would shake his position as Chancellor, unless he became completely in favor of the nobility.

Well, Chancellor Metternich had been chosen as the representative of the great nobles and he had always stood with them, save for the issue regarding the abolition of serfdom. Still, he did not have any problem with compromising with the nobility again. However, the question was how would he do that?

He could not force them to take his side; it was a matter of leadership. Chancellor Metternich wanted to be the leader of the nobility, not their proxy.

“That’s enough, Lord Count. You will receive a reply from the government soon. You can go back and wait for the news!” Chancellor Metternich replied, frowning in an effort to keep his calm.

Count Kolowrat smirked and replied, pointedly, “I do hope so; otherwise, you, Lord Chancellor, will have tough days ahead of you.”

After Count Kolowrat left, Chancellor Metternich's face instantly darkened. It would be strange if he remained in a good mood after being cornered by his political adversary.

After a moment of contemplation, Chancellor Metternich slammed his hand on the table and growled, “Count Kolowrat is really getting old and senile if he thinks he can squeeze me with such a puny trick!”

 

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