Holy Roman Empire

After a long while, seeing that the Foreign Minister still did not speak, Napoleon IV sighed helplessly.

France's diplomatic isolation by various European countries was not a new phenomenon but could be traced back to the Middle Ages. The Bonaparte Dynasty faced attacks from its inception.

To change this diplomatic isolation, successive French governments had made efforts, but unfortunately, they were of little effect.

It was as if cursed; whenever the French government improved relations with European countries, before long, a major incident would erupt, instantly maxing out the hatred meter.

There's no need to go far; during the time of Napoleon III, relations with European countries had improved, then came the annexation of the Italian Area, and all previous diplomatic efforts were lost overnight.

After Napoleon IV ascended to the throne, he also made efforts, but there were no exceptions this time. It was not them causing trouble, but someone else causing trouble for them.

The outcome was the same, the diplomatic relations that had finally improved dropped back down to freezing point.

Even the Spanish Government, which the French had supported, was lukewarm towards them and could hardly be considered an ally.

Against this backdrop, it was a fool's dream for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to persuade European countries to agree to the issuance of bonds by the French government in their countries.

After much hesitation, Napoleon IV slowly said, "The refugee relief plan is temporarily canceled, restart negotiations with the consortium."

Once again, it was proven that being without money was absolutely unacceptable. The large farm project had just started, not even seeds were sown, and France remained a food importing country.

Using the government's precious foreign exchange to buy food from abroad to relieve the natives in the colonies was an extravagant act for the colonists.

When the government had money, Napoleon IV did not mind showing kindness and saving these "labor forces." But now that there was no money, there was no need to consider it.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin reminded, "Your Majesty, now that we're negotiating with the consortium, they are sure to make exorbitant demands, and the price we'll have to pay..."

Napoleon IV interrupted, "Do we even have a choice? The domestic cotton stock has been exhausted, most of the cotton textile companies are laying off workers and cutting back production, and the unemployment rate is soaring.

If we don't quickly restore cotton production in Egypt, our domestic textile enterprises are going to die out. What then shall we do with those millions of textile workers?"

Knowing it was like drinking poison to quench thirst, Napoleon IV still had no choice. The market needed confidence; without giving the capitalists hope, a wave of bankruptcies and unemployment was imminent.

To avoid another great revolution and well aware of the endless future troubles that would come from compromising with the consortium, Napoleon IV had no option but to acquiesce.

Finance Minister Roy Vernon said with some trepidation, "Or shall we turn against the Jews?"

This proposal was not without target; the Jews were important creditors of the French government, holding at least one-third of its debts.

By inciting an anti-Semitic movement, these debts would be void. And by confiscating the assets of the Jews, the current financial difficulties could be overcome.

After some hesitation, Napoleon IV nodded, "First, send someone to talk to the Jewish consortium. If they are willing to lend money to the government, let's spare them."

It was a difficult choice between money and life. Tragically for the Jews, who were unaware of the consequences of refusal, they didn't even realize that rejecting the offer was not an option.

Even if some suspected what might come, it was hard to sever ties in the face of interests. From the moment Napoleon IV made this decision, a new round of the French anti-Semitic movement had already begun.

...

In the Vienna Palace, Franz put down the newspaper in his hands, sensing that something was amiss. Recently, there had been a sudden increase in news uncovering the dark history of the Jews in Europe.

With many years of political experience, Franz could be certain that this was a premeditated targeted campaign.

Otherwise, why would the newspapers uncover just Jewish capitalists, since unscrupulous capitalists were everywhere?

Of course, there was nothing wrong with the newspapers. The news published was substantiated with evidence and photos. Every reported incident could be verified, thoroughly fulfilling the journalists' duty.

Even knowing there were hidden forces behind it, there wasn't much that could be done; that which had to be reported still needed to be reported, for it was the Jewish capital itself that wasn't clean.

The Vienna Government, although strict with news censorship, was focused on the veracity of facts, punishing rumors and agendas. News that could be factually supported wasn't within the scope of censorship.

It's not just the dark history of Jewish capitalists that could be revealed; even local dignitaries, as long as there was evidence of their crimes, the newspapers had every right to expose them.

...

On the eve of Christmas night, French Economist Yu Lian Fobel gave a speech on the radio entitled "Beware of the Hidden Hands Behind the Economic Crisis," pointing a direct finger at the Jewish consortium.

Following this, numerous experts and scholars in France publicly spoke out, pinning the blame for the deterioration of the domestic economy on the heads of the Jewish consortium.

With the tacit consent of the French government, incidents of violence against Jews started to surge.

Sensing the imminent danger, experienced Jewish capitalists immediately employed their invariably effective "Franc" public relations.

However, by this time it was already too late. Beginning with the breakdown of negotiations, the French government had already made its decision.

On January 4, 1886, the Paris Government initiated an investigation into several domestic banks under the suspicion of "colluding with foreign hostile forces to short the Franc and engage in financial crimes," thus ushering in the climax of the anti-Semitic movement.

...

As time passed, the momentum of the anti-Semitic movement in Europe grew stronger, and Jews once again found themselves in an uncomfortable position where everyone was against them.

On January 11, 1886, the mayor of the Free City of Frankfurt, Edward York, published an article in an Austrian newspaper criticizing Jewish capitalism for manipulating stock prices and fabricating "bullish and bearish news" for profiteering.

Prior to this, the Frankfurt Securities Management Committee had already issued investigative orders to a number of securities companies and foundations controlled by Jewish capital.

With the confirmation of such news, the anti-Semitic movement spread to Austria. Countless "ordinary investors" were bitterly resentful towards Jews.

In an era where communication was inconvenient, the anti-Semitic movement went from a simmer to a boil in just over a month, which was sufficient to prove that Jews were qualified scapegoats.

...

At the government meeting, Franz asked expressionlessly, "The anti-Semitic movement among the people is increasingly intensifying, what do you all think?"

It wasn't just the anti-Semitic movement among the people that was intensifying, even within the government, anti-Semitic voices were becoming mainstream. However, due to various constraints, it was inconvenient for many to express their stance openly.

Not being able to express their stance did not mean there were no means to act against Jews. Revealing some of the dark history associated with Jewish capital was possible, and Edward York was just one of those involved.

Lately, multiple institutions such as the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, Quality Inspection Committees, Labour Inspection Committees, Tax Bureaus, Securities Management Committees, etc., were all in action.

All were cracking down on illegal crimes within the bounds of the law, and every action was backed by solid evidence, leaving no room for anyone to object.

If not for the concern that the situation might spiral out of control, Franz would not have bothered to intervene. After all, cracking down on illegal activities was an inherent function of government departments.

As long as punishments were carried out in accordance with Austrian law, without any abuse of power, there would be no issues at all.

Prime Minister Karl said, "Your Majesty, since the French initiated the anti-Semitic movement, the tide of anti-Semitism has risen on the European Continent.

The domestic situation is still relatively stable, and it has not spread to ordinary Jews. Those being targeted are mostly Jewish capitalists.

The government has already strengthened public order enforcement, prohibiting violent acts like smashing, looting, and arson.

Meanwhile, the government also encourages the public to expose all criminal activities. For these criminals, we will show no mercy."

Franz rubbed his forehead; he had now come to understand the root cause of the recent frequent misfortunes befalling Jewish capitalists.

In these times, completely lawful capitalists were rare. A thorough investigation would inevitably uncover issues.

Because the implications were too broad, Franz could not simply take everyone down. Instead, he could only choose a few with severe issues to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

Jewish capitalists already had issues, and with the entire Europe turning against them, these issues coming to light were undoubtedly akin to walking into the line of fire.

Prime Minister Karl, who had a gripe with Jewish capitalists, was clearly set on handling matters by the book this time, punishing them completely in accordance with Austrian laws and regulations, and possibly even imposing harsher penalties.

Although Franz was aware of this, he had no intention of putting a stop to it. The dignity of the law must be upheld, and the government's actions were completely justified and legal.

"As long as you all know what is in your hearts, that is enough. The fight against illegal activities must be strict, but we strictly forbid the situation from escalating.

For the sake of the country's economic stability, while the government enforces the law, it must also manage the aftermath well, especially in terms of maintaining employment stability.

Involving industries with dense workforces like manufacturing plants, state-owned companies could first take over operations, and after the dust settles, we could proceed with a public auction according to legal regulations."

...