Chapter 204 The Second Economic Crisis

While compulsory primary education was in full swing in Spain, the smoke of war had spread across the Balkan Peninsula, covering all the ethnic groups living on this land.

The Russian government took a gloating attitude towards the chaos and weakness within the Ottoman Empire. Russia even strongly supported several vassal states of the Ottoman Empire, including Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, in their resistance to the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Speaking of this, we have to mention the treaty signed by various countries on the situation in the Balkan Peninsula after the last Russo-Turkish War, that is, the Crimean War.

Among them, there is such a clause that various countries require the Ottoman Empire to implement some reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including giving the people of these two regions the right to religious freedom, reducing taxes in these two regions and carrying out tax reforms, etc.

The Ottoman government at the time expressed its agreement and expressed its willingness to implement relevant reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But the good times did not last long. After the Crimean War, the Ottoman Empire's reforms not only did not move forward, but also suppressed the uprisings and rebellions of the various ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula more brutally.

This not only intensified the hatred between the ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire, but also gave the European powers led by Russia the opportunity to participate in the situation in the Balkan Peninsula.

Under the strong support and call of Russia, many countries and ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula united, expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ottoman Empire, and joined the armed rebellion.

At present, except for the Kingdom of Greece, all the remaining countries in the Balkan Peninsula are vassal states of the Ottoman Empire. Any vassal state cannot pose a threat to the Ottoman Empire, but if all the vassal states unite and have the support of the Russians behind them, it will be a considerable threat to the Ottoman Empire.

In early July, the armed rebellion between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan peoples had already entered the confrontation stage.

The Ottoman Empire had advanced weapons and equipment from Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the weapons and equipment of the rebel ethnic groups were no worse, all of which came from Russia.

The Ottoman Empire had no tolerance for the rebellion among these Balkan peoples, and there was only one way to deal with these rebels, that is, to use military force to brutally suppress them.

In just one month in July, the Ottoman Empire mobilized the army to suppress the rebellion of the Balkan peoples many times, and the total number of rebels eliminated was as high as hundreds, and thousands of people were affected and faced a long prison sentence.

Although the Ottoman Empire was relatively corrupt, behind the Ottoman Empire stood the two traditional European powers of Austria-Hungary and the British Empire, which maintained a significant lead in weapons and equipment.

Even if the Balkan people actively participated in the rebellion and armed uprising against the brutal rule of the Ottoman Empire, they still could not pose too much threat to the Ottoman Empire.

As long as the great power Russia did not personally intervene, the current situation in the Balkan Peninsula was acceptable to the Ottoman Empire.

This is also a question that the great powers including Austria-Hungary and Britain are concerned about, that is, will the Russians personally intervene? Participate in this conflict that has attracted the attention of the whole of Europe?

Whether to participate or not is a question worth thinking about for other European countries, but for Tsarist Russia, this question actually has an answer long ago.

There are two major contradictions between Russia and European powers, namely the contradiction with Austria-Hungary over the Balkan Peninsula and the contradiction with Britain over Central Asia and East Asia.

These two major contradictions are related to another major disadvantage of Russia, that is, although Russia has a large territory, it lacks natural ice-free ports.

Russia's three main outlets currently face the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan.

The Sea of ​​Japan is located in the Far East and does not help Russia's layout in Europe. Under such circumstances, Russia's outlets in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea are particularly important.

But both outlets are facing the crisis of being blocked by the enemy. If Russia wants to go from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, it must pass through the strait controlled by Denmark and pass through the North Sea controlled by Britain.

If you want to enter the Indian Ocean or the Mediterranean from the Black Sea, you must also pass through the Strait of Constantinople controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

It is impossible to solve the problem of the Baltic Sea outlet. After all, the Baltic Sea has many neighboring countries, including Germany, which is one of the five traditional powers in Europe.

Even if the Baltic Sea is controlled, it is useless. The Baltic Sea is further west to the British sphere of influence, and the British Navy can still block the Baltic Sea.

Under such circumstances, the relatively weak Ottoman Empire became the only choice for Tsarist Russia to expand its outlet, and it was also the reason for the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War many times.

For Alexander II, this is a great opportunity that must not be missed. It is also the best opportunity for Russia to completely reach out to the Balkan Peninsula and seek control of the Strait of Constantinople.

Speaking of Alexander II, the abolition of serfdom reform he promoted still had a great impact on Russia. But at the same time, his reform was not thorough. Russia was essentially still the corrupt empire, but it was extended for a short time.

Compare the entire Russian Empire to a dam that is about to reach its capacity limit. Alexander II's reforms raised the height of the dam by a few meters, delaying the time for the dam to be filled with water for several decades.

But the dam still has to be filled with water. When the water is filled, the corrupt Russian Empire will fall apart.

At present, from the perspective of the strength and weaponry of both the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia, Tsarist Russia has an absolute advantage.

As one of the most populous countries in Europe, Russia has a terrifying number of standing infantry of 720,000, and has nearly 3,000 artillery pieces, forming 16 armies distributed in Russia's vast territory.

On the Ottoman Empire side, although it has undergone some reforms, the entire empire has only a little over 400,000 troops. Compared with Tsarist Russia, which has more than 3,000 artillery pieces, the Ottoman Empire has only about 800 artillery pieces, and a considerable number of them are relatively backward artillery pieces.

However, considering that British aid is arriving in a steady stream, the gap in weapons and equipment between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian army will actually become smaller and smaller.

Russia's 720,000 troops are scattered across a vast area of ​​Russia, and the number of troops that can be deployed in the Balkans is not large.

The Ottoman Empire is not much different. Although it claims to have 400,000 troops, only about 280,000 troops are deployed in the Balkan Peninsula, and the remaining nearly 130,000 troops are located in the Anatolian Peninsula, separated from the Balkan Peninsula by the Strait of Constantinople.

As time came to September 1876, the war between Serbia and Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire became more and more intense.

Yes, it was a war. Serbia and Montenegro, which existed as vassal states, had declared war on the Ottoman Empire a few months ago, and the reason for the declaration of war was to recover the legal land illegally occupied by the Ottoman Empire.

Seeing that the flames in the Balkan Peninsula were getting more and more fierce, Austria-Hungary and Britain could only call on both sides to remain rational, and at the same time support the Ottoman Empire as much as possible to ensure that the Ottoman Empire had an advantage in this war.

In just one month in September, Britain transported a large amount of weapons and food supplies to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire also fought back and forth with Serbia and Montenegro with these weapons and equipment, and even had the upper hand in most cases.

These valuable aids from Britain were like a life-saving straw for the Ottoman Empire. Because as early as the end of last year, the Ottoman Empire had collapsed due to a great famine in the Anatolian Peninsula, and was even unable to maintain its existing army.

On the Austro-Hungarian side, when the Balkan Peninsula War was extremely lively, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was already considering how to deal with it after Russia intervened in the war.

From the current information, it is difficult for the Russians not to intervene in this war unless Britain directly announced to help the Ottoman Empire quell the rebellion.

But this is obviously impossible. Unless there are enough benefits, the British will not take the initiative to join this war.

Even if the British are really willing to join this war, is it a good thing for the Austro-Hungarian Empire? I'm afraid not.

With the British personally involved, the Ottoman Empire will surely be able to quickly put an end to the rebellion, and there is no need to worry about the danger of the Russians.

But the Ottoman Empire will definitely be infiltrated by the British afterwards, and it will not be so easy for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to infiltrate the Balkans again.

It is precisely because of these reasons that the current Austro-Hungarian Empire is in a relatively ambiguous attitude. If you have to say, the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is more like hoping that Russia and Britain, who are involved in the situation in the Balkans, will disappear completely, leaving only the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a great power on this land.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire rarely maintained neutrality in the situation in the Balkans, patiently waiting for a new round of diplomatic struggles between Britain and Russia.

Reading the error-free version! 6=9+Shu_Bar first published this novel.

At the same time, Franz Joseph I ordered the Austro-Hungarian army to be on standby at any time to ensure that the Austro-Hungarian Empire could intervene in the Balkan war at any time.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not intend to interfere in this war, in line with the principle of seeing whoever wins the final victory in this struggle, it must ensure that the Austro-Hungarian Empire can eat a bite of meat in it.

If Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire, Franz Joseph I would choose to unite with the British, and even use the threat of war to force the Russians to give in, and divide the Balkan Peninsula into three parts instead of letting the Russians annex it all.

If the Ottoman Empire defeated Russia, it would naturally be the best news. Not only can the situation in the Balkan Peninsula remain the same, but it can also further frustrate the ambitions of the Russian Empire.

But the possibility of this idea is far lower than the first idea. Although the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia are both weak empires, the Ottoman Empire is obviously dying. Although Tsarist Russia is lingering, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

Since the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the war in the Balkan Peninsula may be the most lively news in Europe in recent times.

It is precisely because of this that the Balkan Peninsula has not only attracted the attention of the three major powers, but also attracted a large number of newspapers and media and Europeans who pay attention to this news.

Spain has not been idle during this period. On the one hand, it vigorously promotes the promotion of compulsory primary education and does a good job in pilot work in Catalonia and Madrid.

On the other hand, they secretly contacted the Ottoman Empire and Russia to find export opportunities for Spanish weapons and equipment.

In addition to weapons and equipment, other strategic materials including food can also be sold. The environment in Spain has been relatively stable in recent years, and food production has been rising steadily. It is no problem to take out some food for export.

Seeing that Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula will not fight for a while, Carlo gradually began to pay attention to other things, especially the response to the economic crisis.

As said at the cabinet meeting at the beginning of the year, after the government and the financial department estimated, there is a high probability of triggering a second round of economic crisis this year.

This is indeed the case. From February to March, the British economy ushered in a new round of fluctuations, which also prompted the outbreak of the second round of economic crisis.

Fortunately, Spain has already responded to this, and the fluctuations of the economic crisis have not caused too serious impact.

Of course, a big reason for this is that Europe is still experiencing an economic crisis.

The impact of the first round of economic crisis can only be said to have weakened, but the economic crisis itself has not ended. As of the beginning of 1876, many European countries still had a mess of economic situation, and industrial production suffered a serious impact.

Under such circumstances, although the second round of economic crisis affected many countries, it was not fatal compared with the first round of economic crisis.

Those companies that could not withstand the economic crisis had already gone bankrupt in the first round of economic crisis. Most of the remaining companies that could survive had the help of the government, so it was no problem for them to survive the second round of economic crisis.

If the first round of economic crisis was the most seriously affected by Germany, the United States and Austria-Hungary, then the second round of economic crisis was the most seriously affected by Britain and France.

Britain and France relied on a large number of colonies to persist for a longer time in the first round of economic crisis, and the impact of the economic crisis on industry and economy was far less serious than that of other countries.

But after the second round of economic crisis began, Britain and France could not hold on even if they could rely on colonies to suck blood.

Fortunately, the first round of economic crisis had bankrupted many companies with weak foundations, and the impact of the second round of economic crisis was really limited, which was not worth mentioning for countries like Britain and France with large economies and industries.

In the first round of the economic crisis, when Germany and the United States were most severely affected by the economic crisis, more than one-third of the factories were shut down and nearly half of the workers were facing the crisis of unemployment.

In the second round of the economic crisis, the total number of factories shut down in the UK was less than one-fifth of the total number of factories, and this was the impact of the superposition of two rounds of economic crises.

Of course, for the British Empire, the impact of the second round of the economic crisis was still very large.

If there had been no second round of economic crisis, the British Empire would have been able to support the Ottoman Empire much more. But now, because the domestic industry and economy of Britain have also been affected, the support for the Ottoman Empire is not strong, and there is no idea of ​​using the army to interfere in this war.