German Red Prince

He might become one of Austria's chancellors, and his methods would certainly be more elaborate than those of the Nazis. His goal would likely shift from unifying Europe to rebuilding the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In this world, the man with the mustache could not possibly join the Aryan National Party, but Artur Seth-Inquart, representing the Austrian Nazis in another world, joined this "alternative" party to the Nazis.

When the Unified Aryan Party was rising in popularity, he was a lawyer and one of the earlier members. At that time, the Aryan Party did not have the momentum it has now.

Artur also had to allocate a portion of his salary to subsidize the party. After merging with the National Party, the entire party group grew considerably, with many National Party members joining the group with their own financial contributions.

After witnessing the rapid growth of political parties, Artur made a life-altering decision: he resigned from his job as a lawyer to focus on working within the Aryan National Party.

Because he was a veteran party member and had made significant contributions during the difficult times, Arthur became the state leader of the Aryan National Party in Upper Austria, responsible for party affairs in Upper Austria. Within the party, Arthur also rose to become the party secretary. Arthur believed that his time had come.

Having made a high-profile announcement of their participation in the government elections, causing quite a stir in several states, Emperor Karl must act quickly, or these people will stage an artistic performance of "marching into Vienna."

484. Make a choice

Although it is a monarchy, it is undeniable that, compared to the German monarchy, the Austrian monarchy is indeed a beacon of civilization.

Even after winning the war, Wilhelm II spent a fortune to rebuild Berlin, but compared to Vienna, Berlin became like a nouveau riche, all show and no substance.

Vienna is the heart of Europe, a consensus held by almost everyone. It is the true art capital of Europe, the birthplace of countless advanced ideas, a melting pot of European culture, and a shining pearl of Europe.

Socialist ideas have now been put into practice in France and many other European countries. Austria, as a monarchy, does not mean that socialism does not exist there; Austria has its own "Austrian Marxism."

Even though the economy is struggling and has lost its previous momentum, Austria remains quite advanced in some social policies compared to other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Social Democratic Party has implemented many reforms in education and social welfare, which even have some socialist characteristics.

Austria has specialized vocational training colleges to train qualified workers, as well as worker insurance and worker pensions. Child labor has also been completely abolished by law.

As a monarchy, Austria was seen as the model for future socialist countries before France's success, and Vienna truly provided a lot of reference for the socialist movement at the time.

Emperor Karl was beloved because he was a fairly enlightened monarch and was seen by many as the hope for the revival of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Social Democratic Party was always very powerful, and Karl needed their help. He absolutely could not allow the Aryan National Party to win; he did not want to become a sinner in Austro-Hungary and even in all of Europe.

Karl Renner, Otto Bauer, Viktor Adler, and a group of other Austrian Marxists were invited to the palace by Karl. He liked their theories very much because their socialism would not pose a real threat to him.

Austrian Marxism holds that one of the main conditions for the victory of a socialist revolution is that the proletariat must constitute a majority of the population. When capitalism in a country has developed to the point that the proletariat constitutes a majority of the population, the proletariat can seize power through democratic means, namely by virtue of the right to vote, without having to carry out a violent revolution.

Conversely, if the proletariat does not yet constitute a majority of the population, it cannot maintain power even if it seizes it by force. Therefore, socialism cannot succeed in countries where capitalism is underdeveloped.

They advocated for “gradually dispossessing the dispossessed” through progressive property taxes and progressive income taxes, and championed the management of businesses by an organization composed of representatives from the state, corporate employees, and consumers.

Austrian Marxists believed that only their way could truly lead to socialism, and therefore they criticized the French Revolution and the current German Revolution, arguing that these revolutions would inevitably end in destruction.

Forcing a revolution when it is not yet mature will lead to a situation where, in order to maintain the stability of the revolution, this coercive force will continue to be carried out inertia and become a routine, eventually evolving into a totalitarian regime where one group oppresses another.

For example, in this timeline, there is still a sympathizer of the socialist movement. The young Austrian Marxist Hayek criticized the socialist revolutions in France and Germany almost constantly, calling their economic and social models a disaster that would inevitably lead to destruction. Hayek was so great, but I forgot the rest.

They advocate reform, but can a reformist revolution really succeed? Once the revolutionary fervor of the Party fades and the rule of the bourgeoisie is firmly established, will they still allow you, the so-called socialists, to continue reforming and seize their power?

To reiterate, they will build hospitals and roads for you after we leave, not because they have a change of heart, but because we were here. Without a surging revolutionary movement, these reformists can only dream, and they will never even have the opportunity to put their ideas into practice.

The ideology of the Aryan National Party was a trend, and at that time in Austria, the only thing that could be resisted was Austrian Marxism. This ideology also became popular throughout Austria. Austrian Marxism is a unique Austrian variant of Marxism with strong nationalism.

Because of the distinct national characteristics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrian Marxists, like the Aryan National Party, attempted to reconcile nationalism and socialism within the broader context of the Habsburg multi-ethnic empire.

Austrian Marxism attempted to integrate revolutionary socialism and social democracy into a unified ideal, which was achieved by realizing the national autonomy of the various ethnic minorities in the empire.

The idea that it could more easily spread class consciousness and socialist beliefs was criticized by Lenin in the early days, but Lenin failed. So it is clear that their theory would be more "test-tested" than Lenin's.

Emperor Karl personally received these Austrian Marxists and told them about the current situation facing the country, hoping they could lead the nation out of its predicament. The parliament was now controlled by the Christian Party.

The Christian Party previously cooperated with the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and Austria was actually doing quite well at the time. Later, as left-wing ideas spread further, the Christian Party and the Social Democratic Party separated, and the Austrian Marxist school gradually rose. The two parties then showed a tendency to merge. Behind the Christian Party was Emperor Karl. After the Social Democratic Party left, its influence gradually decreased. It was the German revolution that recently gave them a renewed momentum.

The Christian Party was a tool for Emperor Karl to temporarily control the country, and now this tool was being strongly challenged by the Aryan National Party. At this time, Austria was really like the Weimar Republic, but the roles were reversed. Because of their preference for reformism, those clear-headed bourgeois could still make a clear choice between the Aryan Party and the Social Democratic Party.

Several representatives of the Social Democratic Party had a long talk with Emperor Karl for several hours. No one knows exactly what they discussed, but what is certain is that the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Party will continue to govern in coalition. The only question is whether they have the courage to bring down the Aryan National Party.

The Nazis framed the German Communist Party with the Reichstag fire to completely suppress it. Would the Social Democratic Party have the audacity and determination to stage a similar arson attack against the Aryan National Party? Given their pro-reformist nature, would they still harbor some unrealistic illusions about the Aryan Party?

The vast Austro-Hungarian Empire, after the success of the German Revolution, also entered the final round. The Aryans, or the Social Democrats, were at a crossroads. It was time to make a choice: to put on the brakes in time, or to continue to step on the gas.

485. Seizure of power

Everyone wants to be better than others. Students always want to be number one, and employees always want to be bosses someday. People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. The principle is the same. It is through this kind of competition that humanity progresses. Competition brings progress, which is why social Darwinism was so popular for a period of time.

As an individual, if you want to be better than others, you can do so by working harder or finding ways to surpass them. This principle can also be applied to races. If you want to be better than others as a person, then as a nation, you also need to be better than other nations. This requires careful control. If you don't control it well, some unimaginable things may happen.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire had too many ethnic groups, and none of them held an absolute advantage. Uniting any one of them might not have led to complete victory. So, these people simply created a nation, not distinguished by language, lifestyle, or tradition, but simply by a concept.

Regardless of your ethnicity, lifestyle, or language, as long as you conform to the characteristics of the Aryans, you are considered an Aryan and should love each other. This theory may seem far-fetched, but it actually worked in Austria-Hungary. Some ethnic groups that had previously been at odds found common ground when both were Aryans, and they could easily reconcile their differences.

The identification of Aryan peoples may seem to involve many steps, but in reality, it is quite ambiguous. The subjective will of the person making the identification is still very strong. For example, if the doctor is Austrian, then there are more Austrian Aryans in his area; if he is Hungarian, then there are more Hungarian Austrians.

This seemed to have become a tacit understanding; everyone knew which doctor to consult if they wanted to be identified as Aryan.

Even if you don't meet the criteria, you can easily become an Aryan by bribing them with more money. In general, it has already been hinted at in high-level meetings of the Aryan National Party that most of the major ethnic groups in Austria-Hungary fall within the scope of this Aryan group.

They want to rely on political and social consciousness, transcending regional, linguistic, and traditional habits passed down for hundreds of years, to forcibly create a dominant ethnic group that covers the majority of the population. This can be considered a "great social experiment".

The Aryan National Party is thriving, and its success is certainly not due to insufficient propaganda. The key is that people are actually giving it money, especially in some regions that have fallen into poverty due to economic fluctuations caused by the economic crisis. Most of the Aryan National Party's core supporters are in these areas.

The practice of distributing gold bars in villages has actually happened in the Aryan Party. In impoverished areas, to encourage people to return and stimulate the local economy, Aryan Party neighborhood or city leaders actually give money to those who return to their hometowns. With such generous "money-giving," it would be strange if they didn't have many supporters. Although many people in the community do not express their stance, they are actually already supporters of the Aryan Party.

Emperor Karl tried every means to limit the development of the Aryan Party. No matter how high these people jumped, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was still a monarchy. The emperor was not just a figurehead; he had real power. The Aryan Party initially tried to win over the emperor to gain power, but later found that this approach was not feasible, so they went it alone.

The election results clearly show that the monarchy still has a certain influence in this country. The Aryan National Party has a great influence among the people, and when the election came, the Aryan National Party suffered a crushing defeat against the Social Democratic Party.

After the general election, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) won 45 percent of the seats, becoming the largest party in parliament. The ambitious Aryan National Party, although second in the SPD, was still far behind, holding only 20 percent of the seats.

Although these two have already secured an absolute majority in parliament, the Aryan Party cannot accept being trailing by 20 percent. Radicals are taking to the streets to protest immediately, accusing the election of being manipulated. It is clear that the election was rigged, otherwise they would not have only 20 percent of the seats.

The Aryan National Party is divided on the emergency election. It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that Austria is just bored and has no choice but to hold an emergency election. It's clearly a move to deal with the increasingly powerful Aryan Party. This election is meant to target you; do you really think you can win? Twenty percent of the seats is already pretty good.

Radicals believe in taking to the streets to protest and condemn the election, while some conservatives think there should be no protest. After all, the Aryan Party has always been unpopular, and who knows what might happen in the future? Although the election results are not entirely acceptable, at least they have legally entered the government.

As long as they can get into the government, things will be fine. Besides, no one can guarantee what will happen in the future. In an election that was clearly targeting the Aryan National Party, they still managed to get so many votes. So, they might be able to turn things around if something happens in the future. Therefore, it is best to play it safe and wait and see.

The subordinates argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Ultimately, the decision on this matter depended on what their "party leader," Libenfels, thought. The Aryan Party was originally a small party, and Libenfels had not expected to enter the government so smoothly. To be honest, he was not prepared to govern.

It's better to wait and see for now. Libenfels also thinks it's not the right time and we shouldn't be too hasty. Everything has to be done slowly. The Aryan Party also needs more experience. It's very complicated to completely deal with the problems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not to mention that their influence is currently limited to Austria.

"Entering the government is our victory. We cannot be too hasty in taking charge. The remaining task is to continue developing our party and not let our influence be limited to Austria. What we want is to make the whole of Austria-Hungary great again."

Libenfels' words reflected the sentiments of most of the veteran Aryan Party members, mostly religious followers who had followed him in the past. These people did not want to be too radical and were relatively conservative. As the party leader, Libenfels' words naturally silenced the others. However, some people were certainly not satisfied. These people were the National Party members who had fled from Germany to Austria.

How many years to develop? You have a few years, but we don't. If we wait for Germany to develop properly, how will they launch a counterattack? Relying on Austria-Hungary, can they defeat a recovered Germany? That's a joke! They don't have time to wait. They must seize power quickly, control the entire Austro-Hungarian Peninsula now, and then challenge Germany.

Of course, as a foreign political party, their words do not carry much weight, so to support someone within the Aryan Party who has a voice, who is radical enough and whose words carry enough weight, Artur Sess-Inquart, who is in his thirties, is naturally the right candidate.

If you're not dignified, I'll help you be dignified. How can you accept this election result? Now the Aryan Party has entered the government, but once the Social Democratic Party's policies succeed and the economy recovers, their advantage will be gone. Everyone will be living peacefully, and who will associate with your crazy party? At that time, the Aryan Party will definitely be slowly squeezed out of the government and disappear.

Since you've orchestrated this election, don't blame me for being impolite. The National Party is a master of intrigue in Germany, and they'll be able to easily pull off a coup in Austria.

486. Keynesianism vs. the Austrian School

After an emergency election, the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Party were successfully elected to become the ruling party, which pleased Emperor Karl.

Under his management, the Christian Social Democratic Party won the majority of seats, while the number of seats allocated to the Aryan National Party was just right—enough to satisfy them without allowing them to influence the government.

A group of people within the Social Democratic Party have already taken action, and once Austria's economy recovers from the impact from Germany, these people will gradually disappear from the government.

After the Christian Social Democratic Party's victory, it began to work on the economic recovery of the entire country. Austria had many schools of thought, including the Austrian School of Politics and the Austrian School of Economics. By consulting with these experts, Karl believed that Austria's economy should recover quickly.

Most countries in the world have gone to the left, and the economic situation of socialist countries is indeed worth studying. Capitalism experiences cyclical economic crises, so why don't these socialist countries? Many economists have begun to systematically study the economic theories and methods of these socialist countries.

The Austrian school of thought has its own unique insights into Marxism and economic theory, and they have their own way of understanding it. It has to be said that these two brothers, Germany and Austria, can really compete in various fields. Germany has its Marxism, so why can't Austria have its own Marxism?

After the Christian Social Democratic Party came to power, it began to employ experts from the Austrian School of Economics in an attempt to revive the economy of Austria and the entire empire.

Professional matters should be handled by experts. Emperor Karl also tended not to meddle in areas he was not familiar with. He believed that these professional economists, who graduated from prestigious universities, should be able to quickly solve the empire's economic problems.

Can these people solve Austria's economic problems? In the long run, yes, but these are elites. Elites think from an elite perspective. They can solve economic problems and only care about the economy. As for the lives of the people, they don't care.

During this period of economic recovery through financial means, what ordinary people will encounter is not within their scope of concern; they only focus on castles in the air, and even towering skyscrapers will crumble.

Emperor Karl entrusted the matter to the Social Democratic Party and economic experts, hoping to completely eliminate the influence of the Aryan Party from both political and economic perspectives. However, as their policies were implemented more thoroughly, the influence of the Aryan Party grew stronger, and the free market could not save the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The more these economists do things, the worse Austrian economy seems to get, especially after the left wing of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) left to form the Communist Party of Austria, which made the internal atmosphere of the SPD increasingly worse.

Look at neighboring Germany, their economy is already recovering. Under communist rule, Germany has already started a five-year plan. Meanwhile, we haven't finished settling our old scores. We can't withdraw money from the banks, and our paper currency is depreciating so fast it's practically worthless.

After coming to power, the Social Democratic Party did not lead Austria back on track as Emperor Karl had imagined. Instead, it seemed to be helping the Aryan Party gain support, because many of the Aryan Party's policies were basically the opposite of those of the Social Democratic Party. The National Party had much more experience in handling economic crises than the Social Democratic Party.

If Hess was able to slowly revive the economy in the hardest-hit areas of the economic crisis when he led the National Party, it would be even more so here.

They have their reasons. Who did I fight before? I fought the German Communist Party, and the entire Rhineland, the economic center of Germany. Who are you guys? The Austrian Social Democratic Party. You want to fight me?

What is the state of the Austrian economy now? There are only a few economists in suits and ties, like Hayek and Mises, working on the economy. Can they really manage it? They might not. If things continue like this, without them even lifting a finger, these people will be devoured by the Austrian Communist Party.

"I advise certain people in the government to first understand economic principles. The previous Minister of Economy, Dietrichstein, did a pretty good job, but a bunch of people within the government insisted on replacing him. Now that the economy is in this state, they're blaming this Minister of Economy again. They've completely lost all sense of shame." — *The Aryan*

Before the Aryan National Party could even make a move, the Social Democratic Party punched itself in the back. The defeat in Germany has made the National National Party much more mature. In a different region, the National National Party also knows that some of the German Communist Party's economic policies are indeed effective and worth learning from. Now is a good opportunity to put them into practice.

The Austrian School of Economics also encountered its lifelong adversary: ​​Keynes, the special economic advisor to the Aryan National Party. After the British Revolution, Keynes went to the United States, where his economic ideas were not taken seriously.

Later, when the North American version of the game resembled PUBG, he traveled to Austria, the only "pure land" in Europe, to continue promoting and developing his theories. He became somewhat famous in Austria and was recently approached by the Aryan National Party, becoming their dedicated economic advisor.

Austria has become a large testing ground, with the Aryan National Party and the Social Democratic Party each using their own methods to see who can truly revitalize the economy and which side the people will ultimately support.

Economics is a difficult thing to understand, and it's hard for ordinary people to comprehend. The Aryan National Party has its own positioning. It was a "good student" of the Communist Party of Germany. After being expelled from Germany, it understood that it had to "firmly" stand on the side of the people and make private contact with those big businessmen.

The Social Democratic Party's economic policies have aroused dissatisfaction among many people. Their economic policies are abstract, involving bonds and finance, which are difficult for ordinary people to understand. That's okay, the Aryan National Party's party newspaper, "The Aryan," can thoughtfully explain these complex and lofty financial theories to everyone.

The Aryan newspaper meticulously explains the various economic policies of these economists every day, making them understandable to the general public. However, after understanding these policies, people find that the economy is not doing much better; in fact, it is getting worse. The most direct reaction is the speed of currency devaluation, making everyone want to spend all their money at once.

This has created a very interesting situation: every time the Aryan newspaper publishes an economist's economic policies, those who receive the paper always exclaim, "How great, XXX!" and thank you for your tireless efforts in disrupting the Austrian economy.

"An invisible hand made me unemployed. If I see you on the street, I will break three of your ribs with my visible hand."

As a political newspaper, The Aryan newspaper has a rather light and pleasant content, a wide grassroots readership, and the Aryan National Party is not entirely inactive.

Regions guided by Keynesianism are indeed recovering their economies faster than those governed by Austrian policies. Several states in Austria controlled by the Aryan National Party have already seen some economic improvement, while these regions are still busy adjusting.

Since we can't beat you openly, I'll use dirty tricks. Seeing that the influence of the Aryan National Party is growing instead of gradually disappearing as we had expected, the Social Democratic Party set up a trap. Before they even told Karl, they planned to assassinate the Crown Prince and frame the Aryan National Party.

Whether it will be effective or not is unknown, but all that is known is that if the Crown Prince is accidentally killed, the terrifying memory of Austria-Hungary will still be there, and this will be another major war.

487. The Great Crossing

In contemporary Europe, specifically within the framework of the German nation, a very large-scale social practice is underway.

After overthrowing the empire, Germany chose the path of a socialist republic. Marx's economic thought is an important reference for the current German economy. In Austria, the Keynesian school and the Austrian school of economics are also engaged in heated debates.

Within the framework of a German nation, these three most fiercely conflicting schools of economics are setting an example for the world, and it remains to be seen which of the three will ultimately emerge victorious.

The Austrian School and the Keynesian School are mortal enemies in Austria, not only in economics but also in politics. The Social Democratic Party and the Aryan National Party have reached the final round. The Aryan National Party's position is very clear: if it weren't for the emperor supporting the Social Democratic Party, who in Austria would support them?

Germany doesn't care; they're doing just fine in their own little corner of the world. Back then, Germany was a world-class hegemonic empire. Everyone wants to see if the newly formed so-called democratic countries can restore Germany's former prosperity after the collapse of this empire. Germany's biggest enemy now is itself, compared to the imperial government of the past.

Austria is a much more dynamic place, with supporters of the Aryan National Party and the Social Democratic Party becoming very clearly divided. Under the guidance of those experts, Austria's economic recovery during this period does not appear very optimistic.

Although they claim that everything will be alright after this most difficult period, people can't wait.

These Austrian School experts have consistently criticized Keynes's theories for merely postponing the crisis rather than resolving it, and for arguing that strong intervention could easily lead to dictators, causing devastating damage to both the country and the economy.

But the more they criticize, the more resentful they become among ordinary people. Isn't this typical envy? They make snide remarks when they see that other countries are doing a better job in economic work than they are. At least under the guidance of Keynesian theory, their economy has indeed recovered quite a bit. What do they say about this place? Almost everyone has left.

Why not postpone the economic crisis? What's the point of worrying about what will happen after I die? The economy should recover now. We should trust the wisdom of future generations. Who knows, maybe some genius will emerge?

"The reason why Austria cannot follow Keynesianism is not about whose judgment is correct. Ultimately, there is only one question: do you want a free market or state intervention? Do you want freedom or tyranny?"

To bolster public confidence in the government, Austrian proponents and Keynesians frequently engage in public debates to gain more supporters. Hayek is spraying water at the crowd below, saying that once Austria gets through this most difficult period, its economy will surely recover.

Watching the impeccably dressed Hayek pontificate on the stage, talking about free markets, economic policies that were incomprehensible to him, and all sorts of abstract symbols, some people below were furious. "I'm unemployed at home, haven't had rice to cook for months, and you're telling me I have to keep waiting and grit my teeth? Damn it, if I keep gritting my teeth, I'll starve to death."

"Screw your tyranny of freedom! I want bread! I want to eat!"

They help whoever feeds them. Seeing that things were not going well, Hayek quickly jumped off the podium. If he had been any later, he probably would have been punched a few times.

"Damn Keynes, look at the power of the workers now! The economy may recover in the short term, but the power of the workers will also expand during this period to resist the bourgeoisie and our free government!"

"Keynes's theories have shaken the very foundation of our capitalist system! Austria-Hungary was a federal state with many ethnic groups and uneven regional economies. He always emphasized government intervention, which would sacrifice freedom. With so many ethnic groups, how could it be solved so easily? Just watch, Keynesianism is absolutely the gravedigger of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This empire was bound to disintegrate and collapse! It's a wrong path, and it won't work!"

Hayek complained in the car, as if he could see the future of Austria-Hungary, just like in another timeline when he talked about the collapse of the Soviet Union. It doesn't matter why it collapsed, just say whether it collapsed or not. Since it collapsed in the end, doesn't that mean what I said makes sense?

Regardless of what he says, the influence of Keynesianism is indeed growing in Austria, at least in the areas controlled by the Aryan National Party and where Keynesianism is practiced, the economy is much better than in other places.

The Austrian faction claims they are on the right track, but people aren't blind. The key issue is that officials also care about their performance, and after all that effort, there's been no progress. Ironically, the majority of people in the government now support Keynesianism.

Are you even capable of handling this? If not, I'll take over Keynesian economics. The economic crisis has affected the whole of Europe. How did Germany try to resolve the crisis?

They had a revolution, but this is something we can't learn from. In Austria, the question of whether to use Keynesianism or the Austrian School has already been set by Austria. The countries in Southern Europe are also starting to explore Keynesianism and try to resolve the economic storm brought by Germany.