Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 128: Reformists

The highly anticipated Austrian civil service examinations continued to create a buzz until February 1849 when they finally concluded. The final results brought mixed feelings among the participants.

For Franz, it was a relief that the process had come to an end successfully. With this promising start, Austria’s talent selection system underwent a transformation.

The central government took charge of selecting talent and appointing them to local positions, significantly reducing the influence of regional power brokers and strengthening centralization.

On February 6, 1849, the Austrian National Assembly officially convened, marking the beginning of shared governance among Austria’s various ethnic groups and their involvement in shaping the nation’s destiny.

A total of 115 representatives from various ethnic groups in Austria participated in the assembly. In theory, the allocation of seats was based on population proportions, but due to practical considerations, it was increased by 15 additional seats.

Many ethnic groups in Austria were scattered throughout the region, so Franz couldn’t physically gather them. Instead, the selection of representatives was done by regions.

Candidates were nominated by the esteemed Emperor and then elected through local voting. If a particular ethnic group lacked representation, there was no need to worry; this was simply a matter of being represented indirectly.

Amidst the cheers of the people, the Austrian National Assembly, the nominal highest authority in Austria, was established.

The first order of business for the National Assembly was the passage of the Austrian Compulsory Education Law. The long-anticipated compulsory education had finally been legally established in Austria.

The government had solicited opinions from various sectors of society, and this process had come to a close. Over the course of this effort, they had received hundreds of thousands of suggestions, though the majority of them were repetitive.

To Franz’s surprise, there were a significant number of people who opposed compulsory education. Nearly half of the opinions received were advising the government not to burden the people and waste resources on compulsory education.

Yes, in the eyes of many, compulsory education was seen as a burdensome expenditure.

They even gave examples, pointing out that the two great powers of the world today, Britain and Russia, did not implement compulsory education. In contrast, the neighboring Kingdom of Prussia had adopted compulsory education but had not become a world hegemon because of it.

Franz, with his strong inner composure, decisively disregarded these dissenting opinions.

The benefits of Prussia’s compulsory education system were not yet apparent at this time. It would only become evident when the Second Industrial Revolution erupts, and people would suddenly realize that Prussia had a large number of skilled workers and engineers.

With a substantial workforce of skilled workers and engineers, Germany’s economy would take off and eventually surpass that of Britain during the Second Industrial Revolution.

After several rounds of screening, Franz was left with five feasible options, one of which involved introducing a hands-on, practical education approach.

When he saw this option, Franz became very angry.

“Compulsory education with apprenticeships,” in simple terms, meant that children receiving compulsory education would work in factories for half a day and then attend school for the other half, using their earnings from work to cover the costs of their education.

On the surface, it seemed fine, but in reality, it had significant issues. Capitalists collaborating with schools might turn the well-intentioned compulsory education into a source of cheap labor for capitalists.

Even if all of it were arranged in state-owned enterprises, the final outcome wouldn’t be much better. State enterprise managers would also pursue their interests, and in the end, they might all collude to turn half-day work into a full day’s work. There was nothing surprising about that.

Franz still had his principles, and he couldn’t bring himself to exploit children.

Moreover, even the relatively impoverished Kingdom of Prussia had managed to implement compulsory education. There was no reason why it couldn’t be done in his realm.

After decisively discarding this option, Franz realized that there were always worse alternatives.

Someone had actually proposed a Church-style compulsory education, which essentially meant entrusting compulsory education to the Church. The government would allocate funds to the Church, and the Church would be responsible for compulsory education.

Franz really wanted to find the bastard who had proposed this and give them a piece of his mind.

In terms of cost, it could indeed save some expenses.

Churches were scattered throughout the country, and students could stay at home, eliminating the need for school construction costs. Clergy had other sources of income and didn’t rely on salaries, so they would only need some subsidies.

But what about the consequences? The next generation nurtured by the Church, would they ultimately be loyal to the Emperor or the Church? This was a serious concern.

Franz didn’t dare underestimate the influence of religion. From the Middle Ages to the present day, governments in various European countries had been working to reduce the influence of religion. Reversing history like this was impossible.

These seemingly feasible but treacherous suggestions were hiding a sinister agenda. It was frustrating for Franz to see that so many people supported them. He couldn’t help but sigh, “We really need to strengthen civic education!”

……

Excluding the two dubious suggestions, Franz said, “Prime Minister, submit these three relatively reasonable ideas for discussion in the parliament, and let’s choose the one most suitable for Austria’s circumstances for compulsory education.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Prime Minister Felix replied.

The so-called discussion was just a formality. The will of the Emperor was the will of the Austrian National Assembly. While members of the council could express their opinions, they couldn’t contradict the Emperor’s will.

Of course, if there were compelling reasons to persuade Emperor Franz, he was open to accommodating good suggestions.

Minister of Education Count von Thun und Hohenstein handed over a thick document and said, “Your Majesty, the Ministry of Education has prepared the plan for compulsory education. Please review it.”

Franz took the document, which was approximately two to three hundred pages long. He didn’t rush to open it since it would take some time to go through such a large amount of content.

Austria was a multi-ethnic country with a complex national makeup, so the methods and approaches for implementing compulsory education varied in different ethnic regions. This complexity added to the thickness of the plan.

“Count von Thun und Hohenstein, please give me an overview of where your plan stands currently,” Franz inquired with concern.

Count von Thun und Hohenstein quickly responded, “Your Majesty, after extensive field research conducted by the Ministry of Education, we have decided to implement compulsory education in a phased manner. We will begin with the densely populated urban areas and gradually expand to the rural regions.

Our goal for this year is to initiate compulsory education in major cities such as Vienna, Prague, Pecs... and so on. We aim to achieve nationwide coverage of compulsory education within five years.

The selection of school locations in these major cities has been mostly finalized. To address budgetary constraints, we are primarily focusing on renovating existing buildings.

Currently, 1,023 schools have been constructed, with a total recruitment of 34,216 teachers. These teachers are currently undergoing intensive training, and we expect this training to be completed by May.

The Ministry of Education plans to officially commence compulsory education in June of this year. In the initial phase, considering the capacity of schools, we will enroll voluntary student applicants. After five years, we will then make compulsory education mandatory for all eligible children.”

Emperor Franz nodded in agreement, as he was most concerned about government officials rushing projects for the sake of achieving political gains and potentially harming the quality of compulsory education.

“Has the Ministry of Education considered students from more affluent families who can afford to pay tuition and may require better educational facilities?

Shouldn’t they be distinguished from ordinary children in terms of receiving compulsory education resources?” Franz asked with curiosity.

Education for the poor was naturally reserved for the impoverished. It wouldn’t make sense to have the offspring of capitalists and nobles attending classes with sand trays, would it?

Count von Thun und Hohenstein explained, “Your Majesty, Austria already has schools charging fees, and we have not made significant changes to them. These schools are not included in the compulsory education management system.

To ensure fairness in selection, the Ministry of Education will gradually reduce the funding allocated to these schools in the future. Education funding for all schools will be allocated according to the number of students, with a uniform standard.”

Perhaps this isn’t the best choice, but it’s the most suitable one. The Austrian central government provides equal education funding for every student receiving compulsory education, considering the principle of fairness to the greatest extent possible.

If families have the means, they can pay for better schools, and that’s their prerogative. After the government reduces funding for these private schools, tuition fees will naturally increase.

Times have changed. In the past, the Austrian Empire only had to foot the bill for the education of two or three hundred thousand students. Now, with millions of students to educate, educational polarization has become inevitable.

Of course, local finances also contribute to education funding, with wealthier regions providing more while financially challenged areas contribute less. The central government’s allocation of educational funds can only ensure that the most basic students complete compulsory education.

“Let’s proceed with this plan for now. Continue to solicit opinions from domestic education experts. As long as the suggestions are practical and beneficial to Austria, we can accept them,” Franz said after some thought.

Since political theatre is part of the game, they must go the full distance. They already solicited opinions from the public in the earlier stages, and naturally, they should continue to do so.

Regardless of whether the suggestions will ultimately be adopted, at least the Austrian government’s relationship with experts and scholars in society has improved significantly after a round of heated discussions.

The Austrian government’s crackdown on the rebellion last year led to a rift with cultural figures, which has gradually been eliminated.

Many people’s dissatisfaction with the Austrian government stems from the rigid system that hampers the country’s development. It doesn’t mean these individuals are unpatriotic or seeking rebellion.

In reality, Austria is quite conservative. The revolutionary ideas that prevailed in France don’t find much room here; people are more inclined towards reform rather than revolution.

During the Metternich era, while the government constantly touted reform as a slogan, there was no real action, leading to widespread discontent.

During Franz’s era, the Austrian government’s reforms continued without pause. It began with the abolition of serfdom, followed by the implementation of labor protection laws, civil service exams, and the promotion of compulsory education, among other measures.

While these reform initiatives left room for improvement and didn’t result in radical changes, they were sufficient to satisfy the reformists.

Except for teenagers in their rebellious phase, most people didn’t seek an all-or-nothing approach. Particularly among the older generation, the preference was for gradual social change, akin to slowly boiling a frog in warm water.