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Chapter 48 End of the Revolution, Beginning of an Era
Chapter 48 End of the Revolution, Beginning of an Era
"You really should have surrendered when you had the chance Franz."- Kaiser Wilhelm I 1861
"My friends after centuries of oppresion Hungary is free. For now and forever we shall decide our own destiny as we shall forever strive to become apart of the great powers of Europe once more."- President Lajos Kossuth 1848
"It appears that the revolutions were a success, far too good of one. Fear not Europe, for France shall return."- President Napoleon Bonaparte III 1848
By the time the Stockholm Conference began on January 2nd it was clear already who the victors were. Germany had already secured its territory and now held large swaths of land within both Russia and Austria. Hungary also had managed to conquer some parts of Austria with the addition of Croatia and while it wasn't able to push the Russians out fully yet, they had been steadily progresses into Eastern Hungary as more Russian troops were being pulled out north in order to deal with the German threat to their borders. With Budapest under Hungarian control it was also clear that Austria was in no position to enforce its claim to the Kingdom of St. Stephen. The only question that lied now was what exact terms of the treaty would there be. While Germany had managed to conquer much of Austria, at the same time they were far from their vision of total conquest that would give them a perfect casus belli for annexation. In the meantime while Russia was heavily defeated they still had millions of men to call upon and it was unlikely that the Anglo-German forces could even possibly be able to reach anywhere near Moscow soon. So for weeks there was much bickering over any amount of compromises, the annexation of land, recognition of sovereignty, and the future military prowess of each nation that could lead to another war down the line (which it did happen, twice). Finally on March 13th, the second anniversary of the start of German Unification, an agreement was reached and the Treaty of Stockholm was signed.
The terms are as follows:
Map of Europe in 1848 after the Treaty of Stockholm
With the signing of the treaty came about the official end of the 1846 Revolutions. It was a time of much turmoil for Europe, but in the end it virtually shattered the status-quo following the Congress of Vienna and brought about a new era of nationalism within Europe. Germany had just been born and was already recognized as a continental power that could one day extend its reach over the world. Many liberal reforms were also made within Germany and along with the unification of the economy and the growth of industry, would make it the foremost economic and political powerhouse on the continent by the end of the century. In Central Europe with the rise of Germany began the beginnings of the downfall of Austria. What could've been a Hapsburg Germany was forever denied and the Empire lost a hug majority of its territory with the cession of Hungarian independence and territorial losses to Germany and Italy. What was once the premier state of Central Europe and the center of German culture now slid into disorder and unrest as Emperor Franz Joseph still refused to grant any liberal reforms and focused on wild dreams of revanchism against Germany, instead of focusing on the now hugely Slavic majority of the Empire. The Balkans would now be changed forever as Hungary would arrive to the scene and brought with it an example of an European state that could achieve many liberal reforms that America had given birth to, while also becoming a strong power in its own right due to its national unity. Hungary's independence would further the unrest of the Balkan nationalities as many people now saw that if the Hapsburg Empire was to fall, then surely the Ottomans would be next. Russia was hit with a huge loss as while they had prevented a total Austrian collapse, at the same time they weren't able to stop German and Hungarian nationalism while suffering through its loss of naval power in the Baltic. Seeing Central Europe as an essential bust, Nicholas would turn his attention to Central Asia, the Balkans, and the Middle East, which would become the center of Russian foreign policy for the rest of the century. Finally Great Britain had managed to pull through the conflict with new found friends and allies and proved that their military was still powerful after Oregon, though they had gained little directly from it and the seeds of inequality and a desire for reform were spreading. 1848 would mark the total end of the old era of monarchism, and the beginning of the Age of Nationalism.
View attachment 299980
Victory Parade of the German Empire (Right) Official inauguration of Lajos Kossuth as President of Hungary 1848 (Center) Beginning of the end for Austria (Left)
A/N: Finally! I'm so glad that I was able to finish this after almost two months. It makes me quite scared though of how long it's going to take when we reach the Great War. Originally I was going to make Chapter 48 the last Hungarian one, but I figured that with Germany's counterattack then Hungary would slowly start to make gains while Russia diverted more troops to defend its lands. With the 1846 Arc down we will finally be able to shift focus back to Texas. Chapter 49 will be about both the Gold Rush and Lamar's final term, and will come soon. The 1850's will also include some more European action, seeds of the American Civil War, and colonialism in Asia. I'll also start a series of posts which detail the culture of Texas. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more. Long live the Republic!
"You really should have surrendered when you had the chance Franz."- Kaiser Wilhelm I 1861
"My friends after centuries of oppresion Hungary is free. For now and forever we shall decide our own destiny as we shall forever strive to become apart of the great powers of Europe once more."- President Lajos Kossuth 1848
"It appears that the revolutions were a success, far too good of one. Fear not Europe, for France shall return."- President Napoleon Bonaparte III 1848
By the time the Stockholm Conference began on January 2nd it was clear already who the victors were. Germany had already secured its territory and now held large swaths of land within both Russia and Austria. Hungary also had managed to conquer some parts of Austria with the addition of Croatia and while it wasn't able to push the Russians out fully yet, they had been steadily progresses into Eastern Hungary as more Russian troops were being pulled out north in order to deal with the German threat to their borders. With Budapest under Hungarian control it was also clear that Austria was in no position to enforce its claim to the Kingdom of St. Stephen. The only question that lied now was what exact terms of the treaty would there be. While Germany had managed to conquer much of Austria, at the same time they were far from their vision of total conquest that would give them a perfect casus belli for annexation. In the meantime while Russia was heavily defeated they still had millions of men to call upon and it was unlikely that the Anglo-German forces could even possibly be able to reach anywhere near Moscow soon. So for weeks there was much bickering over any amount of compromises, the annexation of land, recognition of sovereignty, and the future military prowess of each nation that could lead to another war down the line (which it did happen, twice). Finally on March 13th, the second anniversary of the start of German Unification, an agreement was reached and the Treaty of Stockholm was signed.
The terms are as follows:
- All signatories shall recognize the sovereignty of both the German Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary.
- Germany shall gain the Sudetenland, the German speaking areas of Bohemia
- Hungary shall receive the totality of the Kingdom of Croatia
- Germany shall annex the city-state of Krakow
- Russia is to be prohibited from constructing or sailing warships within the Baltic Sea. A 25-mile demilitarized zone shall exist in Russia in the territories on the German border for the next 10 years.
- The House of Hapsburg shall forever renounce their claims to the crowns of Hungary and Croatia.
- All of Silesia shall go to Germany.
- Wilhelm von Hohenzollern is to be recognized as Emperor of the Germans.
- Austria shall allow the free transport of goods between Germany and Hungary.
- German is to become a recognized language within Hungary and its ethnic members shall be protected by the government.
Map of Europe in 1848 after the Treaty of Stockholm
With the signing of the treaty came about the official end of the 1846 Revolutions. It was a time of much turmoil for Europe, but in the end it virtually shattered the status-quo following the Congress of Vienna and brought about a new era of nationalism within Europe. Germany had just been born and was already recognized as a continental power that could one day extend its reach over the world. Many liberal reforms were also made within Germany and along with the unification of the economy and the growth of industry, would make it the foremost economic and political powerhouse on the continent by the end of the century. In Central Europe with the rise of Germany began the beginnings of the downfall of Austria. What could've been a Hapsburg Germany was forever denied and the Empire lost a hug majority of its territory with the cession of Hungarian independence and territorial losses to Germany and Italy. What was once the premier state of Central Europe and the center of German culture now slid into disorder and unrest as Emperor Franz Joseph still refused to grant any liberal reforms and focused on wild dreams of revanchism against Germany, instead of focusing on the now hugely Slavic majority of the Empire. The Balkans would now be changed forever as Hungary would arrive to the scene and brought with it an example of an European state that could achieve many liberal reforms that America had given birth to, while also becoming a strong power in its own right due to its national unity. Hungary's independence would further the unrest of the Balkan nationalities as many people now saw that if the Hapsburg Empire was to fall, then surely the Ottomans would be next. Russia was hit with a huge loss as while they had prevented a total Austrian collapse, at the same time they weren't able to stop German and Hungarian nationalism while suffering through its loss of naval power in the Baltic. Seeing Central Europe as an essential bust, Nicholas would turn his attention to Central Asia, the Balkans, and the Middle East, which would become the center of Russian foreign policy for the rest of the century. Finally Great Britain had managed to pull through the conflict with new found friends and allies and proved that their military was still powerful after Oregon, though they had gained little directly from it and the seeds of inequality and a desire for reform were spreading. 1848 would mark the total end of the old era of monarchism, and the beginning of the Age of Nationalism.
View attachment 299980
Victory Parade of the German Empire (Right) Official inauguration of Lajos Kossuth as President of Hungary 1848 (Center) Beginning of the end for Austria (Left)
A/N: Finally! I'm so glad that I was able to finish this after almost two months. It makes me quite scared though of how long it's going to take when we reach the Great War. Originally I was going to make Chapter 48 the last Hungarian one, but I figured that with Germany's counterattack then Hungary would slowly start to make gains while Russia diverted more troops to defend its lands. With the 1846 Arc down we will finally be able to shift focus back to Texas. Chapter 49 will be about both the Gold Rush and Lamar's final term, and will come soon. The 1850's will also include some more European action, seeds of the American Civil War, and colonialism in Asia. I'll also start a series of posts which detail the culture of Texas. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more. Long live the Republic!
- Kaiser Chris
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