Holy Roman Empire

Christmas Eve in 1868, this is a memorable day, this night opened a new era of humanity.

Auguste is an ordinary Viennese citizen, and these changes in Vienna are also overwhelming, as if in a dream.

With the children at home, looking at the bright street lights, this is the best gift for Christmas.

"Is my father an electric light? Why is it so bright?"

Hearing his son's question, August did not know where to start.There was no Internet in this era, and knowledge dissemination depended solely on books.

Although Auguste's education is not low, but the professional is not right.As a doctor, he does not need to study electric lamps, so naturally he cannot answer this question.

Not just him, not many people in Vienna knew why.Vienna is not an industrial city, there are studios engaged in this research, but there is no factory to produce such products.

Vienna is an inland city and the capital. It integrates a political center, financial center, cultural center, scientific research center, and education center.

With so many titles added, it is really impossible to add another industrial center.Otherwise, the skyrocketing population can squeeze this beautiful city into collapse.

From Franz ’s succession to the present, in just two decades, Vienna ’s population has tripled, and it is still growing at a rapid rate of 8%.

This is obviously not natural growth. If the natural population growth rate is so fast, unifying the whole world is not a dream.

Even if the factory was closed, as the capitals of the two empires, a large number of people in Vienna still flocked every year.

Population growth is the driving force of urban development. Today, Vienna is already the most prosperous and beautiful city in the world.

Per capita income ranks first in the world, neither Paris nor London can compare. Although their economies are also very developed, a large number of workers have lowered the average.

This is why Vienna can be the first city that never sleeps.The income of the people of Vienna can already afford the cost of lighting, while other cities cannot afford it.

Electricity is not cheap in this era, as long as the middle class and the rich can enjoy it.The income of an ordinary worker for one year is not enough to open an account for a power company.

Since the breakthrough of large generator technology in 1866, Austrian power companies have sprung up like mushrooms.If any city does not have a power company, then this must be a small city.

Now every city in Austria with a population of more than 100,000 people has a power company settled down, at least one branch.

As a new energy industry, the Vienna government has been supporting it. It is now a golden period for power companies to race.

Unfortunately, the cost is still high, and it has not been able to achieve universal popularization.The biggest obstacle to the popularization of electricity is not the cost of power generation, but the cost of wires, or copper and rubber.

Even if the utilization rate is low, how can one kilogram of coal generate electricity? Austrian coal is not valuable, and power generation is not picky. Any coal can be used.

The cost of pure power generation does not exceed 5 Groschen per kilowatt-hour, but when delivered to the residents' homes, the price of a kilowatt hour becomes 8 shillings, a full increase of 159 times.

(1 shield = 100 shillings = 10000 Groschen)

No way, the number of users is not large, the cost of wires is high, and the amortization cost will naturally go up.

The most direct benefit of the development of new energy is: under the recession of the economic crisis, the copper smelting industry and the rubber industry in Austria have grown against the market.

Many companies in the relevant industrial chain have benefited from this. At least 500 million Aegis markets have been driven, contributing to Austria's economic recovery.

Touching his son's small head, August said lovingly: "I don't know about this problem, it needs my little scientist to study it in person."

The academic atmosphere in Vienna is still very strong, and the social status of scientists in Austria is very high, especially after the Emperor Franz, who is keen to knight the scientist, has been sought after by all walks of life.

Of course, the title is not so easy to get, there is not necessarily a place every year.Franz is a realist. Before seeing the results, even if it is blown up, he will not pay attention.

This is harmless, and still cannot stop the enthusiasm of the people.August is no exception, always bringing his son's interests and hobbies to scientific research.

Obviously, the little guy didn't buy it that way, shaking his head and saying, "No, the laboratory is too boring. How can it be comparable to the galloping world, my ambition is to be a great soldier."

Looking at his dancing son, Auguste could only helplessly accept this reality.It's not a school bully. It's too difficult to be a scientist. It's a good choice to be a soldier.

The tradition in the German region is strong, and it is the goal of most people to become an outstanding soldier.

Don't look at Auguste as a doctor, in fact he was also a soldier, but he has already retired.

In the national military service system, basically every adult male will enter the military service.Men who have not served in military service are vulnerable to discrimination in society.

The service rate in Austria is still as high as 95%, and the remaining 5% is naturally defective.Ordinary people will enter the reserve even if they cannot enter the regular army.

This is not just an obligation, but also a right for everyone. The legal definition is that every citizen has the right and obligation to defend the country, and the right to perform military service is also one of the civil rights.

This is not Franz ’s pot, but the core of Austria ’s constitution: rights are equal to obligations.

Failure to perform military service also means that failure to perform the rights and obligations of defending the country naturally loses political rights, including a series of social benefits.

There are not many social benefits at present, and we can't see much impact. The future will be different.

Now the problems of unemployment assistance and pensions have been put on the agenda.Napoleon III took the lead and Franz had to follow suit.

Just as Austria first enacted a labor protection law, it is now standard in all European countries, including the Russian Empire.

In this respect, the proletarian fighting power of Europe is still very powerful.Everyone is very active in fighting for their rights.

The delay has not been communicated, mainly due to the burden of enterprises.To increase these two expenditures, it is inevitable to increase taxes, otherwise what can you do without money?

It is not surprising that Napoleon III would lose his throne. Most of the hats buckled on his heads in the later generations were false. There was only one real reason: the capitalist suffered from Napoleon III.

The socialist emperor also comes at a price. It is definitely not an understatement in the history book.Whether it is to rebuild Paris or improve the welfare of the working class, these require money.

Economic development can certainly increase taxes, but the accompanying expenditures have also increased.When Napoleon III succeeded, France's fiscal deficit was as high as 1 billion francs.

Up to now, it has not only smoothed out the expenses, but also has the ability to give benefits to the workers. The money is not just printed directly.

From the tax changes before and after he became king, the problem can be seen.The tax paid by the big capitalists during the Orleans dynasty was less than 1% of fiscal revenue, and now it has exceeded 30% of fiscal revenue.

Whether it is unemployment benefits or retirement pensions, the money is drawn from the pockets of capitalists.

Just looking at his establishment of the two major French central banks, "Land Credit Bank" and "Movable Property Credit Bank", and the establishment of land banks in Paris and provinces, we know how much meat has been cut off by financial capitalists.

Do n’t forget the lesson, Franz is doing the same thing, even further.It is just that the fighting power of the Austrian capitalists is not good, and the political nobility is suppressed by the nobles.

In order to reduce blood pressure, Franz has irregularly included big capitalists.Regardless of the rights, these people become members of the ruling class, and the class position changes.

It is impossible for them to share the rights that Xing Xing had acquired with the original bourgeoisie.

Capitalists and capitalists are naturally opposed to each other, and competition has divided this group. As long as monopoly consortia are not allowed, this group will not have the strength to fight against the government.

...

The Christmas Eve in 1868 left a shocking scene for this era. The scene of "Nightless City" in science fiction became a reality in Vienna.

The telegraph is definitely one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century. Thanks to the efficient transmission speed of the telegram, the news of “Vienna = Night City” the next day seized the front page of European newspapers.

This Christmas, there is only one "city that never sleeps" in the eyes of European people.

Electric lighting has long appeared on the European continent, but to make a city light up, many people dare not think about it.

In fact, not all of Vienna is lit up, only street lamps are installed, and many residents still have oil lamps in their homes.

The newspapers will naturally not elaborate on these issues, and they will be taken directly in one stroke to make everyone in Europe assume that electric lighting has been popularized in Vienna.

It ’s enough for a small country to watch the excitement. Everyone ’s mentality is good. Vienna was originally the richest city in Europe. It was normal to be the city that never sleeps first.

It is different in the eyes of some people. For the British and French people of this era, this can't be tolerated.

London