Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Chapter 56, Only Profit Is Eternal

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Having no money was a big problem. Despite Fickvena being a writer with a decent income, she too was powerless to solve the school’s funding issues.

Fundraising? A look into the reasons behind the establishment of the Hungarian National School made it clear—collecting funds now was impossible.

It was related to the great revolution of 1848. The advocates for the promotion of the Hungarian language and script were mostly inclined toward the Revolutionary Party. Nearly all of these people had met with God or were fighting for the Austrian railway cause.

Those who had narrowly escaped were mostly moderates. These individuals tended to be extremely cautious and were few in number, lacking the capacity to take on such an expense.

The Hungarian language and script had evolved over ten centuries to take form. It originated as early as the 9th century and by the medieval times had already amassed around eight hundred words, mainly deriving from the Turkic Language Branch, the Caucasian language family, as well as from the Romanian language branch, Slavonic languages, and many loanwords from German.

In 1836, Hungary initiated a language and script revolution. The Hungarian language and script, as known by later generations, essentially took shape during that time. In 1844, Hungarian was declared the official language of Hungary.

Most of the Hungarian Nobility came from the Germany Region. There were not a few among these Nobles who spoke Hungarian, but barely any who had learned the Hungarian script, with the language principally circulating among the lower classes.

Against this backdrop, István Szechenyi founded the Hungarian National School, promoting the Hungarian language and script among the upper and middle classes.

If history had not been altered, schools of this nature would have flourished throughout Hungary, laying the foundation for the nation’s cultural heritage for generations to come.

This is also one of the reasons why István Szechenyi was posthumously dubbed “the greatest Hungarian.”

In fact, his contributions to Hungary were numerous, such as founding the Academy of Sciences, establishing the Noble Club, and advocating for the abolition of serfdom…

However, history knows no what-ifs. Under Franz’s butterfly effect, this great Hungarian nationalist met with God ahead of his time.

With the fall of their leader, the remaining nationalists became scattered and disunited. Coupled with the Austrian Government’s suppression, many opportunists withdrew from the nationalist movement.

As social circumstances changed, the nobles and capitalists were no longer willing to let their children continue learning the Hungarian language and script. They feared that such an educational background would diminish their offspring’s chances of university admission. The idea of donations was naturally unthinkable.

Without the support of a patron, these schools inevitably fell into hardship and were forced to accept the Austrian Ministry of Education’s edicts.

Pesci, once the most glorious city in Hungary, had now fallen into decline. For political reasons, the Austrian Government did not allocate funds to rebuild Budapest after the war and the city was once again split into two.

The once-bustling Noble Club was now deserted. Stepping through the gates and seeing a few familiar faces scattered among mostly strangers, Fickvena’s once passionate heart had cooled.

Even though three years had passed, the place had yet to recover its former vibrance. As the erstwhile capital of Hungary, the local Nobility had been severely wounded, with many ancient noble families vanishing into thin air.

The gathering today had only been possible because of the famous Liszt’s performance; people were here merely for his renown.

Despite the turnout, there were very few who were willing to donate to the national school. If it had been just anybody, Fickvena would not have recognized them, after all, the nationalist moderate circle wasn’t that large.

The life of glitz and glamour continued unchanged, as if nothing had ever happened. In the end, Fickvena never spoke up; the pride of a writer wouldn’t allow her to stoop so low.

The government had decreed German as the common language and announced the abolition of dialect publications, to which these people showed no reaction; the discontinuation of dialect education in schools also failed to stir them.

Fickvena didn’t know when she had started to accept the term “dialect” too.

Of course, calling it a dialect wasn’t wrong; Hungarian was mainly spoken in the Hungarian Region, utilized by less than one-fifth of the entire Austrian Empire’s population.

A middle-aged man dressed in extravagant attire approached and greeted, “Fickvena, come have a drink!”

Fickvena raised her glass, clinked it with the middle-aged man’s, and with poised elegance took a sip before saying, “Hanks, it’s been a while. What have you been up to?”

Hanks said with a smile, “Indeed, it has been some time. I’ve been stockpiling recently. It’s no secret that the Vienna Government is considering a move against the Ottoman Empire and is stockpiling strategic materials. I just happened to take advantage of the situation to have a taste of the action.

And you? Why the long face? Still worried about your little newspaper?”

“Worry less. This is a decision by the national assembly, impossible to change. It’s said to be in aid of advancing the integration process of Austria.”

Shaking her head, Fickvena replied, “That barely alive little newspaper of mine, you are well aware, hardly makes any money. If it’s closed, so be it.

But at this rate, our Hungarian national culture will be finished. Newspapers and books are banned, and now the only remaining national school in Pesci City has also discontinued Hungarian classes.”

“I’m really worried…”

Hanks immediately changed his tone and said, “Stop there, that’s enough about this issue. The unification of language and writing is the general trend; don’t think about all this messy stuff.

Just think, before this, in the Hungarian Region alone, there were as many as fifteen major languages and scripts. At that time, you even advocated for language unification, and now you say it’s not okay?

Your mindset isn’t right. Unifying language and writing is for the best; we can even save a good deal of translation fees. It’s something that benefits both the country and its people.

Fickvena couldn’t help but smile wryly; she was being lectured. She regretted having communicated with this old friend, who had now changed—the capitalists always chase profit after all.

At first, these people were the most opposed to the Austrian Government, but now they had become its most devout supporters. How unpredictable life is, and yet interests are eternal.

After unification, Austria, whether in terms of market size, economic development speed, or potential, far surpassed the former Hungary.

For capitalists, this era in Austria was doubtlessly the best. As long as one didn’t have problems with their brain, almost any industry invested in at this time would make money.

The term “overheated economy” was unheard of. Everyone just believed it was natural economic growth after the Austrian Government eliminated the obstacles to capitalism’s economic development.

From a free market economy’s perspective, there’s nothing incorrect about this viewpoint. The influx of foreign investments was also a result determined by market economics; government policies only played a minor part.

“Alright, as if I said nothing, let’s drink!” said Fickvena with resignation.

If one cannot change society, one must adapt to it. In the depths of his heart, didn’t he also accept this view?

The Habsburg dynasty had ruled Hungary not for a day or two; everyone had long grown accustomed to being part of Austria.

Independence? The several months-long farce from start to finish caused casualties in the hundreds of thousands. Nearly a million people became homeless, and the Hungarian Region’s nobility was halved directly.

Such great losses made those who had survived shudder at the thought of revolution. How the force that built the railways was formed was no secret; at least two hundred thousand people from the Hungarian Region had contributed to this.

This living example had already made everyone understand that rebellion came with a price. Without the support of groups with vested interests, the Revolutionaries had no further place in Hungary.

In Hungary, from the top to the bottom of society, all despised them.

In the eyes of the common folk, it was definitely these Rebels who exploited them most oppressively. It was because the Emperor forbade their oppression and exploitation that they incited rebellion.

The evidence lies in this: after the suppression of the Rebels, everyone’s lives got much better. The serfs obtained their freedom, and workers had the Labor Protection Law; all the messy and oppressive taxes were swept away in one go.

Of course, this was the result of Austrian Government propaganda. The common folk didn’t care about the details. While they didn’t understand the profound theories, they believed what they saw with their own eyes.

The nobles who had narrowly escaped disaster didn’t dare challenge the government’s authority and, with some guidance, the most popular saying now was: had it not been for the Revolutionary Party’s rebellion, they wouldn’t have lost their lands and privileges.

Whether they believed it or not, they had no way to defy the government—they could only resort to hate redirection. No one knew what they were really thinking, but their lips had already pinned all responsibility on the Rebels.

The heavily afflicted citizens need not be mentioned; they had personally experienced how terrifying a mob-styled Revolutionary Army could be. With such painful experiences, they naturally saw the Revolutionaries as the enemy.

This hatred would fade over time, but for this generation, it was impossible. People tend to believe what they have seen with their own eyes, and once they experience it, such notions become etched deep in their bones.

The social environment can greatly influence people; even the moderate Fickvena began to undergo a transformation.

In an era of confused thoughts, once doubts about past ideals take root, change is not far behind.

Believing himself to have convinced his friend, an elated Hanks exclaimed, “Good, let’s drink!”

After taking a sip of wine, he added, “If you’re thinking of restarting the publication, it’s not impossible. Just register with the Press Bureau and switch to Austrian German—that’s all.”

Fickvena nodded; while the newspaper was struggling, it still represented her status and position. Keeping it alive was naturally the best outcome. After all, ideals always have to compromise with reality.