Chapter 13, Cruel Society

Regardless of Carl's embellished words, the essence remained unaltered; to accelerate the pace of industrial development, the sacrifice of agriculture was an undeniable fact.

Capital's original accumulation was a bloody process, and market expansion abroad inevitably entailed internal oppression.

It was the destiny of the times, and for an emperor aspired to be unparalleled in history like Franz, maintaining appearances was inevitable; outwardly, the Austrian Government never oppressed the peasants.

A mere 5% agricultural tax was amongst the lowest in the European Continent at that time.

In reality, on top of the agricultural tax, there was also a tithe tax of ten percent, collected in the name of the Church.

It couldn't be more; the Austrian Government, ruled by the Nobility, had to lean its policies toward the ruling class. Getting them to pay taxes at all was quite an achievement.