Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Chapter 8: Austrian Civil Service Examination

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The Austrian Government had been quite busy lately. After the war, the government’s promised military honors had to be fulfilled; properties recently taken over from the Church needed management; and the implementation of compulsory education required strong cooperation from local authorities…

With so much governmental work piling up, naturally, there was a shortage of hands. Since there was a need for more personnel, recruitment from outside was necessary.

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In this world, there might be a shortage of any kind of talent, but there will never be a shortage of people who want to become officials.

Of course, there would be exceptions in less desirable locations, but that was absolutely impossible in Austria itself.

Who knows how many scions of the nobility were at home unemployed, struggling to find opportunities, gradually degenerating into parasites.

Now that an opportunity had arisen, they certainly intended to join the ruling elite.

Don’t think that a grassroots civil service position isn’t desirable. For the declining nobility, securing a respectable job was not easy.

Austria was conservative. The majority of the nobility’s offspring could not lower themselves to work for capitalists, as this would damage their family’s reputation.

They would rather join the military and slowly climb the ranks than work under a capitalist with a hefty salary, which would make them feel that their dignity was insulted.

At first, when Franz proposed to hold a nationwide civil service examination, he was immediately met with collective opposition from the government. After analyzing the actual situation, he graciously abandoned this tempting idea.

Intellectuals were scarce in that era, consisting mainly of nobility, capitalists, the middle class, and only the rare commoner descendant. Even if there were some, Franz dared not employ them.

As a qualified monarch, ensuring the loyalty of his subordinates came first. As for abilities and such, what abilities did ordinary civil servants need? As long as their IQ met the grade, and they could follow orders from above, they were suited for the job.

So the selection was still to be made from among the scions of the nobility. If one looked at it comprehensively, the overall ability level of the nobility’s children was somewhat higher. They had also received some of their parents’ inherited life experience, which was not something nouveau riche could compare with.

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Of course, due respect had to be given to the Emperor. The civil service examination still had to be held, but it was a civil service examination with Austrian characteristics, which excluded most people on the basis of eligibility.

For example, education had to start from middle school level; there was a need to pass a social knowledge level test with satisfactory grades; political vetting (correct worldview, no record of improper remarks, no record of illegal crimes for three generations in the family); industry avoidance system (children were not allowed to take regulatory positions if parents or relatives were involved in the industry)…

If it weren’t for the children of the nobility getting a green light, directly entering the second round, then this civil service examination could be considered fair overall.

At least, the government’s restrictions were reasonable on the surface. After the restrictions were published in the newspapers, public opinion was in an uproar.

Contrary to Franz’s expectations, such blatant discriminatory conditions were seen as a major progressive reform by the Austrian Government in the eyes of outsiders, and they received high praise from the public opinion.

If he hadn’t been sure that he wasn’t manipulating public opinion, he might have suspected that all these unanimously positive reviews were the work of paid commenters.

It wasn’t that there were no objections. Many young students had opinions, as they felt that their participation in protests and criticism of the government could become obstacles to their civil service exam applications.

Of course, they could only keep their opinions to themselves. Ever since the Ministry of Education had strengthened its management of educational quality in schools, their course loads had significantly increased.

The magic of examinations had been adopted into the Austrian education system by Franz; there were monthly tests, mid-term exams every half year, and annual exams once a year.

The results of each examination were made public. Those who were not afraid of losing face could try. Their academic performance during their school years would be noted on their future graduation certificates.

If you failed three times in a row, prepare to repeat a year. If you still can’t pass after repeating, then you’ll just have to wait to be advised to drop out by the school.

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Of course, the wealthy and willful tycoons could still play the game; if they didn’t want to repeat a year, they could just pay. The fee for reading along the first time was five thousand shields, the second time ten thousand shields, and the third time twenty thousand shields…

If you had the money, you could keep buying your way through, as Austrian universities did not mind selling graduation certificates. If you had enough money, even your performance while in school could be altered.

Under the high pressure of the Ministry of Education, the Austrian students spent their days “happily” immersed in their studies.

Dare to skip classes? You’ll be directly expelled. Try it if you have the guts to see what good consequences await you after being expelled from school.

The capitalist class, which was the most restricted, was collectively silent this time. The Vienna Government had been targeting them for more than a day or two, with a plethora of restrictive measures.

There was no choice, their peers had orchestrated the damned March Revolution, successfully provoking the Austrian Government. Although those bastards were now dead or had fled, the government clearly still held a grudge, right?

Everyone was smart and had rich experience in social struggles. They knew that this was not the time to show their heads, and that even if they had any ideas, they had to wait until the storm passed.

Franz had anticipated all these circumstances in advance. His greatest concern was that someone would oppose the privileges of the nobility and cause internal turmoil.

The nobility already had the advantage and went directly into the second round, leaving no chance for others.

As it turned out, he was overthinking it. The vast majority of Austrians were not so enlightened in their thinking yet. Regardless of the conditions set, it would never be their turn, so they were unconcerned and uninvolved.

As for the implicit prohibition on capitalists becoming government officials, everyone was extremely supportive. Those guys were already shady. If they became officials, what then?

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Well, since no one else was commenting, Franz decided to take it as tacit consent.

The matter was settled. Whether it was written examinations or direct interviews, Franz was too indifferent to inquire about how each department was recruiting. He only cared about the results.

The bureaucrats were not fools either. The people they were recruiting were meant to work, specifically as low-level clerical officers. How could they bring in a bunch of nobles to add to the chaos?

If the work was done poorly, it would mean that they would be held accountable by their superiors. The Austrian Government did not have any temp positions to take the blame, so if subordinates performed poorly, their direct leaders would be in trouble as well.

Ever since Prime Minister Felix came to power, he had purged the Austrian bureaucratic corps once. At this time, the government’s efficiency in handling affairs had significantly improved.

Belvedere Palace, located in the southwest of Vienna, was originally built in the 17th century and underwent several expansions. It was not completed until the reign of Queen Maria Theresa.

With 1441 rooms and a total area of 26,000 square meters, it boasts a mix of regional cultural styles and is second only to the Palace of Versailles in its opulence.

Franz was born in Belvedere Palace, and perhaps due to the influence of his predecessor’s memories, he has a special affection for the place, which became his permanent residence after his accession.

Within the palace, there is specifically Eastern classical architecture, such as Chinese-styled rooms inlaid with red sandalwood, blackwood, ivory, and Japanese-styled rooms decorated with gold back-painting and lacquer.

The interior decorations of these rooms are also uniformly coordinated in Eastern style, with walls and ceilings embellished with ceramic works. Among the dazzling array of ceramics, there are Chinese celadon, large Ming Dynasty Wucai porcelain plates, and Cizhou flower vases, among others.

Before his transmigration, any one of these items could have ended his life as a commoner, but now they were wholesale in front of him.

Beyond the initial excitement, Franz felt little else. Antiques, so what? At his status, any object he had used would become an antique relic in future generations.

The precondition is that he continues to succeed. If he fails, the value of these objects would be greatly diminished.

Franz knew well that the luxurious Belvedere Palace was actually an unfinished construction project. The original design intended for it to rival, if not surpass, the Palace of Versailles in scale and splendor, but due to financial constraints, the original plans were never fully realized.

As a man of integrity who took over the project, Franz did not mind completing the original design, but of course, that was a matter for the future; he was not willing to invest money in it for the time being.

Franz began to enjoy spending time under a large camellia tree, drinking tea, and reading books or newspapers.

“Your Majesty, Prince Windischgrätz requests an audience.”

The maid’s crisp voice woke Franz from his reverie.

“Bring him here, and add an extra chair,” Franz instructed.

This was his way of showing respect to his ministers. In informal settings, everyone was casual about meetings; chairs were available for sitting as one pleased, and for coffee, tea, juice—whatever one preferred, they simply ordered the maid to fetch it.

Unless it was a first meeting, Franz would personally entertain briefly. After that, make yourself at home; don’t expect the great Emperor to pamper you every day.

Prince Windischgrätz was well aware of Franz’s way of handling things; a noble of his stature had the grace befitting his rank.

After greeting with the proper etiquette, he took a seat and requested a cup of coffee from the maid before speaking:

“Your Majesty, as the government departments are expanding their personnel, our resigned military officers also need to be placed. How about allowing them to fill some of the positions?”

From military to administration was a standard practice in Austria. Looking at Franz’s Cabinet, all members hailed from military backgrounds.

This was the choice of most nobility in the Germany Region; eligible sons had to serve time in the military, even if only in name, to make an appearance.

Given such conventions, the transition from military to civil service faced no obstacles. Prince Windischgrätz’s request was simply seeking a favor.

“In principle, there are no issues, but what positions they are suited for will have to be determined by assessments,” Franz replied calmly.

Prince Windischgrätz continued to plead his case: “Your Majesty, these retired officers have military merits, they…”

“I am aware of these matters. For their own good, I believe it’s best to place them where they fit.

If we give them positions they cannot handle, I don’t think that’s a reward; it’s setting them up for failure.

The Austrian Government is no longer what it used to be. Now, every employee in the government must be responsible for their work.

If they fail due to incompetence, they will be held accountable. Do you want these men of merit to ruin their reputations for the rest of their lives?” Franz retorted.

Perhaps feeling that his words were harsh, Franz added, “Instead of discussing this here, the Army Department should rather conduct training for retired officers. With the necessary skills, wouldn’t they outcompete others?”

Favoritism? Franz was indeed in favor of treating soldiers well, but there is a basic principle he wouldn’t abandon: Equal qualification could be given priority. If one’s skills were insufficient, then they would have to settle for simpler tasks.