Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 120: The Dark Ages

Who would have thought that in the factories of capitalists, there were three or four-year-old child laborers? And it’s not just one or two, but hundreds or even thousands of them.

The lifespan of these child laborers usually did not exceed twenty years. Entering the dark and harsh factories at such a young age subjected their bodies to severe abuse.

Among these, the situation was most insane in the United Kingdom. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom had a small population and limited labor force. In order to reduce costs, capitalists turned their attention to women and children.

The wages of one adult male worker could hire two female workers or employ 3 to 7 child laborers, with lower wage expenses for younger children.

Compared to adults, child laborers were easier to manage and suppressing strikes was simpler. Many factories with less demanding labor intensity were filled with a large number of child laborers.

The sources of these child laborers were diverse. Some came from impoverished families who, out of desperation, sent their children to work in factories. Others were purchased from trade markets.

Yes, at this time, child labor was also treated as a commodity. Orphanages, charitable organizations, and human traffickers were the largest sellers, and a small percentage of children were even sold by their parents.

The blood-stained factories were the most accurate reflection of this era’s society.

On one hand, they profited insanely by exploiting child labor, and on the other hand, they portrayed themselves as gentlemen, donating to the church and investing in education under the pretense of supporting impoverished students.

Franz couldn’t be bothered to comment on it. He didn't believe that capitalists were so benevolent. Just take a look at the hidden profits in these private schools, and it becomes apparent.

The advanced nature of the capitalist political system was something that would only be realized in the future. In this era, capitalist systems within countries were often even more exploitative than the feudal nobility.

Since the minimum wage law was enacted in Austria, the interest of Austrian capitalists in child labor has significantly decreased, which is also related to the national conditions.

Austria was just beginning to industrialize, and the demand for labor wasn’t too high, while there was an abundance of the workforce.

After the implementation of the Minimum Wage Law, capitalists found that the wages they had to pay to child labor had significantly increased and were not much lower than those for adults. This reduced the appeal of employing child labor.

Especially after the government bankrupted several typical cases directly due to violations, everyone remembered that Austria also had a Minimum Wage Law.

Prime Minister Felix jokingly said, “Your Majesty, since we implemented the Minimum Wage Law, the number of homeless children in the country has dramatically increased. Now, the government has become the world’s largest daycare center.

According to our statistics, as of three days ago, we have taken in a total of 38,600 children, and this number is still increasing.

It seems that capitalists are ready to give up using child labor, and now they need us to clean up the mess for them.”

On the surface, taking in so many orphans may be seen as a burden for the government, but politically, it’s very beneficial.

In ancient Austria, the nobility was deeply influenced by the knightly spirit, and as long as it didn’t affect their own interests, they were willing to show compassion to the weak.

Now, the Austrian government stepping in to shelter these homeless children puts them in a morally advantageous position in public opinion and also allows them to condemn the heartless capitalists.

Being a “black-hearted capitalist” in Austria is a form of political correctness. As the industrial revolution advances, the power of the bourgeoisie will rapidly grow.

Currently, the Austrian government relies on the aristocracy to suppress the bourgeoisie, but in the future, they may not be able to keep them in check. The growing bourgeoisie, with increased strength, will sooner or later reach out for political power.

Preparing in advance to limit the bourgeoisie is indeed very necessary.

After all, these are all facts, and the media’s job is to expose social realities.

The more scandals and the worse the reputation of the capitalists, the more advantageous it is for the Austrian government. In the future, if the bourgeoisie dares to cause trouble, Franz doesn’t mind letting them experience what the “Iron fist of the Austrian people’s dictatorship" is all about.

Franz thought for a moment and said, “Let’s leave this issue to the Ministry of Education. Count von Thun und Hohenstein, recruit enough teachers as soon as possible and get these homeless children into compulsory education.

The government will establish orphanages in major cities specifically for housing homeless children. Some impoverished families cannot afford to raise their children, and those children can be sent to these facilities.”

That’s about all he could do. After completing compulsory education, apart from the one percent of geniuses who could continue to secondary school, these children would have to enter society.

Reality was indeed very harsh. Even after completing compulsory education, these children would only be around twelve or thirteen years old. In the eyes of future generations, it would be seen as child labor exploitation.

Unfortunately, this was the time of the first industrial revolution, and factories worldwide were driven by the need to accumulate primitive capital. Compared to children as young as three or four working in factories, this was considered progress.

……

The most important aspect of any law is its enforcement. Compulsory education had become the highest priority national policy of the Austrian government, and therefore, cracking down on the use of child labor by capitalists became an inevitable choice.

Banning child labor entirely was an impossible task. Not only would capitalists resist it, but the lower-income families would also struggle to comply.

In this era, having many children was common among ordinary people. Some families had five or six children, and others even had a dozen or more. How could they afford to raise them all?

If it weren’t for Franz’s understanding of the social situation and the government’s willingness to bear all the expenses of compulsory education, blindly enacting a compulsory education law could have led to another tragic situation for many families.

Vienna.

As the heart of Austria and the birthplace of the Labor Protection Law, the Minimum Wage Law also began its promotion from here.

After the suppression of the Hungarian uprising, the Austrian Empire entered a period of relative peace. The government abolished local tariffs, ended serfdom, and opened up vast rural markets. Vienna’s industrial and commercial sectors began to flourish.

However, Daniel, the owner of a hydraulic cotton spinning mill, did not feel pleased despite the growing daily orders. As the largest victim of the Minimum Wage Law, his cotton spinning factory had a relatively low labor intensity.

With the use of machinery, the physical and technical requirements for workers had decreased. All they needed to do was to handle the threading and cutting of the cotton threads.

In order to reduce labor costs, Daniel had naturally learned from the successful experience of his British counterparts and extensively hired cheaper labor,women and children, to work in his factory.

However, that was no longer an option now. With the Minimum Wage Law in place, child labor in Austria was no longer a cheap option.

Although labor costs were low during this period, and even though they had substantial profits despite the increase in labor expenses, the greed of capitalists knew no bounds.

Directly violating the law was something Daniel dared not do. Real-life examples were right in front of him. One of his competitors had been fined to the point of bankruptcy by the Austrian government for ignoring labor protection laws.

Looking at the factory manager he had “generously” hired, Daniel asked, “Vincent, do you have any way to reduce our labor costs?”

“Sir, how about we switch to a piecework system and set tasks that the workers can't complete, and then deduct their wages?” Vincent suggested cunningly.

Daniel shook his head and said, “It won’t work. I've consulted with a lawyer, and the government’s reference standards are set by state-owned enterprises. If we exceed these standards with a piecework system, we have no right to deduct wages.

Even if we sign contracts, it won’t help. The Austrian government will deem them invalid contracts, and we’ll face fines starting at a minimum of a thousand times the amount, with no upper limit.”

Since the March Revolution erupted, the Austrian government had become increasingly hostile towards capitalists, and their previous connections held no sway anymore.

Now, even Daniel spoke with caution. If this had happened in the past, he would have already mobilized with his fellow industrialists to resist such measures, but now he dared not.

If the Austrian government deemed him part of a conspiracy, his head could be on the chopping block in no time. The recent purge in Vienna, which had occurred a few months ago, was still fresh in his memory.

If he hadn’t been fortunate enough to fall ill during that period and missed attending the gatherings of capitalists, he might not have been able to continue his work here now.

Capital knows no borders but that’s something for the future. In this era, capitalists dare not move recklessly. Without powerful connections, relocating to a foreign place could lead to your complete downfall.

Despite his deep dissatisfaction with the Austrian government, Daniel continued doing business in Vienna. If the profits were slightly lower, so be it. Taking risks was not an option.

Compared to Western European countries like Britain and France, Austria had relatively harmonious labor costs. After all, Austria was an exporter of grain, and the cost of living was lower, with an ample labor force.

In the capitalist world, the highest average wages were in London, about one-third to one-half higher than Vienna’s, even after Austria implemented labor protection laws.

Where there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below.

Daniel still considered ways to reduce labor costs, such as cutting overtime pay, deducting time for workers to use the restroom, and deducting time when the machinery stopped running.

These were standard practices. More cunning capitalists even placed free restrooms several kilometers away from the factory and set up paid restrooms within the factory premises.

Some capitalists went further by making shoddy work uniforms and selling them to workers at high prices.

With expensive work uniforms, high-priced food naturally followed. Capitalists prohibited workers from bringing their own food into the factory and then profited by selling them overpriced food.

……

In short, as long as they could think of it, capitalists would do anything to reduce labor costs.