The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1139 - 857: Germania, Revenge!

But what Edward VIII did not expect was that the British Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Baldwin, decisively refused Edward VIII's proposal.

The reason Prime Minister Baldwin could resolutely reject Edward VIII's offer was because the Cabinet had received support from the Church and various self-governing dominion governments.

Even during the last time Edward VIII proposed to Mrs. Simpson, not only the Cabinet but also the Church of England and the governments of the dominions had expressed their opposition.

The only one who had managed to stand up and collectively defy the Monarch—besides Edward VIII now—in nearly 50 years was seemingly no other King.

Edward VIII's actions had put his throne at risk, the people expressed their dissatisfaction with him, and the media openly stated that a woman who had divorced twice was not worthy of being the Queen of the British Empire.

It should be noted that, under the Westminster Statute signed during the reign of King George V, any changes to the royal title and the succession to the throne must be approved by all of the Commonwealth self-governing dominion governments.

The Commonwealth dominion governments include Canada, South Africa, and Ireland. During this event, aside from the Irish government expressing an indifferent attitude, the governments of Canada and South Africa both declared opposition.

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Edward, left with no choice, put pressure on Baldwin and firmly declared, "Without her by my side, the crown is meaningless to me."

However, Edward VIII had wrongly underestimated the determination of the British people, the government, and the Church to oppose his marriage to Mrs. Simpson.

On the second day after Edward VIII made his public stance, Prime Minister Baldwin gave Edward VIII three options: either Edward VIII renounce his pursuit of Mrs. Simpson, find a suitable Queen for Britain, and all would be well.

Or, Edward VIII could go against the will of the British Cabinet and forcefully marry Mrs. Simpson, which would result in the entire British Cabinet resigning.

The last option was for Edward VIII to abdicate. As long as Edward VIII was not the King of Britain, then his marriage would be of no concern to the British Cabinet.

Of these three options, giving up Mrs. Simpson obviously did not align with Edward VIII's wishes. Edward VIII, who was overly infatuated with Mrs. Simpson, would never give her up no matter what.

The second option was also rather unlikely. The power of the British Monarch was not as great as one might imagine; defying the will of the Cabinet and even forcing the entire Cabinet to resign would only make the throne of Britain more unstable.

Even more, it was not just the Cabinet Government that opposed Edward VIII's marriage to Mrs. Simpson, but also the Colonial Governments, the Church, and the vast majority of the British people.

Could Edward VIII force the UK Cabinet Government to resign, then pressure all Colonial Governments to do the same, and even strip the Church officials of their status?

Clearly impossible. Edward VIII had neither the position nor the lofty reputation among civilians to do such a thing; it would have simply been a death wish.

Prime Minister Baldwin seemed to have given Edward VIII three options, but the only real choice Edward VIII had in the end was the last one, to abdicate.

The candid exchange between Edward VIII and Prime Minister Baldwin instantly became hot news across Europe.

Everyone was curious, during such a fierce conflict with the Cabinet Government, what would Edward VIII ultimately decide?

Would he accept the government's proposal, give up Mrs. Simpson, and continue to be the noble King of Britain, or would he renounce the throne after all?

In most people's minds, the importance of the throne far outweighed a minor Mrs. Simpson. This led most ordinary people to believe that Edward VIII would sooner or later give in, for he could not bear to part with the crown he already held.

The news of Britain's turmoil quickly reached the ears of Germany and Italy.

For the German and Italian governments at that time, this was nothing short of excellent news.

At least until Britain's royal crisis had a clear outcome, the British likely had no spare time to interfere with European affairs.

Realizing this was a golden opportunity, the German government decided to seize the moment to create ample benefits for themselves.

On April 4, 1936, the German Army moved southward in large numbers, stationing troops on the borders with Austria.

On April 5, the German government made an overture to the Austrian government, demanding the cession of the Czech region's Sudetenland, where a large number of German people resided.

The Germans only gave the Austrian government three days to consider. If after three days the Austrian Government had not agreed, Germany was ready to use force if necessary to help the vast number of German people return to the motherland's embrace.

Such actions by the German government instantly ignited the situation in Europe.

Would the Austrian Empire acquiesce to the Germans' demands? Probably not.

Germany's claims seemed reasonable, but they were completely unacceptable to the Austrian Empire. It is important to remember that the precursor to the German Empire was the many federal states of the Holy Roman Empire.

Austria once belonged to the Holy Roman Empire but, due to its failure to seize dominance in the Holy Roman Empire, was expelled from the German regions by the German Empire.

From an ethnic root perspective, the Austrian people and the German people share the same origins; the Austrians too are a type of German people, all speaking German.

By the Germans' logic, would that not mean that in the end, the Austrian Empire must also be absorbed into Germany to achieve the unification of German people?