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Since receiving the message passed on by the Prussian Government, the high ranks of the Austrian Government instantly felt uneasy.
Could the British go through with this? There was simply no doubt about it; John Bull's integrity was only so lofty.
At the last Frankfurt meeting, the British had proposed the dismemberment of the German Federation. Now, in order to implement this plan, applying diplomatic pressure to the Kingdom of Prussia was perfectly normal for them.
Franz was also startled, Indeed, the British had every motivation to do so, as dictated by their national policy—the European balance of strategy.
According to this plan, the German Federation would be turned into one major state and two medium-sized states. This would have sufficient power to prevent France and Russia from further expanding into Central Europe, while ensuring they posed no significant threat to their positions.
