Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Joseph took out paper and pen, recalling the governmental structures of various countries from his past life, and began planning on the paper.

Overall, the idea was to abolish the “King-Minister” system characteristic of the feudal era, replacing it with the bureaucratic administrative system used by modern nation-states.

His pen moved swiftly across the paper.

[Overview of Administrative System Reform: The cabinet will no longer have ministers. The King will appoint one Prime Minister and one Deputy Prime Minister, who will manage the daily affairs of the French Government in a unified manner. The Prime Minister is only accountable to the King.]

[The core departments of the cabinet are:

Finance, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Civil Affairs, Police, Transportation, Defense, totaling ten major departments.]

[Each department will have one Minister and one Deputy Minister, under which are multiple bureaus with specific functions, beneath which are offices, and below them are departments.]

Hmm, the changes at the top tier of the cabinet’s structure aren’t actually that significant.

The Cabinet Ministers and Assistant Ministers just have different titles, but are still responsible for the same matters as before.

An additional Ministry of Transportation was added to prepare for the upcoming railway era.

However, the government structure beneath each “Ministry” is much more scientific than that of the current French government institutions.

On the surface, it seems like merely subdividing numerous departments and appointing specific managing officials, but the details within involve significant expertise.

[The responsibilities and jurisdiction of all officials are defined by formal administrative documents, even laws.]

[Officials need professional training for the positions they hold.]

[Officials of all levels are employed by the government and must adhere to strict discipline, with offices, office supplies, and administrative methods not being used for private purposes.]

[Administrative achievements and personal ability will become the sole criteria for promotion (seniority may be considered to a certain extent).]

[Officials of all levels will receive a fixed salary from the government, and will receive a pension after retirement.]

Hmm, these systems commonplace in the 21st century are the most cutting-edge administrative management concepts in an era 80 years before Max Weber was born [Note 1].

For instance, the first point. In present-day France, the Governors of various provinces can arbitrarily assign a commissioner to manage an aspect of work.

If things go awry, they find an unlucky person to take the fall temporarily. Because no specific responsible positions are designated for any work.

But it will be different in the future.

The job responsibilities will be defined by official documents—whoever holds the position will be fully accountable, and they must undergo professional training to qualify.

The Governor will also not be able to whimsically replace personnel with cronies.

Take for example the rule that “all officials are employed by the government and cannot use public resources for private purposes.”

Currently in France, many officials are essentially the “private servants” of senior officials, and the government doesn’t even have a roster for them.

This makes it easy for an official to consolidate power; replacing me would mean ousting a slew of officials, paralyzing administration immediately.

Many officials’ offices are in fact their personal villas.

The issues of promotion and salary are also related to the previous point. For example, a governor is naturally responsible for the promotion and salary of his personal staff. This is unimaginable in 21st-century government.

The government paying all officials’ salaries may seem to massively increase the financial burden, but it ensures officials remain loyal only to the government.

The efficiency improvement and reduction in corruption and waste could easily offset the additional salary costs.

Of course, such a major transformation is bound to be very cumbersome and will encounter significant resistance.

Joseph estimated that starting now, if they could streamline the entire administrative system within a year to a year and a half, it would be considered very fast.

As for resistance from the bureaucratic class—when you formalize their scope of authority, restrict private appointments, and prevent public resources from being used for private purposes, they are sure to strongly oppose it.

Joseph was confident in his ability to resolve this.

Firstly, after the government departments are refined, many professional positions will increase, thereby adding more government employees.

This new batch of recruits would surely staunchly support administrative reform and fight against the old bureaucracy.

Secondly, within the old bureaucratic system, mid- and low-tier officials actually prefer this kind of life with clear responsibilities and a secure paycheck.

They used to earn barely enough due to their superiors’ “bounty” and had to resort to corruption out of necessity to meet living expenses.

Under the “crazy” crackdown led by Mala and the Bureau of Fair Investigation, the risk of corruption has increased. Mid- and low-tier officials would rather see their salaries raised directly so they no longer have to risk their necks on corruption.

Lastly, and very importantly, France had gained massive victories in recent external wars, and the domestic development trend looked promising, elevating the Royal Family’s prestige to new heights.

Which short-sighted official would dare make trouble at this time?

If administrative means can’t handle you, there’s still the judicial system waiting.

Are you so powerful that even the judicial system doesn’t faze you?

Believe it or not, even if only the Crown Prince mentioned it, the military would be eager to take you down.

In conclusion, given France’s current situation, as long as Joseph wants to proceed, there’s hardly any resistance that can stop domestic reforms from pushing forward.

If he were actually groping his way through reform, he might, after a mistaken attempt, encounter domestic dissent.

But he would be operating like someone with an advantage, referencing ready-made experiences from following eras, ensuring the path taken is the most correct one.

The reform results can only be “good” or “especially good.”

This ensures his reform process proceeds ever more smoothly with growing popular support.

As for other countries attempting to “copy homework” after completing French administrative system reform, Joseph is equally unconcerned.

First, you need the capability to copy if you intend to do so.

Don’t assume just because France’s old bureaucracy doesn’t offer significant resistance, that Austria, Russia, or Prussia’s bureaucracies would similarly cooperate.

Look at Joseph II’s reforms in recent years, which were less intense than in France and almost threw Austria into chaos. So much so that Leopold II repealed them soon after taking the throne.

Then again, even if other countries can truly copy it, France still hasn’t lost out.

Because France will gain back in terms of national soft power.

All countries learn that France is the “teacher” of governmental reform, and when others follow suit, it only shows how powerful France is.

Moreover, as “students,” after copying homework, they are bound to develop a sense of admiration for France.

Don’t underestimate soft power as it could attract more investments and talents than other countries to France.

And these, in fact, are the most crucial elements of the industrial revolution era!

At three o’clock in the afternoon, as Joseph was diligently writing, he heard Eman gently knocking on the door, saying:

“Your Highness, sorry to interrupt, but you need to meet with the Danish Regent in twenty minutes.”

[Note 1] Max Weber: A German social, political, and economic scholar, regarded alongside Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim as one of the three founders of sociology.

The tiered management system for national governments commonly seen in modern society was a theory he proposed in the early 20th century.

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