Chapter 4, The Butterfly Effect

If the French reaction could only be considered standard, the British were greatly stimulated.

On May 12, 1861, the British Parliament passed the Naval Act, and the controversial two-power standard was officially established.

The Royal Navy began cranking out ships like dumplings, planning to build 18 new ironclad ships within the next three years, exactly surpassing the total number of Ironclad ships owned by France and Austria.

Faced with the British demonstration, Franz acted as if he had seen nothing. Although the financial revenues of England, France, and Austria seemed similar, Austria was far from being able to utilize funds on par with the British.

The budget of the Royal Navy was not solely borne by the London Government, as the colonial governments overseas could also share some of the burden, an advantage Austria did not have.