Chapter 1557: South Africa Breaks the Ice
To be honest, in 1933, the only national governments in the world that truly cared about people's livelihood issues were probably those composed of the Social Democratic Party and the Labour Party. The latter is easy to understand, but the former is represented by Sweden.
Its ruling party is currently the Social Democratic Party, and it has implemented a series of social welfare systems, which is also the prototype of the welfare state in the Nordic region in later generations.
As for East Africa, countries like the United States, which seem to be doing well, rely more on the conscience of their leaders, such as the new US President Roosevelt.
After Adolf came to power in Germany, he introduced many policies to benefit the people, but his ultimate goal was to start a war, so it cannot be counted.
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A major international event in 1933 was Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency of the United States. As one of the most powerful countries in the world, the change in the American leadership had a profound impact on the entire world.
Some of Roosevelt's foreign policies also had an impact on East Africa's world strategy.
Rhine City.
It is now the end of the year. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, most parts of East Africa are about to enter summer according to the time of the Southern Hemisphere. Of course, for countries like East Africa, there is no concept of four seasons, only rainy season and dry season, and Rhine City has just entered the rainy season.
"Father, the United States and the Soviet Union have officially established diplomatic relations!" Friedrich said excitedly.
Ernst was not at all surprised by the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, but Crown Prince Friedrich was different. After all, he lived in that era and did not have the same vision as Ernst.
Friedrich's current mood, if we compare it to a previous life, was similar to when the United States and the Far Eastern Empire were engaged in a trade war, and suddenly the United States announced to the world: "No more fighting!" and that it would also engage in all-round cooperation with the Far Eastern Empire.
Crown Prince Friedrich suffered a great psychological shock when he learned that the United States and the Soviet Union had officially established diplomatic relations.
Because in the world, no country was as hostile to the Soviet Union as the United States. Of course, Germany is not included. The dispute between Germany and the Soviet Union was a typical dispute over interests, while the United States and the Soviet Union were mortal enemies in the ideological field.
If the Soviet Union is the most typical labor party country, then the United States is the most typical capitalist country in the world. The two are naturally in conflict. It's like two people who don't have much in common in reality, but when they meet for the first time, they feel that each other is so annoying and uncomfortable.
Ernst lay on the sofa, reading the Austro-Hungarian newspaper and said, "We have long known about this result. After all, Roosevelt has been pushing for the normalization of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new US president, Roosevelt, is indeed very courageous."
"This also shows that the US economy is in a very bad state right now, and they reaped some benefits from their previous cooperation with the Soviet Union."
"This allowed President Roosevelt to put aside his prejudices and break the ice with the Soviet Union to address his country's crisis. He escaped the trap of fame and fortune and was more pragmatic than previous American presidents."
What is the trap of fame and fortune that Ernst mentioned? It is "anti-Sovietism" or "anti-labor". For most American presidents, anti-Soviet remarks can increase their support rate and gain the support of the American upper class.
Before the Labour Party, America’s main “enemy” was the British. This enemy was deliberately created by the United States, just like even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States would look for new “enemies”, such as Iraq, Russia, and the Far East empire after the rise of manufacturing in the 21st century.
This kind of political behavior is not surprising. For example, the Soviet Union said that other capitalist powers were imperialist, and East Africa deliberately guided public opinion to lead its people to be hostile to the United States, Japan and the Soviet Union.
Before Roosevelt came to power, anti-Sovietism was a political correctness in the United States. Now that he has come to power, he is actively promoting the normalization of relations with the Soviet Union and ultimately establishing diplomatic relations. Obviously, in the eyes of some Americans, Roosevelt is suspected of "pro-Soviet".
Some people even directly said that Roosevelt was a "spy" and a "Labor Party member", which is not surprising at all.
Crown Prince Friedrich also agreed with Ernst's statement. After all, Roosevelt had been in power for some time, and he knew something about Roosevelt.
"Roosevelt, as my father said, was a man of great courage, shrewd and capable, and also relatively close to the people."
"In less than a year, under his leadership, the US government has pushed forward a series of reform bills to rectify finance, industry and agriculture, and has restored the confidence of the American people."
After three years of devastation from the Great Economic Depression and the spread of Labor Party ideas around the world, before Roosevelt came to power, the American people were indeed worried about the future of their country. They did not even doubt that the United States was about to perish.
After all, there are too many unemployed people in the United States, and many people have trouble eating. In this situation, it is difficult for anyone to be optimistic about the fate of the country.
The emergence of Roosevelt changed this. Although his reforms might not solve the economic problems of the United States in a short period of time, he could enable Americans to find a job now and maintain basic survival. By achieving such a simple demand, the American people's hearts were stabilized.
"However, while it is indeed beneficial for the United States, the coming to power of someone like Roosevelt may not be a good thing for East Africa."
"East Africa is already America's biggest competitor, and our two countries also have direct conflicts of interest in South America. If the United States recovers, it will directly threaten our interests."
The conflict of interests between the United States and East Africa is mainly reflected in the economic field. East Africa is the world's largest industrial country, and the United States ranks second. As for the third largest country in the world, there is some controversy. Some say it is Germany, while others say it is the Soviet Union.
However, at this stage, the industrial scale of both Germany and the Soviet Union is not on the same level as that of East Africa and the United States. Germany's industrial quality is high but the scale is insufficient, while the Soviet Union's scale is large but the quality is low.
This happens to result in less overlap in economic structure and industry competition between the two countries and East Africa and the United States.
This is not the case with East Africa and the United States. Both countries are countries with full industrial chains, and there is competition from low-end to high-end industries. This is even more so in emerging industries. For example, in the automobile industry, although the United States is not as good as East Africa, it is the only country in the world that can threaten the position of East Africa's automobile industry in the world market.
As for the oil industry, the United States is the only country that can compete with East Africa. Although the Soviet Union has no shortage of oil resources, its development is limited and is far from comparable to East Africa and the United States.
The same is true for the power industry. The United States has the world's second largest electricity market, with a penetration rate exceeding that of Europe combined, and is also a strong competitor in East Africa.
The competition between East Africa and the United States is not limited to the industrial field. The two countries are also on par in agriculture. However, Britain is not bad in the agricultural field, but Britain's control over its colonies is constantly weakening.
The decline of Britain is obviously more beneficial to the United States because of the cultural and institutional similarities and inheritance between the two countries. The United States is more likely to take over Britain's global assets, which is not what East Africa wants to see.
Among them, Canada can basically only go the same way as the United States in the future, and East Africa must prevent Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and others from directly turning to the United States after the end of British hegemony.
Among them, India, Britain's most important colony, is not mentioned. That is because from the perspective of East Africa, the influence of the United States basically cannot reach India, and India is not in the same cultural circle as the United States.
Even though India has done too many suffocating things in the past, it is undeniable that India's attitude of being wary of colonization is worthy of recognition. Of course, India is wary of external forces colonizing India, but when it comes to external infiltration, invasion, and expansion, India becomes very hypocritical.
This is all the fault of Britain. Among Britain's many colonies, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other regions have made greater profits. Only in India did the British really treat them like animals.
Moreover, India itself has strong genes such as religion and tradition, and is destined to be unable to integrate into the Anglo-Saxon circle.
If we talk about East Africa's attitude towards India, the Soviet Union is a greater threat than the Americans. As the overlord of the Indian Ocean, the United States has no ability to extend its influence into the Indian Ocean. The Soviet Union is completely different. The Soviet Union and India are only one Afghanistan away and there is no need to go by sea.
South Africa and Australia can establish relations with the United States directly through the ocean.
Crown Prince Friedrich said with some worry: "In the Empire's world strategy, Australia is not a big deal, but South Africa is a problem that deserves our headache. After all, South Africa directly borders us."
"At present, Britain will sooner or later let go of South Africa, and the United States may take advantage of the situation and threaten the empire from behind, so we should also make arrangements for South Africa as soon as possible."
When discussing South Africa, it is indeed a country that has been neglected by East Africa for a long time. Since the South African War, the relationship between East Africa and South Africa has basically been politically non-existent.
Now, nearly forty years have passed, and the relationship between the South African people and East Africa has actually eased to a certain extent. After all, the generation that had hatred towards East Africa is almost extinct.
During these forty years, East Africa has not bullied South Africa by relying on its national strength, and no conflicts have occurred. However, in the economic field, the two countries have had to cooperate.
East Africa is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Trade and exchanges between the two sides cannot completely bypass South Africa, which also promotes the economic development of Cape Town.
The development of industry and agriculture in East Africa has led to the formation of one of the world's most developed markets on the African continent, which has boosted the revival of the Cape of Good Hope route. Many merchant ships have returned to this route, thus alleviating the impact of the Suez Canal on the Cape of Good Hope route.
This fact has caused South Africa to benefit economically from the rise of East Africa. This is different from South Africa in its previous life. For South Africa in its previous life, its economy mainly relied on minerals and industries developed due to its rich mineral resources.
Today's South Africa is more dependent on maritime trade because East Africa occupies the South African plateau, especially the northern basin of the Orange River, which happens to be the area with the richest mineral and agricultural resources in South Africa.
The southern part of the Orange River, occupied by South Africa, lacks mineral resources, has a small area of arable land, and faces serious water shortages.
Therefore, the population of South Africa is now basically distributed along the narrow plains along the coast. For example, Cape Town, the capital of South Africa, is backed by almost right-angled cliffs. Other cities such as Durban and Port Elizabeth are concentrated in the coastal areas.
In short, South Africa is highly dependent on the marine economy, including providing corresponding services for passing ships and fishery resources. As for developing agriculture, South Africa lacks land and faces water shortages, and its population is insufficient to develop industry.
Like Britain's most industrially developed colonies, Canada and Australia, Australia has a population of over six million and abundant resource conditions.
The current total population of South Africa is only over one million, and is almost entirely white, with only a very small number of indigenous people. The indigenous people in South Africa are mainly San people, but the San people are not black. Overall, South Africa can be regarded as a white country today.
Ernst said: "South Africa is indeed worthy of our attention. We can allow it to remain under the British rule for the time being, but we must never allow South Africa to fall into the arms of the Americans in the future."
"We must not allow the United States to deploy military forces to South Africa, thereby posing a threat to the empire."
If it were conventional military forces, Ernst would naturally not worry, but Ernst knew that with the emergence of missiles and nuclear weapons in the future, the world's military would also undergo drastic changes. Ernst did not want South Africa to become like South Korea in its previous life and be used by the United States.
Just as Americans were afraid that the Soviet Union would deploy missiles or even nuclear weapons in Cuba.
Geographically speaking, South Africa is the "backyard" of East Africa, so the door to the backyard must be controlled by East Africa.
"We have certain historical grievances with South Africa, so to win over South Africa, we must break the ice in bilateral relations. Among them, the Boers, who have a deep historical grudge against us, should be our main target of care."
"South Africa is not a monolithic entity. The British and the Boers are just a political alliance. They can cooperate only because of the threat we posed in East Africa in the past."
“Therefore, we should dispel the concerns of the South Africans and make them understand that East Africa has no ambitions for South Africa. After establishing this foundation, we can then support the Boers to become the main body of South Africa.”
"After all, the Boers are different from the British. They have cultural and racial identities that separate them from the United States. Therefore, if the Boers control South Africa in the future, they may not necessarily join the American camp."
It was the same in the previous life. The relationship between the white government of South Africa and the United States was not very good, and it even suffered sanctions from Western society. In the previous life, Western society was actually a camp dominated by the United States.
Ernst continued: "Even if we cannot get South Africa to stand with us, we will never tolerate South Africa leaning towards other countries. It would be a good thing for us if South Africa just maintains neutrality."
"Friedrich, this is the perfect thing for you to do. You should formally normalize relations between East Africa and Southern Africa and try to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, laying the foundation for future relations between the two countries."
It is more appropriate for Crown Prince Friedrich to handle this matter than for Ernst to do it personally. After all, Ernst was the initiator of the South African War. In the eyes of some Boers, Ernst may be the image of an "executioner" with the blood of the older generation of Boers on his hands.
"We should first send someone to South Africa to make contact and see their attitude towards us. If South Africa has let go of its hatred, we might be able to go to South Africa in person later."
Ernst still played it safe here, in order to prevent extremists from threatening the safety of royal family members. After all, the Serbs had once assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Bosnia.
Therefore, Ernst planned to let East African officials go to South Africa to explore the situation first. If the South Africans' emotions towards East Africa were still quite intense, Ernst would not let his son go to South Africa and put himself in danger.
(End of this chapter)
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