Chapter 1644 Changes in Moscow
Joseph's words were like a thunderclap, chilling the air in the conference room as they were all momentarily processing the astonishment this news brought them.
Since the overthrow of Tsarist Russia, there has never been a case of a Soviet (Russian) leader visiting another country, although so far the Soviet Union has only had two clearly defined core leaders, one is Vladimir, and the other is Joseph.
The leadership of the early Soviet Union was a very complex situation, unlike the later Soviet Union which was autocratic, and instead tended to be "centralized" in leadership.
For example, during Vladimir's time, he was undoubtedly the most central and prestigious leader, so his views and decisions had a decisive influence.
However, leadership in the Soviet Union relied more on personal prestige and achievements than on a specific position. The power structure was relatively decentralized, with Trotsky, Joseph, and others possessing enormous power and independent power bases.
This led to fierce clashes between Joseph and other leaders after Vladimir's death, and it wasn't until now that Joseph has consolidated power through various political means, becoming the undisputed number one figure in the Soviet Union.
Neither Vladimir nor Joseph ever left the country after becoming the first leader of the Soviet Union. On the contrary, they had exile or activities in Europe during the Tsarist era.
Considering the "young" nature of the Soviet Union, which had only existed for less than twenty years, and given the international community's resistance to it, it wasn't particularly unusual that no head of state traveled abroad.
The Soviet leadership was more shocked by Joseph's decision.
Joseph was known for his suspicion and caution. He was well aware that he had many enemies and that leaving his tightly controlled center of power and security system to go abroad was considered extremely risky.
It is indeed somewhat unexpected that Joseph would be able to make a decision on this issue now, given the threat from Germany.
Before they could finish processing what he was saying, Joseph continued, "Of course, I'm talking about a possibility. In extreme cases, doing this to gain external support would be worthwhile if it could secure support from East Africa and the United States."
"Right now, our situation is not so bad that we need to ask East Africa and the United States for help."
"Furthermore, we need to test the waters with East Africa and the United States first, since who knows if they will accept our cooperation?"
International relations are complex, especially cooperation between countries, which must be based on mutual consent.
The Soviet Union may be willing to change, but other countries' attitudes may not necessarily change as a result.
This can be seen in the Russian government after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During Yeltsin's era, Russia became a lapdog of the West, but they didn't let Russia off the hook.
Molotov nodded and said, "Cooperation with imperialism is certainly not something that can be achieved overnight. We can send some officials first to try to make contact with them."
"Especially the United States. Based on our previous speculation, the United States should be the easiest country to win over."
"I believe Americans also feel pressured by the current international landscape, partly because Germany poses a strong threat in Europe, and partly because of their unfavorable position in the competition in East Africa."
"At the same time, Germany and East Africa are both German countries. If these two countries were to unite, I think even if there is only a possibility, it would make the Americans nervous."
The relationship between Germany and East Africa is complex, but culturally the two countries are clearly closer than other countries, much like the United States and the United Kingdom.
Therefore, Molotov's judgment was not without basis.
He continued, "At the same time, the relationship between East Africa and Germany also presents an opportunity for us to court East Africa."
"If the Soviet Union were defeated by Germany, it would obviously not be good news for East Africa, and could threaten the existing interests in East Africa."
"Moreover, from a realistic point of view, unless the East African leadership has lost their minds, they will not cooperate with Germany to deal with us!"
Molotov did not believe that East Africa would cooperate with Germany in dealing with the Soviet Union, a view that piqued Joseph's interest.
Joseph: "Comrade Molotov, what are your reasons for making this judgment?"
Molotov replied, "That would not benefit East Africa at all by helping Germany defeat us; on the contrary, it would allow us to keep Germany in check."
"The current situation between us and Germany is that Germany originally surpassed us by a large margin in terms of overall national strength."
"If East Africa sides with Germany, even if we can get the US involved, it will be difficult to win. But what benefits would East Africa gain if they help Germany?"
"No, East Africa could only watch helplessly as Germany enjoyed all the spoils of war. After all, Germany was right next to the Soviet Union, and East Africa and the Soviet Union were separated by the Middle East and Central Asia as a buffer zone."
"Therefore, cooperating with Germany and acting as its henchman is a thankless task for East Africa, and Germany will not appreciate their efforts."
"This would be creating an uncontrollable and potentially powerful enemy for East Africa's own security."
"Therefore, I say that if East African leaders are of sound mind, they should not side with Germany, as this would be detrimental to East Africa in every way."
As the second most powerful figure in the Soviet Union, Molotov had a keen political eye, after all, he was a very active figure in the Soviet diplomatic arena in his previous life.
His analysis also gave Joseph greater confidence in how to connect East Africa and the United States.
So, after integrating everyone's suggestions and ideas, Joseph added, "In that case, our efforts to win over the United States and East Africa should be tailored to the specific needs of each country."
"Regarding the United States, we should focus on the German threat theory and the East African threat theory, so that the United States, based on its own position in the international landscape and its actual interests, will increase its support for us."
"Regarding East Africa, we must emphasize the harm caused by Germany, and at least ensure that East Africa does not side with Germany."
"Ideally, we could win over both East Africa and the United States to our side at the same time. That way, even if Germany is powerful, with the support of two other, more powerful countries, our defense pressure will be greatly reduced."
...
Following the internal Kremlin meeting, Soviet officials in East Africa and the United States noticed some changes in the Soviet reception staff.
This was during the height of celebrations in the Soviet Union over the victory of its Second Five-Year Plan.
Red Square in Moscow was packed with people, and various performances and activities were very active and frequent.
Compared to the concerns of the high command about Germany, the Soviet people did not feel the crisis of war, and in recent years the Soviet Union's development focus has been on industry.
Therefore, the Soviet people felt that the whole country was so vibrant and that their lives were getting better and better.
Lawrence, the East African ambassador to the Soviet Union, spoke highly of the social environment in the Soviet Union and the changes that had taken place.
Sitting in the car, Lawrence said to Markov, a Moscow official beside him, "After two five-year plans, Soviet industry has made great progress, and Moscow is not much inferior to any European city or capital I have ever seen."
"The enthusiasm and smiles of the Soviet people also demonstrate the good economic performance of your country now."
Lawrence naturally didn't view the Soviet Union's planned economic development model with prejudice, since East Africa had also developed in the same way.
To deny the Soviet Union is to deny the history of East African development. Therefore, Lawrence does not hesitate to praise the Soviet Union's development at this stage.
Markov was quite pleased with Lawrence's assessment, but as a Soviet citizen, Markov was clearly not satisfied with just one comment from Lawrence.
He said with a hint of barely perceptible arrogance and pride, "Mr. Lawrence, since you think the Soviet Union has achieved such good results, and as far as I know, East Africa was also the fastest developing country when it implemented a planned economy, why did East Africa abandon it and choose liberalization instead!"
Markov certainly doesn't think that East Africa's economic situation a decade or so ago was the same as that of the Soviet Union, but the two still have a lot in common, so East Africa is now on an even more wrong economic path.
Lawrence didn't dwell on these pointless questions about the petty, or rather, competitive, Soviet man. He bluntly stated, "East Africa has simply chosen the development path that best suits it, and this path itself is subject to change due to environmental shifts."
"Just like a patient eating, before he is fully recovered, he needs to replenish a lot of nutrition. If he waits until he is fully recovered and does not adjust his diet, it will only lead to obesity."
"The Soviet Union's current development can only be described as being in line with its current national conditions. If we only look at the surface, Germany has also been developing rapidly recently. However, Your Excellency Markov, do you think that Germany's development model is sustainable?"
Lawrence's words left Markov speechless.
Of all the countries the Soviet Union disliked the most, Germany would now be number one.
Markov had just been proudly boasting about the Soviet Union's development achievements, but now that Lawrence had played the Germany card, he could no longer find any amusement in it.
As Lawrence said, Germany has been developing rapidly recently, and its economy is booming. Does that mean that the Adolf government is right?
Everyone knew that the Adolf government's approach was a case of drinking poison to quench thirst. Of course, the Adolf government didn't care at all, since they believed they had an economic solution: "war."
Indeed, the economic development of the Soviet Union was not entirely bright, and it also came at the expense of the interests of some groups.
This is something that no country can completely eliminate; economic development will inevitably harm the interests of some people.
However, Germany and Japan took a more extreme approach; they wanted to shift the cost of development onto more people directly through war.
What's even worse is that this practice doesn't prevent their own people from becoming "costs." Manufacturing artillery shells requires their own workers, and external expansion also requires their own people to risk their lives. Not to mention those groups within their own country whom they regard as traitors and enemies, who will only suffer even deeper persecution.
Therefore, Germany and Japan in 1937 were typical reactionary countries both internally and externally.
Markov was certainly not satisfied with Ambassador Lawrence's words, but he suddenly remembered the instructions from above, hesitated for a moment, and then ended the topic.
"Ambassador Lawrence, I have no other meaning than to express the current development achievements of the Soviet Union. Of course, as the most powerful country in the world, East Africa certainly still has a huge gap with us and needs to learn from and catch up."
As a Soviet citizen, Markov had to feign a friendly attitude towards East Africa, even if he was not very willing, since the Soviet leadership had now decided to win over East Africa.
Markov had not yet fully adapted to the sudden shift in foreign policy, which led to the mistake.
Ambassador Lawrence gave Markov a strange look. If it were any other day, Markov would definitely have chosen to debate with him, but today he had just retorted, and Markov was not going to press the matter.
Although he didn't understand the Soviets' thought process, he didn't refuse Markov's request.
"Your Excellency Markov, thank you for your praise. As for whether East Africa is the most powerful country in the world, we still have a long way to go. The United States, Germany, and Britain, as well as your Soviet Union, are actually quite well developed."
"Especially in the last decade, the Soviet Union can be said to be the fastest-growing country in the world."
"This is quite remarkable; the city has become much more prosperous and vibrant since I visited Moscow three years ago."
"Some of your construction achievements are worth talking about even on a global scale."
"For example, the completion of the Moscow Canal, the construction of the Moscow Metro, the improvement of urban road construction, the emergence of modern factories, and the significant improvement of basic livelihood issues such as water and electricity supply."
The Moscow Canal is an artificial waterway built by the Soviet Union to connect the Moscow River and the Volga River. The construction of this canal directly enhanced Moscow's shipping capacity.
Water transport development was a major highlight in the Soviet Union, which was completely different from the early focus on railway construction in East Africa. Of course, water transport was more convenient, but it also had its drawbacks. For example, the Soviet Union's lack of access to the sea was a problem that was difficult to solve.
The Moscow Metro is considered one of the landmark projects of Moscow during the Second Five-Year Plan. In addition to its enormous scale, the Moscow Metro is most notable for its exceptional artistry.
These are significant advancements in Moscow's transportation sector and are prominent projects that best showcase Moscow's development.
Ambassador Lawrence has a particularly vivid memory of these projects. In addition, Moscow has undergone many changes, such as an increase in the number of vehicles on the streets, although they are mainly trucks and bicycles, and more modern buildings.
Soviet architecture during the Joseph era was imaginative, while also inheriting traditional art and organically combining modern building materials and scientific design to form a unique Joseph Neoclassical style.
Of course, a key indicator of Moscow's modernization was its tremendous industrial progress, which transformed it into a modern industrial city in the 1930s.
Moscow has a diverse range of industries, covering fields such as machinery manufacturing, defense, chemicals, aviation, textiles, and food processing, forming a large-scale industrial cluster.
After the completion of the Second Five-Year Plan, the Soviet Union could now be considered a major industrial power. While it still lagged behind the top three countries—East Africa, the United States, and Germany—it possessed a clear advantage over other countries in the world.
As a priority city for development, Moscow has acquired some of the characteristics of a top international metropolis among cities worldwide.
(End of this chapter)
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