Chapter 533: In Danger
Putting aside the issue of overseas colonies, since the Far Eastern Empire had sent people to exchange and investigate, East Africa naturally could not be impolite.
However, Ernst felt that there was nothing worth exploring in East Africa. How East Africa came to be was difficult for other countries to replicate. One of its biggest characteristics was that East Africa still had not gotten rid of its colonial nature.
There has never been any so-called independence in East Africa from the beginning to the end. It is a country that evolved directly from a colony. Other independent countries, such as the United States and Brazil, bear the imprint of their former colonial powers, but East Africa has no former colonial power. Of course, the Principality of Hechingen does not count. In fact, after the Hechingen royal family moved to Africa, the so-called Principality of Hechingen was further weakened.
Of course, the weakening of influence does not mean that the Blackchingen royal family will give up this right. Anyway, it does not matter how many titles a monarch holds. The Principality of Blackchingen is at the level of a "marquisate", so it is understandable for the King of East Africa to concurrently serve as the Prince of Blackchingen, and maybe there will be a time when it can be used.
For example, there is no burden when communicating with Germany. The status of the Principality of Hechingen is very special in Germany. It is not only one of the German states, but also a part of the Kingdom of Prussia. This is very different from other German states, such as the Kingdom of Württemberg, which is a German state, not a part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
The Principality of Hechingen is actually at the same level as the Kingdom of East Africa and the Royal Territory of Alaska in theory.
Both are countries ruled by the Hechingen royal family, or the Hechingen branch of the Hohenzollern family. Of course, the Principality of Hechingen is a nominal rule, while the latter two are actual rule.
Therefore, the Kingdom of East Africa is an extremely peculiar existence to Germany, or Prussia. Countries are divided into close and distant ones, and the location of East Africa is very intriguing.
However, it is definitely right to win over the two countries, as the two countries are connected in terms of culture, history, politics, economy and other aspects.
"In fact, East Africa is different from most countries in the world. It is a country that evolved from a colony and is still evolving. It has not yet been finally formed. For example, we still have slavery. Moreover, our national conditions are special, but external exchanges are unobstructed. It just requires one more procedure and needs to be mediated by the German region." Reidel, director of the Dar es Salaam City Cultural Bureau, who came to receive the Far East delegation, said to the guests.
Laidell's straightforward introduction to the Far East Mission was not working. What's going on? We just came here to take a look. You don't think we are here to learn about East Africa, do you?
In fact, the Far Eastern Empire delegation did have this idea before, learning from the barbarians to defeat them! As a late-developing country, East Africa can naturally learn from it.
However, other countries will definitely not be able to adapt to East Africa's approach. First of all, East Africa learned this from the Far East!
East Africa can play the game of isolation, but the Far East does not have the conditions for this at present. Moreover, East Africa's isolation can draw nutrients from the German region, while the Far Eastern Empire can only be sucked dry by other countries.
Of course, after the country's doors were opened, it became easier for the powerful countries to suck blood from it, but the country was also gradually adapting and growing in this environment of being beaten.
Of course, closing the country to the outside world is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, at any time, policies change according to the situation.
The reason why the Qing government adopted a policy of isolation was closely related to the anti-Qing elements overseas. At the same time, the thinking pattern of the Far Eastern Empire had always been constrained by Confucianism, but Confucianism had lost its vitality and was unwilling to accept change.
Confucianism can naturally adapt to the development of the times. After all, extreme religions such as Christianity can develop new interpretations to adapt to the development of capitalism, and even produce sects like Latin American liberation theology.
Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty was like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water. It showed no sign of repentance. Confucianism had been developing and changing all the time, but this development and change came to an abrupt halt after the Qing Dynasty.
Without the ability to innovate, it would naturally go down the path of decline. However, Confucianism was unwilling to give way to new ideas. Its status could be said to have been forced out, and it even had a tendency to evolve into a religion, known as "Confucianism." It was unworthy of its position, so it was no wonder that it was severely liquidated later.
East Africa does not have such worries. It can simply copy the achievements of its predecessors. East Africa has not formed a force that can confront the royal family, so the development direction of East Africa is controlled by Ernst.
Ernst has a strong desire for control. In his opinion, he has no control over the future of East Africa. While he still has plenty of energy, he must develop it according to his own wishes.
"Mr. Leider, you are too modest. I heard that you Germans are generally straightforward. There are things we can learn from any country, so there is no need to belittle yourself. Moreover, your East Africa is developing rapidly, which makes us very envious."
Reidel was not being modest, he was just speaking the truth, so he explained: "East Africa is like the United States of America. Both of our countries developed through slavery and have a large amount of undeveloped land. These two points are not available in your Far East. So I am not being modest, but East Africa is really not worth your reference. You might as well go directly to Europe and the Ottoman Empire for inspection."
Reidel sincerely suggested this point. East Africa and the United States are countries drawn on a blank sheet of paper and have not formed any complex interest relations.
The Far Eastern Empire has a long history, complex domestic forces, and deep-rooted interest groups. There are only two ways for them to change: one is to cut flesh from top to bottom to protect themselves, or to passively tear it down and rebuild.
It’s not that Ernst looked down on the Qing government, but they didn’t dare to use their knives on themselves, or no one was willing to pay the price.
It's just like the greedy monkey in the story: there is a big nut or fruit in a sturdy bottle with a small mouth. The monkey puts his hand in to grab it, and then can't get his hand out. As long as he puts down the nut, he can get his hand out. The monkey refuses to give up, and runs around dragging the big bottle, and then he will be captured alive.
But it is undeniable that countries like East Africa, which have no historical background, are extremely fragile, so Ernst implemented a closed-door policy. If East Africa is invaded by external cultural ideas, it will probably fall to its knees. This can be seen from other colonial countries.
Ernst's responsibility was to protect East Africa in the previous life from wind and rain, and only when East Africa was large enough to protect itself could it be allowed to develop independently.
This is the same as chips. If latecomers want to cope with the suppression of early movers without changing tracks, they must first maintain the domestic market before they can talk about survival.
Ernst was well aware of how unstable the system in East Africa was. It was even more likely to collapse than the rigid Soviet Union. And under the premise of ensuring the rule of the Hechingen royal family, it would take at least 50 years to maintain stability in East Africa, and to gradually improve the political system of East Africa by identifying and filling in the gaps.
That is the so-called cultural confidence and institutional confidence. Only when someone believes in this model can it continuously replenish fresh blood and complete self-innovation.
So although East Africa seems large, it is actually quite fragile. Relying solely on the army and force cannot maintain long-term stability of the regime.
What's more, Ernst is not a saint. He always has to put the interests of the Hechingen royal family first. This puts higher demands on the political system of East Africa. If you are not careful, you will be doomed.
(End of this chapter)
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