Chapter 154

Chapter 154: Special Treatment for Immigrants from Tsarist Russia

After their business was concluded, Maxim and Giovanni decided to go to a good restaurant in St. Petersburg for a meal. They agreed that Giovanni would provide three meals in total, but Maxim suggested that they only share two meals, leaving the third for their next meeting in St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, on the ship carrying Tsarist Russian immigrants, uncertainty loomed as they awaited their unknown fate.

The Hechingen Consortium had devised a special treatment for these immigrants. Immigrant instructors had already arrived on the scene and began their work.

The instructors, like Achtman, emphasized to the immigrants that they were no longer Slavs, and they should forget their religion and nationality. They pointed out that they had been treated as goods by their lords and that they needed to embrace their new identity to have a fair life in the colonies.

Achtman himself was a Tsarist Russian of German descent, known as a "Volga German." The Consortium employed such Germans living in Tsarist Russia because they could serve as translators due to their bilingualism.

These Germans had been attracted to Tsarist Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great and retained their beliefs and culture. They were known for their hardworking and organized nature, which made them valuable in the eyes of both Catherine the Great and Ernst.

While Catherine the Great had attracted German immigrants to engage in agricultural development in Tsarist Russia, Ernst adopted a similar approach in East Africa, introducing German immigrants along with other groups.

Ernst's goal was to clear out local inhabitants to make room for the imported labor force. The serfs from Tsarist Russia were considered superior to the native population in East Africa and were highly valuable as a source of cheap and high-quality labor.

Alexander II, who had initiated the emancipation reform in Tsarist Russia, may not have anticipated that Ernst would focus on utilizing the liberated labor force for East Africa's development.

Although there were hundreds of thousands of pure Germans in Tsarist Russia, they were not attracted to East Africa. These Germans had lived well in Tsarist Russia under favorable conditions, even though some of their privileges had been gradually revoked over the years.

Ernst, like Catherine the Great, believed in the value of Germans in agriculture and colonization efforts. However, East Africa's allure did not extend to these German immigrants in Tsarist Russia.

Achtman used various tactics to convince the Tsarist Russian immigrants to embrace their new identity and sever their ties with Russia. He emphasized that they had been sold as goods by their lords and were not a part of Russian society. He also emphasized that they should forget everything about Russia, including language, clothing, and even the Orthodox Church.

Achtman's message was clear: they were to become East Africans and abandon their Russian heritage. While the immigrants had their reservations, they understood that they had little choice in this matter.

Despite objections in their hearts, they recognized that they were powerless in the face of their circumstances. Most of them had not fared well in Tsarist Russia, and they were prepared to accept the new reality.

Regarding religion, some immigrants may have had concerns, but they were willing to adapt to the changes. For them, leaving the church meant regaining control over their religious beliefs and interpretations, as there were no priests or pastors to impose doctrines.

With minimal education and limited access to religious texts, their understanding of religion was basic, centered around the existence of God and a few well-known deities. Leaving the church allowed them to interpret religion in their own way, free from external influences.