Pacific world (July-September, 1899).
Arrows of Slavic Africa: Keniya, Katanga and Sagallo]
Slavic Africa was a very particular place among the European colonial empires, it was Slavic to begin with and orthodoxy was growing a lot, but we can also talk about other notable developments.
With the Fashoda conflict involving various fronts in Africa (from the deadly Congolese front, through the Tanzanian-Mozambican front to the North African fronts) hundreds of thousands to millions of fighters had died, and the only European country with a presence in Africa not involved was Russia.
This is why Tsar Alexander III and the Russian Red Cross were able to establish a series of hospitals and other institutions in Russian Africa (or failing that, the aforementioned Katanga) to receive refugees and wounded from the various African fronts.
Due to the brutality of the conflict some tribes and ethnic groups (such as Arabs) were displaced towards Slavic Africa, previously prey to the slave trade, but now there was no such slave trade in the region.
The Russian Red Cross treated them like other victims, from regions as distant as Lake Chad, the Sahara and beyond.
In addition to this, despite the conflict in Suez, New Moscow continued to become a cosmopolitan city, French and German trading ships stopped there to pass through Russian waters rather than through British waters.
While the British in Yemen still needed resources from Sagallo, such as Ethiopian hibiscus tea or Ethiopian coffee, much closer and cheaper than products from India.
So during Fashoda, Slavic Africa did not completely stop its growth (although there were also problems of course), be it the cosmopolitan New Moscow, medical infrastructure or the Keniya plains.
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* Solomon Braun.
The French man wakes up, he had some head injuries, but was recovering after injuries sustained on the Congolese front.
"Where I am?". Braun asks confused, his head is injured but his brain is not damaged enough to have lost the capacity for reason.
The nurses and doctors had some discussions in a language that he did not understand, until a doctor who spoke French came. "One of St. George's hospitals established by his Majesty, Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna in support of the Russian Red Cross, Lieutenant Braun. More precisely, you are in Keniya."
"How did I get here?". The French artillery lieutenant asks.
"German medical capabilities in Uganda are somewhat overloaded with victims from the Congolese front, so one of the teams from the Russian Red Cross moved it to Keniya via the railway." The doctor explains.
Shortly after Braun learned that his superiors and most of his team were dead, after a brief review the Frenchman was able to take a short walk outside the hospital.
White tents spread and spread forming a kind of small town, on the one hand soldiers receiving medical attention, native Africans and orphans being attended by the red cross and authorities, etc.
"Some soup?" An African man proposes to Solomon that he approaches, there were Africans, Arabs and white men around a campfire.
"Sure." The Frenchman accepts a bit confused by the offer, even surprised to have received such a proposal from a native. "My name is Solomon Braun, Lieutenant in the French Army." After a while the French lieutenant introduces himself.
"Rabih az-Zubayr Ibn Fadl Allah, former cavalry commander in the Ethiopian army. But actually, make no mistake, I am Sudanese." The man responds without much interest.
There was not so much animosity between Rabih and Solomon, but if they were two men with different ways of understanding the situation, the Ethiopian army today was much better than the Sudanese army (and the Ethiopian-Russian quality of life was much higher than the quality of life Sudanese) but because of France now Rabih and his family couldn't even go back to Sudan.
And Solomon was still affected by the racism of his time and society.
Despite this Solomon was also somewhat more liberal than Rabih, who partly missed the old African days, where Sudan and Ethiopia were great slave trade centers ... Rabih had to be saved by his son Fadlallah on some occasions for comments out of place.
Solomon on the other hand, while recovering and occasionally speaking with Rabih (who knew French after his stays in Chad, help of some russian officers and the occasional fight with a Frenchman), had partly gotten used to Keniya.
Such a peaceful and green place (in a good way), very different from the well of disease that was the Kongo ...
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Meanwhile, the Russian Empire began to seek independence from Katanga as the Congo continued to become a more and more deadly front.
The Swedish (stuck in the Kongo), German and French forces sought to maintain an independent Congo from British influence, while the Norwegians and British sought a Norwegian Kongo.
This had damaged the little infrastructure (not invested by Russia) in the region, created various pockets of disease on both sides, led to the destruction of various settlements, among many other evils. And as a consequence, the only peaceful place in the Kongo was Katanga.
Due to the Russian Red Cross and Russian diplomatic influence, Katanga had become de-facto (but not legally) independent, and it was the only focus where many displaced natives and wounded fighters (or even deserters) could escape.
As a consequence, based on his political influence, the KGB and the diplomatic service, and the offers of various loans, war equipment and resources (agricultural, steel, etc.), Tsar Alexander III began to press for an independent Katanga.
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[Companies]
Tsar Alexander III made such confusing decisions in his time, but they turned out to be profitable, including buying Pepsi-Cola, a healthy competition with Koka-Kola Kompaniya (Компания Кока-Кола).
But obviously not all companies in Russia belonged to Tsar Alexander III or his strategic allies, there were still many innovative immigrants and natives who had particular potential.
For example, with the Italian situation escalating, a part of the Italian diaspora in Russia, started in mid-August the car company Fiat.
This under the businessman, Giovanni Agnelli, who had been forced to leave Italy due to the socialist revolutions.
Why did Agnelli and many other northern Italians interested in the auto industry specifically choose Russia? Very simply, Russia had the most developed automobile industry, both in public transport (bus manufacturing) and personal transport (cars, tractors and other types of vehicles).
For example, there were many car companies founded by Germans, like Rudolf Diezel's companies, other companies bought by the Tsar, companies of the Volga Germans, companies founded by Americans and French, etc.
Russia produced many more vehicles than any other country in Europe and certainly much more than the United States, so there was a very profitable business to sell within Russia or export abroad.
Fiat in particular focused on luxury cars for the Russian upper class and other parts of Europe or North America, a product of anti-socialist reactions from most of the board of the company (after the events in Italy of course ).
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[Alyáska]
During the 27th and 30th of July, more gold is found in the city of Kone, Alyáska, in the Russian Empire.
Again causing a population migration to the shores of Alyáska.
(OOC: I'll explore Alyáska's culture a little more when I can.)
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[Russian navy]
On September 26, important events take place, under the gaze of Tsar Alexander III, Minister of the Navy Stepan Makarov and Vice Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov, the Russian Empire and the world in general observe the departure to sea of the first complete Drednout ever carried out a few months of 1900 (within the expected time of the Admiralty).
The first Drednout is the Tikhiy (which translates to Pacific, named after the Pacific Ocean).
This is the evolution of the Proto-Drednouts developed by Russia, and again a simple action by Russia triggers a greater British investment in trying to counter this advance with the intention of creating a British Drednout.
And Germany does the same, so in the middle of Fashoda the situation continues with another even more massive naval competition between the German Empire and the British Empire.
The British army complains about investment in the navy while army salaries (and its budget to a lesser extent) have not increased or improved.
The average German citizen has his complaints too, but at the moment they still have food and jobs ... after the war, who knows.
Russia of course still has plans for a few more Drednouts, but does not plan to compete with Britain or Germany for naval supremacy.
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[International]
* [Fashoda War]
After months of fighting, the conflict in Gibraltar between France and Hispania against the United Kingdom, ends, at least in its first phase. Thousands of soldiers in Iberia and Morocco (in addition to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Sea) were occupied to defend or attack the British position.
Until on July 1 this operation was stopped (for the moment), with the United Kingdom maintaining the small region of Gibraltar thanks to the support of the Royal Navy and the liberation of the siege of Malta by Italy (allowing to bring more resources to Gibraltar).
But even at many costs, not only economic and human, but the United Kingdom lost Western Sahara, and with this the British Empire lost absolutely all position in North Africa.
July 11, Italy is getting more and more out of the Fashoda war despite the attempts of Germany and France.
July 29, the Republic of the United States of Brazil has several successes in the invasion of the northeast Empire of Brazil thanks to the support that the republic gives to the Conselhistas (Christian radicals).
But it is a success only in the Brazilian region of Alagoas, where the Conselhists exist.
Furthermore, on the other hand, the Brazilian front is extremely expensive for everyone. The Brazilian states had few years and little support for reparations and improving their situation.
As if that were not enough, at the end of July and beginning of August, the British Empire loses British Guiana at the hands of Venezuelan, Brazilian, German and French imperial forces.
The fall of Guyana means that the British Empire must spend more to defend its Caribbean positions and the South Atlantic, and they lose a significant pressure point in the north of the Empire of Brazil, which allows the coalition to focus more forces on the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
Between August 3 and 10, various Chinese Boxers begin to stir (not violent yet) German and British positions in southern China, with some Chinese revolts on the island of Hainan, under French hands.
Despite this, some kind of intervention has not yet occurred, beyond Russia, moving some squads to the northwest of China.
September 6 to September 13, the British Empire begins to try to advance towards "Ubangi-Shari" in central Africa, a French colonial territory north of Kongo, vital to the Congolese front.
Although at first the British seemed to be successful, General Charles Mangin responded with a major operation, involving a total of 1 million men, with the intention of ending the British forces.
The battles of Ubangi-Shari are without a doubt terrible.
A trench warfare, chemical attacks, flamethrowers and hundreds of thousands of men involved (1 million on the French side, slightly less on the British side).
Meanwhile Germany (with the support of Dutch puppets, Italian Christians and some volunteers from Eastern Europe) begin to woo the Boers of Africa to join the war in exchange for regaining territories and some other offers (rights to gold, boer "sovereignty ", etc).
This is how the French are successfully containing the British in Ubangi-Shari, and the victories of the coalition in British Guiana.
September 18, further development in explosives and machine gun ammunition by the French, British and German armies.
Invasion attempts in continental Europe resume, with France and Germany attempting to crush the socialists in northern Italy, and coalition forces (the Franco-German navy and Hispanic soldiers) to take Gibraltar.
The situation in Arabia is not better, the French give more autonomy to the Arab tribes under their command in the Holy Land to get more troops to defend the French Arab peninsula and Suez, so they have more and more success in sabotaging British supply lines in Arabia, at the same time they can maintain Suez more successfully.
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* Prospect in Gibraltar.
The team doctor had been shot by a Hispanic sniper, in that house the British soldiers had panicked, hiding under the windows while trying to treat their doctor.
There was no success.
The streets were invaded by Hispanic soldiers and the ports were bombed and defended by ships from both sides.
At the end of the day it was hard to tell if there was even a winner.
Gibraltar.
So much blood spilled by a rock, a rock that controlled access to the Western Mediterranean, but a rock that was no longer of value to many of the British soldiers, recruited from India, Quebec and other parts of the Empire after the deaths of many of the soldiers of the Home islands and the nobility of the United Kingdom.
"... Man, I would prefer one of those chocolates that the Spanish offered us for giving up than the food they are giving us." Jean exclaims in annoyance.
"It would probably be poisoned chocolate." Robert responds.
"Better to die with poisoned chocolate than to live like this, don't you think?" Jean exclaims, throwing away some of the watered-down tea and dry bread the superior officers offered. "What about our paid Robert? They are better than poisoned chocolate? Our doctor died and we risked our lives this way, for bad pay and bandages. They didn't even replace Joshua, they gave us bandages, with the excuse that there is a personnel limit, but soldiers keep coming and dying for the king. "
"...". Robert was silent.
Sir Adolf Peliza, commanding officer begins to punish Jean on charges of insubordination, but after the excessive punishment, at the end of September Quebecers (like Jean) and various Indian radicals of the British Raj in Gibraltar began a strike and various revolts against the low wages and poor conditions in the army.
His fellow Anglo-Saxons (Australians, English, English-speaking Canadians, and a few others) were soon to join as well.
Prime Minister Mountbatten prepares a massive force to attack Morocco and Hispania to save Gibraltar, but he too must worry about retaking Suez before the Fashoda War is over.
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* [Socialism: Latin Revolutions]
On July 11, the Kingdom of Italy is shaken when basically northern Italy is lost to the socialist forces of the Milan revolution, led by the revolutionary Maximalists of Costantino Lazzari.
Now the Italian socialist forces after having defeated the German and French forces trying to stop the revolution, are heading south to march on the remnants of the kingdom of Italy.
Sicily in the south also restarts its democratic socialist revolution and becomes the first region in the south to take the socialist path after having been able to overthrow the monarchical military authorities.
Because Sicily fell easily is because the kingdom of Italy had fixed resources in Malta and northern Italy, leaving a lot of free space for the Sicilian socialists to act.
There is a massive exodus of Italians to Tunisia and Libya, in addition to other parts of Europe.
On the other hand, on July 29, the president of Hispania, Francisco Largo Caballero, establishes the division of the Iberian socialist republics.
* Portuguese Socialist Republic.
* Galician Socialist Republic.
* Catalan Socialist Republic.
* Basque Socialist Republic.
* Andalusian Socialist Republic.
And finally the Spanish Federative Socialist Republic, which includes territories such as Asturias, Argan, Extremadura, Castilla y León, with certain regional autonomies within a "great" Spanish nation.
This marks the foundations of socialist federalism in Hispania, a union of sister socialist republics, on paper of course. By number the Spanish population is more, but they face their own divisions.
After the foundations of the Hispanic state were established, then the eradication of bourgeois liberals, enemies of the Hispanic Communist Party, conservatism and separatism (such as Basque separatist nationalism) followed.
The idea of the socialist federation is also interesting for the Italian socialists and from other parts of the world, since it would allow, in theory, to integrate diverse ethnic groups in a workers' state.
Because various German, French and Italian socialists do not want to abandon all their territories in favor of self-determination, being revisionists (revision of Marxism) saying that currently the workers have a homeland.
The homeland of the Corsican, Bavarian and other Italian minority workers would then be a French, German and Italian socialist federation respectively.
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On July 13, the Republic of Acre is founded, in the region of Acre, South America.
This region theoretically belonged to Bolivia, and had a rich rubber business, but the Portuguese-speaking population (Brazilians) due to various situations (previous invasions and more recently civil wars in the Empire of Brazil) increased considerably. To the point that it can already be said that at that time, Spanish and Portuguese were spoken in that region.
In the midst of all this, the Spanish immigrant and former journalist, Luis Gálvez Rodríguez de Arias, carries out an expedition supported by Brazilian citizens (from various Brazilian states, and from Acre itself) to make the Bolivian region independent.
Luis Gálvez Rodríguez de Arias succeeds, and declares himself as the first president of Acre, effectively making Acre independent from Bolivia but unable to unite the country with Brazil (the intention of President Luis Gálvez de Arias). So Acre simply continues as independent, creating a relatively liberal constitution for the time being, and establishing Cidade do Acre (formerly Puerto Alonso) as capital.
Although Acre had a rich rubber business, it now faced problems, had no outlet to the sea, and nearby Brazil was in the middle of a new conflict (Fashoda).-
July 17, UK abandons its extraterritoriality rights in Japan.
July 21, due to the malpractices of various journalists and newspaper company leaders in New York (such as Joseph Pulitzer or William Randolph Hearst), the Newboys / Newsies the New York lead their own strike against such practices.
July 31, the Duke of York Island is discovered in Antarctica.
August 17, Diamond City is destroyed by a hurricane in San Ciriaco, North Carolina, United States.
August 28, after a rebel attack, 500 japanese miners are killed in the Japanese administrated Phillipines.
September 26, the Drednout Tikhiy (Pacific) is officially launched.
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* [Action Française]
On September 19, Charles Maurras and Pierre Curie observed the execution of the Jew and alleged spy, Alfred Dreyfus. Because supposedly Dreyfus during his time in prison, the ex-military man had been part of a revolt with other Jews and even socialists.
"How do you know it's true, Maurras?" Pierre questions with concern as Dreyfus's head was placed on the guillotine, a method of execution "worthy of a traitor" as Dreyfus supposedly was.
"Don't worry so much Pierre." Charles responds calmly.
"What have I done ?!", Dreyfus exclaims before the guillotine blade drops.
The action was presented as positive, after all a spy, as Dreyfus was recognized by the state, had been executed for his repeated betrayal of France.
Charles Maurras continued his rise through the ranks of the Bonapartist-Boulangist system, just like Pierre Curie, but Pierre was something different.
Mr. Curie began to promote the need to relax some of the measures of Boulangism in the working population, in essence, practically socialist measures for the economy and reform in the administration, while maintaining a conservative and militarized society (and a little of anti-Semitism, but not as much as current Boulangerism).
Due to Pierre's relationship with the army, with the Parisian Poles, and with Maurras and Georges Boulanger himself, he was not viewed with much suspicion (in 1899). It was rare, but it was not a threat to the regime.