Rise of Australia

Chapter 204 The Kingdom of Australasia

At the end of 1905, two major events took place. First, Norway became an independent country, and the Danish Prince Karl was chosen as King Haakon VII of Norway.

This also represents the official dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian alliance, and a sub-powerful country in the northern part of the European continent has officially become two third-rate countries.

The second incident happened on October 10 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the United Kingdom.

On this day, the construction of the famous battleship Dreadnought in history officially started, and it took only four months to successfully launch into the water and start testing.

Although the subsequent testing phase lasted for more than a year, it cannot be denied what impact this battleship, which was built in just four months, will have on the future world naval structure and warship system.

At the end of 1905, the federal governments of Australia and New Zealand held a summary meeting to report to Arthur the achievements and actions of the federal government over the past year.

The first is the population of the Federation.After the merger of Australia and New Zealand, the total population of the Commonwealth at that time had exceeded 500 million, very close to 600 million.

At the end of 1905, the total population of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand had exceeded 620 million. Among them, the total population of Australia was as high as 110 million, the total population of New Zealand was about [-] million, and the total population of the colony of New Guinea was just over [-].

In terms of industry, the industrial development of Australia and the Commonwealth of New Zealand is also very rapid, with the total output of steel even exceeding 150 million tons.

Among them, the steel output of the Federation officially exceeded 50 tons, reaching a gratifying 51 or so two hundred tons.

Iron production is also nearly 100 million tons, which has been able to meet the various steel needs within the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, and has even exported a small amount to Southeast Asia.

It is worth mentioning that Australia's plan to introduce aboriginal population in the Dutch East Indies and the plan to force aboriginal labor across the country were very successful.

This is also due to the widespread racism of European immigrants. The White Australia policy and ideas formed in Europe have made all federal citizens support the oppression of these aboriginals, and no one has expressed cruelty to the oppression of aboriginals.

Of course, Australians would never say the same.The development of the country often produces some more dangerous jobs. These jobs in Australia are basically done by indigenous people, which greatly reduces the casualties of Australian workers.

Australians are now able to have a better and better life, isn't a considerable part of it created by these aborigines who sacrificed their lives?
So far, the Australian National University has successfully graduated three batches of students, creating nearly [-] outstanding college students for Australia.

The gold content of university education in this era is naturally beyond doubt. These 2000 people will also become the backbone of the development of various industries in Australia, and may even become the top force.

Australia's transportation industry has also made rapid progress in the past few years.The first is the roads needed for daily transportation. Australia has completed the connection between all cities, and the roads have led to smaller villages and facilities.

In terms of railways, after two years of development, Australia has completed a single-track railway connection from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.

This also means that the single-track construction of the industrial railway spanning the whole of Australia has been completed. Australians can go from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to any capital of the five states and capital territories of mainland Australia, such as Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. , Newcaster and Brisbane.

Although Tasmania does not enjoy railway treatment, Tasmania's road system is the most developed of all states in Australia.

In order to take care of the sentiment of the newly joined New Zealand, the federal government also planned a railway in New Zealand's South Island and North Island.

However, New Zealand's previous railways were very developed. These two railways are said to be construction, but in fact they are more about maintenance and reactivation.

Another thing that has grown rapidly is the per capita income of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand.As of the end of 1905, the per capita annual income of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand was about 39 Australian dollars, equivalent to [-] pounds in British pounds.

This income level has more than doubled compared to Australia five years ago, which is enough to show how rapidly Australia has developed in the past five years.

At this meeting, Arthur also proposed the idea of ​​forming a new kingdom to observe the attitudes of cabinet members.

Judging from the reactions of the cabinet members, Arthur was still very satisfied.All cabinet members support a united kingdom that would better bring Australia and New Zealand together.

In fact, the establishment of a new kingdom has already won the support of the German Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is a staunch ally of the German Empire, will definitely not object.

Under the premise that Arthur has the handle, Edward VII will definitely not object, but will make a decision based on the reaction of the international community.

France was not a monarchy, and Arthur didn't care about their attitude.Most of the other monarchies in Europe have good relations with Britain, Germany, and Russia. If these three most powerful monarchies do not stand up to oppose it, the monarchies in Europe will not object either.

Now that the problems have been resolved, Arthur also decided not to hesitate anymore, and formally started discussions on establishing a new kingdom.

Western countries attach the most importance to jurisprudence. Even Napoleon, who was once invincible, had to say that he became the emperor of the French when he proclaimed himself emperor.

There are only two orthodox emperors in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire inherited from the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.

But since the two great empires have declined one after another, there are not a few European monarchs who use various titles to proclaim themselves emperors.

For example, Queen Victoria, known as the emperor of India, the tsar who claimed to have inherited the jurisprudence of Eastern Rome, the Austrian Empire founded from the former Holy Roman Emperor, and the German Empire that stepped on the French.

It can be seen that for the current European system, legal principles are important, but strength can also override legal principles.

But having said that, there is still something to be said.After all, the establishment of a new kingdom has to be announced to the public, and there must be something that seems reasonable.

First of all, to establish a unified kingdom, there must be a legal principle that includes all regions.

In fact, the name Australia has a certain legal rationale, because the former New Zealand belonged to the Australian colony, and it seems reasonable to establish an Australian kingdom to rule the current Australia and New Zealand.

But it cannot be denied that New Zealand has been independent for decades, and New Zealanders are gradually showing differences from Australians.

At this point, it is a bit difficult to integrate the New Zealanders into the Australians and make them Australians again.

But things are not without solutions.As early as 1756, French scholar Brosset published a book called "Histoire des navigations aux terres australes", which divided Australia, New Zealand and the adjacent Pacific islands in Oceania into one region, named Australasia.

Topographically, Australasia includes the Australian mainland, Tasmania, New Zealand and Melanesia, and even New Guinea and the neighboring islands to the northeast of Australia.

The range of Australasia perfectly covers Australia's current ruling range, and there are basically no countries in this range that conflict with Australasian legal principles.

This also means that the establishment of a kingdom of Australasia to rule all areas within Australasia is legal and reasonable.

Coincidentally, a new name can also avoid disputes between Australia and New Zealand, allowing both Australians and New Zealanders to integrate into the new country and mix into a new nation, Australasians.

In fact, after the independence of Australia and New Zealand in the original history, the name of Australasia was also used for a period of time.

For example, in the tennis competition from 1905 to 1913, Australia and New Zealand merged and used the name Australasia to participate together, including the two Olympic Games in 1908 and 1912.

From this point, we can also see the attitudes of the people of Australia and New Zealand towards the union with each other.

Because the ethnic composition is similar, they are basically immigrants from the UK and Europe, and the gap between the ethnic groups is actually not that big.

Coupled with Arthur's high support and huge prestige in Australia and New Zealand, it is not an illusion that this newly established country will receive widespread support.

The meeting continued into the evening, and the cabinet members were still discussing intensely.

In fact, this is also normal.After the establishment of a new kingdom, it means that the federal government that was originally maintained for a short time will also be replaced, thereby forming a unified kingdom government.

This also has to take into account the retention of the Government of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand, as well as the system of the future Royal Government.

These are directly related to the interests of these officials, and it is also the reason why they have been able to negotiate until the evening without any results.

But there are still many important things that have been finalized. For example, the name of the newly established kingdom is Australasia, the capital of the kingdom is still Sydney in the Capital Territory, and the current administrative region of Australia will not undergo much change.

If a unified royal government is established, the fate of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand will also be a serious issue.

In the end, it was Arthur who made the decision and decided to ban the Government of the Principality of Australia and the Government of the Principality of New Zealand after the establishment of the Royal Government of Australasia.

In the future, the six states of Australia, the Capital Territory and the two states of North New Zealand and South New Zealand will all be directly under the unified management of the Royal Government.

The former Federal House of Representatives and the Royal House will also be renamed the House of Representatives and the Royal House of the Kingdom of Australasia.

Doing so will greatly strengthen the degree of unity between Australia and New Zealand, and completely turn Australia and New Zealand into a unified kingdom.

The reason why Arthur dared to do this was precisely because he controlled the governments of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand, and had good reputation and support in both countries.

As long as the Australians and New Zealanders do not object, even if some officials have objections to this, there will be absolutely no trouble.

In the next few days, Arthur convened cabinet officials of the principality government of Australia and important officials of the principality government of New Zealand to discuss the retention of officials of the two principality governments after the establishment of the kingdom.

Australia is the foundation of the new kingdom, and Australia's current cabinet government will also become the kingdom's first cabinet government.

The question now is whether the government officials of the Principality of New Zealand will stay or stay.Some of them were transferred to the state governments of two states in New Zealand, and other officials were transferred to the Royal Government.

It just so happened that the cabinet ministers often complained about the lack of manpower in various departments, and it happened to take this opportunity to expand the number of people in each department and strengthen the administrative efficiency of the government.

As government officials discussed the future kingdom government, time soon came to 1906.

In front of Sydney Palace, Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, ACT, 1906 January 1.

Although the main body of the Sydney Palace behind has not been completed, the gardens and squares in front have been put into use.

As the largest square in Australia at present, Arthur also immediately decided to hold the New Year's National Day activities in this square.

The square in front of the previous government affairs building could only accommodate less than 2 people, but now the Sydney Palace Square can accommodate more than three times the number of people.

As early as a few weeks ago, there were rumors that something big was going to happen on National Day this time, which also made many people outside the capital territory determined to come to participate in this National Day event.

Although the venue was much larger than before, people were still crowded around it, and it was even difficult for them to move an inch.

This newly built square, the first time to host an important event at the national level, has already endured the maximum value it is estimated to accommodate, and even more.

Fortunately, the construction of the Sydney Palace is a key plan in Australia, and various supervision and supervision are also very strict. Naturally, there will be no shabby projects.

Even, the various building materials required for the construction of the Sydney Palace are carefully selected, and even purchased from major countries and regions around the world, the firmness is also trustworthy.

At around eight o'clock in the morning, Arthur's convoy came slowly under the protection of a group of guards, and then stopped in front of the parade.

Arthur got out of the car, followed by important officials from the cabinet government and the governments of the two duchies.

Stepping onto the parade platform smoothly, the normal National Day flag raising and speeches have not yet started.

Arthur walked to the loudspeaker, first inspected everyone off the court, and then slowly said: "All my Australians and New Zealanders, I am very happy to be able to participate in this solemn ceremony. See you all the time."

"Australians and New Zealanders have been united for more than a year, and our Commonwealth has grown very well. I believe all Australians and New Zealanders can find that, and everyone's life is better. "

Having said that, there were bursts of cheers and applause off the court, which meant that what Arthur said was true.

After waiting for a while, Arthur continued: "Now, I have decided that it is time for us to become closer together! Australians and New Zealanders will not be separated from each other, and we will live together in a new country. "

As he said that, Arthur also looked at the reaction of the crowd in the stands, and then went on to say: "I have decided to merge Australia and New Zealand to form a new kingdom called Australasia! From now on, we will all be Australasians." Citizens of West Asia, great Australasians. Long live Australasia!"

"Long live Australasia!"

"Long live His Royal Highness the Duke!"

The crowd shouted for a while before someone gradually realized what Arthur said.

If the kingdom has already been formed, wouldn't Arthur also change from His Royal Highness Duke to His Majesty the King?

As a result, the cheers and shouts on the field gradually became "Long live Australasia!" "Long live His Majesty the King!"

While there was some surprise at the start of the kingdom, it quickly turned into joy and excitement.

The cheers lasted for a long time, and even affected the progress of the following activities.

But no one would care about this, not even Arthur and government officials.

After the sky in the square gradually quieted down, Arthur continued: "As your king, I will continue to uphold my original intention to protect all my people, that is, the Australasian people composed of all Australians and New Zealanders." Asians. It is the dream of the country, the government, the royal family and all Australasians for the nation to rise and prosper and for all Australasians to rise to the top of the world. I hope that all Australians and New Zealanders can unite, Fight hard for our new kingdom, for our new nation, to realize our great dream of rising and prospering together. Long live Australasia!"

In order to make the new kingdom more stable, it was necessary to bring all Australians and New Zealanders under the new Australasian umbrella.

This is why Arthur declared the concept of Australasians many times at this time. The concept of Australasians through Arthur's mouth is more easily accepted by Australians and New Zealanders.

Amidst the cheers and shouts of the crowd, the following National Day activities were successfully carried out.

For reasons the Kingdom's flag has yet to be determined, the flags of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Royal Family's flag, are currently flying above the square.

It is believed that after the government released the national flag collection activity to the public, the national flag design of the Kingdom of Australasia will soon have an answer.

The Victorian newspaper and the Australian Daily also acted quickly. Soon after the National Day activities, the two newspapers published all of Arthur's speeches on National Day, along with a proclamation on the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia.

Of course, Arthur's actions are far more than these. On the international front, Arthur officially notified all countries and invited major powers and important countries to send diplomatic ambassadors to each other.

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(End of this chapter)