African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1446 The Forty-fifth Province
A military coup took place in the Ottoman Empire! The news quickly spread around the world.

Rheinische Zeitung: On December 1926, 12, the Rheinische Zeitung reported that Ottoman General Kemal and his supporters launched a military coup in Istanbul. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI announced a reorganization of the government and appointed Kemal as Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Imperial Council of State...

In stark contrast to his previous life, after the successful coup, Kemal did not abolish the Ottoman monarchy and turn the Ottoman Empire into a republic.

In his previous life, when Kemal took over the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire had actually disintegrated and turned into a shrunken Turkey. In this time and space, although the Ottoman Empire continued to decline, it survived the First World War. Although its territory was greatly reduced, it still occupied large tracts of territory in the Middle East and had many nominal vassal states.

The actual effective land area of ​​the Ottoman Empire was less than two million square kilometers.

This is also much larger than the area of ​​Türkiye after World War I in the previous life. What's more, the territories retained by the Ottoman Empire are considered to be regions with relatively good agricultural conditions in the Middle East.

In addition to the Anatolian Plateau, the core of the Ottoman Empire, the Mesopotamian Plain (the Two Rivers Basin), Syria and Lebanon, the Jordan Valley, etc. are all important agricultural production areas in the Middle East.

The existence of these regions means that the Ottoman Empire still has the potential to become a world power, provided that the Ottoman Empire can continue to maintain its current territory.

It was for this reason that Kemal chose to retain the Ottoman monarchy. Like the Habsburgs, the Ottoman royal family was also an important bond between the various regions of the Ottoman Empire.

If the Ottoman monarchy was abolished, it would undoubtedly give some people with ulterior motives an excuse, so Kemal chose to use the Sultan to control the princes in order to stabilize the domestic situation and prevent other regions from taking the opportunity to separate from the Ottoman Empire.

Although the territory had shrunk significantly, the ethnic structure of the Ottoman Empire was much more stable than that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the number of Turks accounted for more than half of the total population of the empire.

The independence of many non-core regions also led to the separation of non-Turkish ethnic groups in these regions from the Ottoman Empire, such as the basically independent Hejaz, Yemen, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea coast.

This also means that as long as Kemal operates properly, it will not be difficult for the Ottoman Empire to maintain its current territory. At least it will be much easier than the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Rhine City.

East Africa was also very concerned about the coup in the Ottoman Empire because the Ottoman Empire has always been one of the important markets in East Africa.

In the last century, the Ottoman Empire was a very important part of the East African slave trade and contributed a lot of gold coins to the early economic development of East Africa.

In the 19s, when East Africa's industry was in its infancy, the Ottoman Empire became an important market for East Africa's cheap industrial products, providing important support for East Africa's early industrial development.

After entering the 20th century, the scale of trade between the Ottoman Empire and East Africa increased year by year and reached its peak around World War I. From basic agricultural products such as grain, fruits and vegetables, timber, etc., to industrial products such as textiles, machinery, weapons and equipment, the trade between the two countries has achieved deep integration.

"The Ottoman Empire has been the empire's most important market in the Middle East since the late 19th century. Now that the Kemal government has come to power, it is difficult to judge what impact it will have on the trade and relations between the two countries." Friedrich reported the situation of the Ottoman Empire to Ernst.

"Father, according to some information from our intelligence department, Kemal does not have obvious anti-East African sentiments, but some of his followers may be hostile to us in East Africa."

"And there are rumors that the cause of the Ottoman Empire's military coup was the Persian Gulf territorial deal we just signed with the former Ottoman government."

“Although this is completely nonsense, it also shows that there are people with ulterior motives within the Ottoman Empire who want to sow discord between our two countries.”

Before World War I, relations between East Africa and the Ottoman government had always been good, which is actually easy to understand.

As a late-developing country, East Africa's image in the international community in the early days was not strong, but rather weak. To put it bluntly, East Africa at that time was just a slightly larger colony. It did not meet the standards of a strong country in terms of population, industry, and economy, and could only bully the indigenous people of Africa.

Even after the South African War, the impression and attitude of most countries towards East Africa did not change much. They just believed that the draw between East Africa and Britain at that time was due to a certain amount of luck, because East Africa, as the host of the South African War, had a geographical advantage.

At that time, East Africa's national strength was between a world power and a non-powerful country, and its military strength was initially recognized by the international community. However, no country at that time believed that East Africa's military strength could be compared with that of traditional European and American powers.

For example, the East African Navy, although it had become a force that could not be ignored at the end of the last century, still had a large amount of technology coming from Europe, and many East African ships were purchased from countries such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At that time, East Africa was still a "lowly" imitator and follower, and was not taken seriously by the European and American powers. Of course, East Africa at that time was also beginning to make its mark in the non-power world.

During this period, diplomatic relations between East Africa and the Ottoman Empire also reached a peak.

From the perspective of the Ottoman Empire at the time, East Africa was an emerging power, but it was not as powerful and unattainable as the European and American powers. Moreover, the Ottoman Empire was also in urgent need of expanding its diplomatic relations. At this time, East Africa was a good partner.

Of course, to put it more bluntly, the Ottoman Empire at the time believed that its strength was similar to that of East Africa, and both countries were facing oppression from European and American countries, especially Britain, so everyone should stick together for warmth.

The British Empire at that time was not the Britain after World War I. It was an existence whose power covered the whole world, making other countries and even other powers feel suffocated.

The situation of the Ottoman Empire was even more complicated. In addition to the threat from Britain, they also had the evil neighbor of Tsarist Russia to the north. At the same time, the great powers such as France and Austria-Hungary could also put tremendous pressure on the Ottoman Empire.

In this situation, East Africa, which was able to defeat Britain, instantly became the life-saving straw of the Ottoman Empire. The two countries had no historical grudges and their relations were relatively good. In addition, East Africa's successful counterattack experience also made some knowledgeable people in the Ottoman Empire hope to learn from its experience.

This is similar to the situation at the end of the 19th century, when Japan attracted the attention of the Far Eastern Empire after it achieved initial success through the Meiji Restoration. As a result, many people went to Japan in an attempt to learn from Japan's experience in reform and strengthening itself.

It's a pity that Japan has always regarded the Far Eastern Empire as its rival. So even if there are people in the Far Eastern Empire who are willing to learn, the Japanese government will not really help the Far Eastern Empire achieve transformation. It may even take the opportunity to add sand and corrode it and cultivate agents.

During the exchanges between East Africa and the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire also sent some students to study in East Africa.

These students also became important supporters of trade and cultural exchanges between East Africa and the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. After World War I, the relationship between the two countries ushered in new changes. At this time, East Africa had become an indisputable world power and a top imperialist country.

In addition, during World War I, East Africa's rapid expansion in the Persian Gulf region further exacerbated the rift between the two countries. Of course, the relationship between the two countries at the official level was not greatly affected.

However, after Kemal's government came to power, the new government became the biggest uncertainty in the relationship between the two countries, which was also what Friedrich was worried about.

In response to his concerns, Ernst said: "In fact, since the end of World War I, East Africa's international image has undergone a major change, especially in the Indian Ocean region. We East Africans have actually become one of the oppressors."

"After all, we expanded too quickly during World War I, especially in the Indian Ocean region, adding a large number of colonies. At the same time, our crude colonial methods aroused psychological fear in those countries."

It can be said that the expansion of East Africa in the Indian Ocean before and after World War I was far more terrifying and resisted than East Africa’s previous expansion on the African continent.

Because during the expansion phase of East Africa on the African continent, at least it did not kill all the black indigenous people. However, the expansion of East Africa around the Indian Ocean was extremely bloody. Any indigenous people who stayed there and did not flee were almost all killed by East Africa.

Moreover, East Africa's extreme treatment of pagans has caused panic in Arab countries, and the Ottoman Empire, as the leader of Arab countries today, will naturally be affected.

Ernst said: "You have to get used to this mentality slowly. After all, in international diplomacy, many countries that are unclear about their identity and position are afraid of power but not morality. If you communicate with them fairly and justly, or even respect them, they will look down on you."

"Look at the European colonial empires in modern times. They all did a lot of bad things, but it was easier for them to achieve their goals."

"So how our diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire develop depends on the attitude of the new Ottoman government towards East Africa. If they become enemies with us, this is not only not a bad thing, but a good thing."

"If they turn against us, we can take this opportunity to further expand our influence in the Middle East. However, based on my understanding, Kemal will probably not do that. He should be considered a more pragmatic Ottoman."

As he spoke later, Ernst's tone was filled with a hint of regret, as if he was hoping that the Ottoman Empire and East Africa would become enemies.

This is indeed the case. Because of the good relations between the Ottoman Empire and East Africa, East Africa was embarrassed to take action against the Ottoman Empire.

If the Ottoman Empire dared to provoke East Africa, East Africa would have an excuse to flex its muscles in the Red Sea, North Africa and the Persian Gulf regions and further expand its sphere of influence.

However, Ernst believed that Kemal, the new leader of the Ottoman Empire, would most likely not be so irrational. Ernst also had some understanding of Kemal in his previous life.

In his previous life, he was able to become the founding father of Turkey and pull Turkey back from the brink of death, which shows his superb abilities at this time. In particular, he was able to transform Turkey from a religious country into a secular country in the early 20th century, which was almost a subversive achievement in the entire Middle East.

Even based on Kemal's life experience in his previous life, Ernst believed that this new leader of the Ottoman Empire was very likely to lead the Ottoman Empire out of its decline. The Ottoman Empire itself was a regional power. If he could push the Ottoman Empire to complete reforms, even if not thorough, it would make the Ottoman Empire once again an important country in the world pattern.

So Ernst said to his son: "Perhaps this person will initiate a more thorough reform of the Ottoman Empire, so that the Ottoman Empire can regain its independence, get rid of its decline, and restore its glory."

The reason for emphasizing independence is that the Ottoman Empire, which was called the Sick Man of West Asia by the West, was in fact also a semi-colonial country.

The reason why Ernst believed that Kemal was able to free the Ottoman Empire from the predicament of a semi-colonial country was that in his previous life, Kemal dared to fight against the West.

In the previous world war, it was Kemal and his supporters who resolutely fought against other imperialist countries, thus ensuring the final dignity of the Ottoman Empire.

Otherwise, according to the Treaty of Sevres of the previous Allied Powers, Türkiye would have lost most of its core territory in the Anatolian Peninsula and would have been completely reduced to a small country with no chance of recovery.

It was Kemal's persistent resistance that prevented the Treaty of Sevres from taking effect and eventually abolished it.

Therefore, based on Kemal's character in his previous life, Ernst believed that the new leader of the Ottoman Empire would definitely find ways to take back all the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire in the future, such as Lebanon controlled by France and Kuwait influenced by Britain.

It is even possible that the Ottoman Empire will reclaim the land on the east coast of the Persian Gulf previously ceded to East Africa in the future.

To this end, Ernst said to Friedrich: "Next, we must speed up our military deployment in the new territories along the eastern coast of the Persian Gulf and thoroughly stabilize the situation there."

"For the entire eastern coast of the Persian Gulf, nearly 300,000 square kilometers of land, we will push for it to be completely incorporated into the empire's mainland management, and directly upgrade it to a province of the empire next year."

This meant that by 1927, there would be forty-five provinces in East Africa, up from a total of forty-four previously, plus the Congo Rainforest Reserve.

The complete incorporation of the eastern coast of the Persian Gulf into the East African province also represents East Africa's claim to ownership of the local area. Of course, this will also make other countries give up more easily.

Friedrich asked: "Father, how should this new province be named? Should it continue to be called the Beibu Gulf Territory?"

As for the name, Ernst thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it the North Gulf Province from now on! The Persian Gulf in East Africa will also be called the North Gulf, which will make it easier to distinguish it from Arab countries."

In the past, East Africa did not care about the name of the Persian Gulf. That was because East Africa did not attach enough importance to the Persian Gulf. After all, the Beibu Gulf territory was just a colony of East Africa.

Now, with the establishment of the North Gulf Province, it means that East Africa will officially incorporate its local territory into its core territory, and the so-called Persian Gulf has also become a bay of great significance to East Africa from the perspective of East Africa. This is just like some people in the United States in the past wanted to change the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf, and the Far East Empire wanted to change the Sea of ​​Japan to other names.

(End of this chapter)