African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1560 West African Market
South America is a hotbed of extreme nationalism, which is likely to occur due to the overall immigration structure of the region. After all, most South American countries were once Spanish and Portuguese colonies, and German and Italian immigrants make up a large proportion of these countries.

South America's economy has never been particularly strong. Argentina was once a standout performer, but now even Argentina's economy has collapsed, not to mention the other South American countries. Therefore, the overall economic situation in South America has provided fertile ground for the development of extreme nationalism.

Not to mention the underdeveloped countries in South America, other regions of the world have also been affected by the wave of extreme nationalism in Europe, including East Africa.

Despite Adolf's long-standing disdain for the "mixed-blooded" East Africans, his government has put considerable effort into East Africa.

Germany attempted to foster extreme nationalist forces in East Africa, thereby binding the region to its war machine. Therefore, just as it had with the Soviet Union, Germany maintained strict vigilance against German infiltration in East Africa.

……

Time came to 1934.

The world has not been peaceful in the past year, but it has been relatively stable overall, with no major wars breaking out. However, the contradictions in the international community have been accumulating.

There are three major conflict sites in the world. The first is the turmoil in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Central and Southern Europe. Behind the turmoil in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, many countries such as Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy were involved.

Then there was the conflict between East Asia, the Far Eastern Empire and Japan, which also involved the game between the United States and Britain. During this period, Britain's attitude toward Japan changed, and it recognized that Japan had become the main threat to its East Asian interests. At the same time, relations between the United States and Japan began to deteriorate.

Finally, in South America, the competition between East Africa and the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom is even more intense. Apart from Antarctica and Oceania, there is almost no pristine land in the world.

Against this international backdrop, at the beginning of 1934, the East African government began discussions on how to deal with the chaotic situation in the world.

Rhine City.

East African Defense Minister Schwager first introduced the overall world situation: "Since the Great Depression that broke out at the end of 1929, three forces have been rapidly rising in the international community, which has become the main root cause of the current world chaos."

"These three forces are: the Labour Party, represented by the Soviet Union, which has grown and expanded around the world; the extreme nationalist forces, exemplified by Germany, which have rapidly expanded around the world; and the anti-colonial consciousness of the colonies and semi-colonies, represented by the Far Eastern Empire, India, and Latin America, which has rapidly awakened."

"These three forces, or rather, the combined influence of social ideologies, are also impacting the international social order that Britain and France have dominated since the 19th century."

"It can be said that the life of the old international order has entered its countdown phase."

"The world colonial system began to collapse, an anti-democratic wave emerged in the international community, the Soviet Union, Germany and various military governments and dictators emerged more often, the world market was fragmented, and countries launched a new round of arms race, etc."

The collapse of the global colonial system was an inevitable trend, and the outbreak of the Great Depression of 1929 accelerated this process.

As the economic crisis erupted and continued, the world's major industrial powers, or rather, the great powers, accelerated the transfer of the crisis abroad and plundered the wealth of colonies, semi-colonies, and underdeveloped regions, causing immense suffering to the people of the Third World.

As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance. Therefore, it is not surprising that anti-colonial movements have sprung up all over the world under such economic circumstances, and the consciousness of independence has become even stronger.

The "democracy" that Schwager refers to as the anti-democratic wave is worth examining, since if it were true democracy, this situation should not have occurred.

This actually refers more to the “democratic” political model established under the leadership of Britain and France, or in other words, the “democratic trick” has come to an end.

Since the 19th century, Britain and France have been the world's "beacons of civilization." Their political systems have spread widely throughout the world as a result of their hegemony, and other countries have been eager to learn from them.

However, as time progressed into the 20th century, the political systems and cultural and ideological dissemination of Britain and France became increasingly unsustainable. After the economic crisis of 1929, the rise of the Labour Party and extreme nationalist parties further exacerbated their predicament.

The democracies in Britain, France, and Germany are economic oligarchies, democracy of capital. Internally, wealth flows unrestricted to the upper classes, while the lives of the lower classes are not changed or benefited by industrialization. Even compared to the people of those colonized and enslaved countries, the coal and textile workers in Britain are not much better off.

Within the British and French colonies, the lives of the lower classes only became more miserable. However, no matter how much the British and French squeezed, they couldn't squeeze a single drop of oil out of them. Perhaps this description is more accurate. The British and French citizens could at least keep a pair of underwear, but the lower classes in the colonies didn't even have a pair of underwear. But having an extra pair of underwear, in this cannibalistic era, actually didn't change anything.

At the same time, due to the adoption of the British and French political systems, the governments of other backward countries and regions are almost entirely composed of representatives of the interests of the two countries, that is, compradors. When such people rule a country, it will only accelerate the loss of its own wealth and allow it to be leeched by Britain and France.

Therefore, by the beginning of the 20th century, people in colonies and semi-colonies had realized that the so-called "democratic system" of Britain and France had not brought any beneficial changes to their lives, but instead made them more miserable.

Given this situation, it's better to abandon this so-called "democracy." As a result, some people turn to the Labour Party, while others turn to extreme nationalist parties, or even military governments or dictators.

The Soviet Union and Germany are obvious examples, and the world's largest democracy, the United States, was undoubtedly led by President Roosevelt, who was also a "dictator."

Of course, the claim that the world's largest democracy was made in the early 20th century was controversial. For example, some people believed that the Far Eastern Empire was the largest democracy, but many more people considered the Nanjing government to be a "dictatorial government."

Furthermore, the Soviet Union also had its own ideas. They believed that the Soviet Union was the only "democratic country" in the world, while the European and American countries were "fake democracies." In this way, the Soviet Union would become the world's largest democracy.

Of course, that's what the Soviets thought, but the international community didn't see it that way. Their leader was a "universally recognized" dictator, and even some Tsarist elements admired him because of his harsh methods, lamenting how wonderful it would have been if Joseph had been the Tsar of Russia!

In conclusion, after the outbreak of the global economic crisis in 1929, people around the world underwent a dramatic change in their thinking. Compared to the "democratic system" of the past, they were more willing to believe in "strongman politics" and hoped that someone would lead them to change the status quo.

The most typical example is Germany. Almost all Germans knew that after Adolf came to power, he would inevitably become a "dictator," a "tyrant," and might even lead Germany to war. However, most Germans still voted for him.

Adolf effectively became a dictator elected by the German people and ultimately brought to power legitimately with the support of other interest groups in Germany. This reflects the current "anti-democratic wave," and if this is the case in Europe and America, it goes without saying that it is even more pronounced in other countries and regions around the world.

Of course, these changes are not too difficult to accept for East Africa, which is relatively politically stable.

The fragmentation of the world market and the new round of global military competition are causing concern for East African governments. As the world's largest industrial nation, a complete world market would naturally be beneficial to East Africa.

Now, due to the economic crisis, major world powers, represented by the United States, have raised and strengthened tariff barriers, and Britain and France have even decoupled their colonies from the world economy, all of which have damaged the interests of East Africa.

The countries least willing to see the fragmentation of the world market are East Africa and Germany. East Africa is the world's largest industrial country, while Germany is heavily reliant on international markets.

Defense Secretary Schwager said: "The fragmentation of the world market has had a huge impact on the Imperial economy. Although we have been actively developing new markets in recent years, we cannot completely solve the problem. Therefore, the Empire should further plan for more regions, especially the British and French colonies."

"Among them, we believe that in Africa, East Africa should redistribute the continent's resources and markets, after all, Africa is East Africa's Africa, the foundation of the empire."

"The Empire should accelerate its penetration and expansion of influence into North and West Africa, build a large African market with the Empire at its core, and integrate the resources of the entire Africa through railways and highways."

“North Africa and West Africa are right in front of East Africa. If we are tied to the East African economy, it will be difficult to break free from the control of the empire, and unlike the European market, it is not uncertain.”

"At the same time, by integrating the African market, the Empire can use North Africa as a springboard to strengthen our influence over the European economy."

Schwager's remarks were met with opposition. East African Foreign Minister Alfred stated, "North Africa and West Africa are almost entirely dominated by British, French, and German forces. I do not recommend taking overly aggressive actions in these regions."

"In this way, we could have a direct conflict with Britain and France. Although the Empire was confident of defeating them, this could lead to the direct collapse of the world order, benefiting the United States, Germany, and the Soviet Union."

Schwager said, "I understand Minister Alfred's concerns, but they are somewhat unfounded. Britain and France simply cannot concentrate their efforts on confronting us right now."

"They were tied down in Europe by Germany and the Soviet Union, especially France. Their biggest enemy has always been Germany. Compared to the loss of their country, the damage to some interests in their African colonies was obviously not worth mentioning."

“Adolf is an ambitious man, and the French are well aware of this. Therefore, we can use this to force France to make concessions to us.”

"Britain was also threatened by Germany. Although the German navy was restricted by the treaty, so was Britain. Moreover, Britain's naval power was dispersed. They had to take care of both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean at the same time. Britain had nothing but the navy."

For the East African military, Britain's military strength is no longer sufficient. Although the British Navy is still the world's largest, if war breaks out, East Africa's production capacity will explode and quickly surpass Britain's.

This was especially true after the emergence of air forces. The London Treaty restricted the development of navies in various countries, but air forces were clearly not included. Air forces are capable of taking the initiative and posing a threat to naval forces.

Of course, air forces around the world have also developed rapidly in recent years, and East Africa is not the only one to stand out. However, due to East Africa's large size, efficient administrative methods, and overall stable economy, East Africa has more funds and energy to invest in naval development.

One of the most significant contributions of the air force to East Africa is the improvement of security in the East African waters. East Africa's coastline lacks natural barriers, and the coastal waters are under great pressure. In the past, relying solely on the navy inevitably meant that some areas could not be adequately covered.

For example, during the South African War, East Africa had to guard against attacks from British naval forces from four directions: India, the Red Sea, South Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. At that time, if the British Navy had focused all its efforts on dealing with East Africa, the coastal waters of East Africa would have suffered significant damage.

At that time, the East African Army could only passively cooperate with the Navy to maintain the security of the East African coast and could not take the initiative to attack. The emergence of the Air Force ended this situation.

The East African Air Force, through high-altitude patrols and with the help of radar, sonar and other technologies, can conduct early detection of threats beyond the East African coast and even launch direct attacks when necessary.

For example, the British military base in Seychelles. In the past, it was difficult for East Africa to detect any unusual activity at the British military base in Seychelles. Now, Seychelles is directly under the close surveillance of East Africa.

Schwager said, "The era of Britain and France is long gone. In Europe today, Germany and the Soviet Union have greater influence and are determining the future of Europe."

"But Britain and France's core interests are in Europe, and they cannot break away from Europe; doing so would only hasten their decline."

"Therefore, when we make some big moves in Africa, Britain and France can only turn a blind eye. The initiative is in the hands of East Africa, and they are more afraid of antagonizing the empire."

"Because of transportation issues, we can gradually expand our presence in North Africa. West Africa, on the other hand, is a huge market. Although its purchasing power is low, it can greatly alleviate the export problems of the Empire's industry."

"Its resource advantages surpass those of the market. Acquiring resources in West Africa will further reduce our industrial development costs, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the East African economy."

In 1934, West Africa had a population of about 40 to 50 million. This population size has not changed much in terms of strength over the years, but even a low-end consumer market of 40 million people is quite attractive.

Schwager said, "We can accelerate the construction of transportation in West Africa through the Kingdom of South Germany, thereby strengthening our control over the West African market on land. Combined with sea routes, West Africa will become one of the Empire's most stable overseas markets in the future. Its security is even above that of the Southeast Asian and South American markets."

East Africa's expansion into Southeast Asia and South America was separated by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, while the West African market was actually adjacent to the East African market, but its trade volume was relatively limited due to transportation and political constraints.

Once these two issues are resolved, there will naturally be no more obstacles for East Africa to integrate the West African market into its economic cycle.

(End of this chapter)