African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1604 Arrival in Lome
Blatter's boldness stemmed from the fact that the upward mobility in East Africa had tightened, especially after the economic transformation that began in the late 1920s. Even if one were to start a business, the probability of success had become much smaller. Therefore, rather than continuing to drift along in the corners of the colony, it was better to participate in the Habsburg dynasty's re-establishment process.

With this in mind, when faced with the solution offered by his superiors, he did not hesitate to choose to stay and wait for the Habsburg royal family to take over Dapang.

Mayor Blatter was not worried at all about competing with other residents of the town, since he was someone the Habsburg family could win over, regardless of his education, knowledge, or ability.

He didn't mind telling the other residents the news and explaining the intricacies to them.

Mayor Bratt, with a tone of admonition, said to the town's residents: "Don't ignore my words. Besides striving to improve yourselves and seizing opportunities, here's another piece of advice for you."

"That means we must focus on nurturing our next generation, encouraging them to study hard and acquire knowledge and culture. Principal Covance, don't you agree?"

Principal Covance was a recognized intellectual in the town, aside from Mayor Blatt and a dozen other civil servants.

Of course, this so-called principal was actually just him, the only person in the entire school. He also taught German and mathematics, and was generally well-respected.

Covens adjusted his glasses and said to those around him, "The mayor is right. Now that Dapon has become part of the new Austrian Kingdom, it is indeed a rare opportunity for all of us."

"Having cultural knowledge is useful no matter where you are. Even when joining the military, the higher your education level, the greater your opportunities."

"Take the Empire's regular army for example. At the very least, they need a high school education. It's just that our Dapang Town is too backward and not part of the mainland, so they lowered the standards."

"Therefore, being able to better master German and other knowledge will benefit everyone's future. If you are valued by the Habsburg royal family, it is not impossible for you to soar to great heights in the future!"

With Covance's personal testimony, the townspeople generally believed that the mayor's words were true.

Mayor Blatter continued, "Although the Habsburgs may face many difficulties in the early stages of establishing a new state, I am still very optimistic about the future development of the new Austrian Kingdom."

"After all, the fact that the Empire allowed the Habsburgs to take over our area is itself a statement of attitude, demonstrating the support of the higher-ups for the Habsburgs."

East Africa's support for the Habsburg dynasty was clearly the reason why Blatter and others chose to stay. After all, they weren't stupid; if the new Austria couldn't even guarantee its own safety, they would have fled back home long ago.

With East Africa as a backing, at least Dapon, the future capital of the new Austria, will certainly not be threatened by war.

Moreover, many people like Blatt are aiming for civilian positions rather than joining the military.

……

The capital of the New Austrian Kingdom was confirmed to be Dapon, and similarly, the capital of the Habsburg Monarchy can be basically confirmed to be Nattigingu in northeastern Togoland.

The so-called Natitingu is the former city of Natitingu in northwestern Benin (Dahomey), which is also the capital of the Atacora Department of Benin.

As for why this town was controlled by East Africa, it's easy to understand. It's simply because Natitingu is too close to East Africa, so during East Africa's colonial expansion in Togoland, they incorporated this land into their Togoland colony.

When Togoland was a German colony, it had fought with France for Natitlingo. However, the French, whether for practical interests or because of their hatred of Germany, could not tolerate Germany occupying this important transportation hub and military fortress.

East Africa is clearly different. France generally tends to adopt a policy of concessions when dealing with East Africa regarding West African issues.

This is unavoidable. France is no longer the country that consistently held the position of the world's second strongest power in the 19th century and earlier. Moreover, East Africa is not only powerful enough to make France despair, but it is also an African country in itself.

If France were to break ties with East Africa over the issue of West African colonization, it would have no chance of winning and might even suffer a double loss, as well as a loss of international face.

Therefore, the French government wisely chose to remain silent about some of the "illegal" activities in its Togoland colony in East Africa.

Natitingu and the surrounding area, these lands that once belonged to Benin, became the former territory of East Africa, and now form the foundation of the Habsburg monarchy.

Although both Natitine and Dapang are important towns in northern Togoland and are regional administrative centers, the two towns are not comparable at all.

Natitine is a town in the true sense of the word, not a small village like Dapang that is nominally a town.

By 1935, Natitingu had a population of over 2,300, making it the largest town in northern Togoland, with a population nearly four times that of Dapon.

At the same time, Nattingu's economy is much stronger than that of Dapang.

Although agricultural development in Natitingu and the surrounding area is relatively low, it is still better than in the town of Dapang, where cotton, peanuts and other cash crops are already being cultivated on a rudimentary scale.

In other words, Nattitingu was ahead of Dapon in the agricultural field. Of course, Nattitingu's main advantage lay in its geographical location. It was originally a center where surrounding powers converged, so trade was more prosperous.

Another driving factor was Togolan's military presence in Natitingu, where troops were stationed, which stimulated local trade.

Without the factors of trade and military, theoretically, Dapon should have been able to surpass Natitlingu, because Dapon's agricultural development conditions were actually superior, with advantages in both soil fertility and water resources.

1935 11 Month 6 Day.

Port Lomé.

Crown Prince Karl and Archduke Franz Ferdinand's East African cargo ship docked here, and the two showed great interest in the unfamiliar place of Togoland.

“This is Lomé, the port of Togolan. It’s developed quite well!” Crown Prince Karl exclaimed from the deck. Archduke Ferdinand said, “Lomé is the most important strategic foothold for East Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. Therefore, they certainly don’t skimp on resources when developing it. Plus, it’s the capital of Togolan, so its development is already comparable to some small cities in East Africa.”

"Even compared to many cities in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Lomé was considered a relatively well-off place economically. However, the scenery in Lomé was indeed very pleasant, giving people a refreshing feeling."

Lomé's scenery is truly outstanding, especially the view of the Atlantic Ocean from the land, where the sky and sea meet at the horizon, creating a magnificent vista. The straight coastline, pristine beaches, and East African-style urban planning blend harmoniously together.

Crown Prince Karl said, "The urban planning in East Africa is unique in the world, and Lomé is similar to Luanda in terms of urban layout, but the city is much smaller than a large city like Luanda."

"If we can build cities like Lome on our territory in the future, that would be great."

Archduke Ferdinand wasn't particularly interested in city construction. He told Karl, "We've come to Togolan not for sightseeing, but to restore our family's glory. Lome is indeed beautiful, but once we get to our territory, we'd better spend our money wisely."

"I plan to prioritize the development of Dapon, the town I'm going to this time, into a military fortress. As for urban development, we'll consider that after we've firmly established ourselves in northern Togoland."

“The military pressure on Dapon is still considerable. Looking at the map, it is bordered by French colonies to the north and British colonies to the west. If the new Austria wants to establish itself there, it must first solve the security problem.”

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was originally active in the military in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so he was more inclined to pragmatism and focused on military development.

Crown Prince Karl largely agreed with his views, but also had some unique insights of his own: "Militarily, as long as we do not take the initiative to strike or provoke powers such as Britain and France, our security can be guaranteed by East Africa."

"I also have some understanding of the place we are going to. Right now, the most important thing is to develop the population as soon as possible. Therefore, more work should be done in the field of agricultural development."

"After all, immigrants also need to eat. Without sufficient agricultural support, it is not feasible for us to increase the population of our territory on a large scale."

Archduke Franz Ferdinand also felt somewhat powerless regarding the most crucial issue of population. He said, "The total population of the area in East Africa that was allocated to us is only a little over 10,000. Divided among our two territories, each family has only a few thousand people."

"The extreme shortage of manpower is our biggest problem. Only with a sufficient population can we do other things."

"Karl, do you have any unique insights on this?" Archduke Ferdinand asked proactively. He didn't have as much experience in administrative work as Crown Prince Karl, after all, Crown Prince Karl had participated in a lot of political work in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was involved in the governance of the entire vast empire.

Crown Prince Karl said, "Prioritizing agriculture is the best approach. We should first establish a framework for farmland development and then invest our funds in purchasing agricultural equipment."

“Otherwise, relying solely on manpower and animal power will be far too slow. In terms of manpower, the population of our two territories is too small, and even if we use slaves, it will be difficult to make up for the shortfall. As for animal power, it is not cost-effective unless we focus on developing animal husbandry.”

"Therefore, we should prioritize agricultural equipment, which can not only speed up our reclamation work but also accelerate the construction of projects on our territory, such as the transportation of building materials and water conservancy projects. Agricultural machinery such as tractors can also be used to complete these tasks."

"The most crucial point is that our two territories are vast and sparsely populated, making the use of agricultural machinery the most efficient method for early-stage development. We can develop the land first, and then develop small-scale farming to accelerate the natural growth of the population."

"It would be best to increase the population of each of our territories to over 10,000 first, as this would be more beneficial for our next actions."

"If the population can exceed 50,000 in a relatively short period of time, then we will be able to truly establish a foothold in West Africa."

Fifty thousand people may not seem like much, but if the populations of the new Austrian Kingdom and the Habsburg Monarchy could reach this level, both countries would meet the minimum requirements for external expansion.

The areas surrounding them that they could expand into were not particularly strong to begin with; the British and French colonies could be maintained with just a few hundred people. Therefore, as long as they could withstand the counterattacks from Britain and France, dealing with those African black forces would be a piece of cake.

Crown Prince Karl said, "In short, we will definitely encounter all sorts of problems in the early stages of colony development, after all, we lack experience and manpower."

"Given the extreme scarcity of human resources, our economic development must also adopt a conservative approach, focusing primarily on agriculture, while industry can be postponed, since we can obtain industrial goods and even weapons from East Africa."

"After establishing the agricultural framework, we can then focus on developing the military. Only when the population and territory reach a certain level can we, like the Kingdom of South Germany, consider more aspects and achieve comprehensive development."

Crown Prince Karl saw things very clearly: for the current Habsburg Monarchy and the new Kingdom of Austria, it was not advisable to attempt any leapfrog economic development. After all, industrial development required a very high level of personnel, and the quality of the people in their territory certainly did not meet the minimum standards for industrial development.

Agricultural development, on the other hand, has a much higher tolerance for error. Even if problems arise, the Habsburg royal family's resources can support them in making mistakes.

Not to mention that East Africa has already promised to help them in the field of agricultural development by providing talent, technology, and support in areas such as seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Therefore, Crown Prince Karl emphasized to Archduke Ferdinand: "After you go to the new Austria, even if you want to place military development in an important position, you should not invest too much. Just make sure you are safe. Of course, if you want to develop the slave economy, you can appropriately expand the army."

A slave economy inevitably requires military force to ensure its control and suppression, preventing any unforeseen events. Of course, after Crown Prince Karl made these remarks, the Black people of West Africa may soon face a calamity.

However, the Habsburg dynasty had no better option than the slave economy, since they could not solve the most important problem of labor shortage in the short term.

The development experiences of East Africa and the Kingdom of South Germany demonstrate the crucial role of slave economy in early economic development, enabling the faster accumulation of primitive capital.

Of course, it would be much more difficult for the Habsburgs to do this than for the Kingdom of South Germany and East Africa, because their methods of acquiring slaves were much more difficult. The surrounding powers had long been divided up by Britain and France, and the northern and surrounding areas of Togoland were sparsely populated. Even finding a single person to personally capture slaves would be a big problem.

This is also why Crown Prince Karl previously said that priority should be given to purchasing agricultural machinery, especially tractors. It's not that the Habsburgs wanted to develop a slave economy, but rather that they might not even be able to find enough black people. Therefore, it was best not to focus too much energy on this aspect.

Crown Prince Karl once again reminded us: "Don't expect to develop the colonies through slavery. In the end, we will rely on immigrants. The immigrants' families will cooperate with us. What we need to do is provide immigrants with places to live and land to cultivate."

(End of this chapter)