African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1605 Psychological Gap
The Habsburgs are now unable to carry out colonial activities, which is largely due to East Africa. Before East Africa ruled Togolan, the local population was only around 700,000 to 800,000.

From 1914 until the mid-1920s, the indigenous people of Togoland were basically driven out of East Africa.

The process of East African rule over Togolan was far more civilized than that of East Africa in the 19th century, with no large-scale genocide. After all, Togolan was surrounded by British and French colonies, and the "purification" of Togolan could be easily achieved by driving the indigenous people into their territories.

This outcome is also related to the geographical characteristics of Togoland, which has a long and narrow shape and a small area, making eviction costs low.

The cost of sending away the indigenous people during the 19th-century colonial expansion in East Africa was too high, and it was also inappropriate to drive them inland, as that area was East Africa's intended future territory.

Therefore, in the colonial expansion activities of East Africa in the 19th century, the expulsion of indigenous people was mainly carried out in two ways: one was to sell them overseas, and the other was to forcibly exile them to West Africa.

Both of these methods involve migration routes that can easily reach thousands of kilometers, and both are quite costly.

Togoland is completely different. At its narrowest point, its territory is only about 50 kilometers wide. With just a little effort from the East African government, the local natives can easily escape to Hollande, Ghana, and Upper Volta.

The British and French colonies themselves were not opposed to, and even welcomed, this move in East Africa, because the three regions mentioned above all needed a large labor force.

Therefore, the disappearance of the Togolan natives was not due to East Africa wiping them out, but rather because they fled to the surrounding British and French colonies.

……

"Crown Prince Karl and His Excellency Archduke Ferdinand, welcome to Togoland."

At the docks of Lomé Port, the two were personally received by Governor-General Yotal, the highest-ranking administrative official in East Africa stationed in Togolan.

Crown Prince Karl and Archduke Franz Ferdinand also greeted the Governor of Götal, for the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom would inevitably have to deal with this powerful governor of East Africa in the future.

“Your safety will now be the responsibility of our military personnel. Of course, I wonder if either of you is feeling unwell?” Governor Yotar asked.

Togoland is a tropical region, and Lomé is even more humid and hot due to its proximity to the sea. Therefore, people from non-tropical areas are prone to experiencing acclimatization problems when they come here.

Governor Jotal dared not allow these two core members of the Habsburg royal family to run into trouble in Lomé.

Crown Prince Karl said, “Thank you for your concern, Governor Yotar. However, we have been in East Africa for some time and have already made some progress in overcoming the discomfort caused by the climate.”

The climate of East Africa and Togoland is not much different; both are tropical savanna. Therefore, if one can adapt to the local climate, there will be no problem in most of the overseas colonies in East Africa.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was even more straightforward than Crown Prince Charles, stating, "Since arriving in East Africa, I have not experienced any problems adjusting to the local environment."

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was in better physical condition than Crown Prince Karl, due to his military experience, which made him quite robust.

However, he has not experienced any acclimatization problems since arriving in East Africa, probably because he traveled a lot during his time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially frequently traveling with the army and enduring harsh conditions, which made him more resilient.

Hearing that neither of them was feeling unwell, Governor Yotar breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. It's easy to have serious problems if you don't adapt to the local environment in Africa, especially in West Africa."

"West Africa itself has extremely poor medical standards. Sometimes, even small problems, if not treated in time, can take away fragile lives."

"The two of you will now travel to your respective territories. Please pay close attention to hygiene and environmental issues. If you fall ill, it is best to come to Lomé immediately. It has the best hospital in all of Togoland, and even in all of West Africa."

"However, it is best to stay healthy. We have a book called 'Hygiene and Epidemic Prevention Guide' in East Africa. This book is the result of decades of experience accumulated by the Empire and is most suitable for most parts of Africa regarding hygiene and epidemic prevention."

"Once we arrive at the Governor's Mansion, I can personally deliver two copies to you. I believe they will be of great help in building your own territory."

Although the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom were ready to be established, these two places were more like territories than nations, which is why Governor Götal said that.

At least until the framework between the two countries is established, they can begin to take shape as a nation. As for now, the monarchs of the two countries have not even arrived at their fiefdoms, so they are certainly not in a position to become an independent nation.

In the following year, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria would not appear on the list of countries, but would continue to develop under the name of the northern territory of Togoland in East Africa.

This is primarily for the purpose of safeguarding the security of both countries, as they currently lack the capacity for independent development.

Crown Prince Karl expressed his gratitude to Governor Yotal once again, and then asked, "Governor Yotal, Ferdinand and I will be heading to our respective territories next. Could you tell us the details?"

Governor Yotal naturally wouldn't refuse his request: "Crown Prince Karl, for your future development in the territory, I suggest that you directly replicate our Togolan governance model."

"After so many years of development, Togoland has accumulated a lot of experience and lessons, and has made many adjustments to its industries to adapt to local conditions."

“Natitlingu, where Crown Prince Karl is going, is not bad. The area is not badly developed and its infrastructure is relatively complete. Therefore, when Crown Prince Karl arrives in Natitlingu, he can directly continue many of the policies and institutions left over from East Africa.”

"However, Archduke Franz Ferdinand's destination, Dapang, has a much weaker foundation, with a population of less than a thousand and an unclear industry. If any problems arise later, you can contact us directly."

"Both Dapon and Natitingu have telegraph and telephone lines that connect directly to Lomé, so communication is quite convenient."

“After you arrive in the colony, you should prioritize developing a major cash crop and food crop. I suggest cotton as the cash crop. Cotton cultivation has already been promoted to some extent in Nattigingu, so it will be easier to develop cotton cultivation.”

"The situation in Dapon is similar. Of course, the choice of food crops should be more diversified. After all, Togoland is not as blessed with favorable weather as Europe and is easily affected by natural disasters. Therefore, to ensure food security, we cannot put all our eggs in one basket."

"You can prioritize corn and millet, two drought-resistant crops. Corn is easy to grow in Togolan and has a high yield, while millet can adapt to extreme climate changes and is not prone to crop failure. It can be a life-saving food in critical times."

Millet, or foxtail millet, has been a popular crop in East Africa since its early days. This crop is drought-resistant and can thrive in poor soil. In the early days when water infrastructure in East Africa was underdeveloped or even nonexistent, millet became one of the most suitable food crops.

Of course, with the continuous progress of agriculture and social development in East Africa, wheat and rice have become the most important food crops in East Africa. Governor-General Gyotal specifically reminded: "Another point is that although corn has a high yield, it also absorbs a lot of nutrients and is easy to damage the soil, so it is best to rotate it with crops such as beans."

As the governor of a relatively backward colony, Yottal was very knowledgeable about many issues and measures regarding the development of the land.

After all, Togoland's development situation was similar to that of East Africa in the 1970s and 80s. Therefore, the Governor of Yotal had a deep understanding of many details of managing Togoland. However, Togoland had the support of the East African mainland, while East Africa had to explore and learn through trial and error. So Togoland's development was definitely much faster than that of the East African mainland back then.

However, this mainly refers to the field of agricultural development, where Togo has readily available local experience, technology, and talent to utilize.

In terms of industrial development, Togoland has virtually no chance of catching up with or surpassing the rest of the continent, and East Africa itself does not need Togoland to develop its industry.

Therefore, unless Togoland becomes independent, its industries will never be able to shift their focus to manufacturing.

For Togoland now, even focusing on developing agriculture is enough, given its small population and the considerable profits from agricultural development.

Crown Prince Karl and Archduke Ferdinand listened attentively to Governor Yotal's advice and constantly asked questions on various issues. With Governor Yotal's help, the two gained a clearer idea of ​​how to develop their territory.

Subsequently, Crown Prince Karl and Archduke Franz Ferdinand stayed in Lomé for about a month. The reason for this long stay was that they had many things to deal with in Lomé.

Its main responsibility was to coordinate and allocate resources from the Habsburg royal family, from East Africa to Lomé, and finally to their territories.

The army in Togolan, East Africa, is responsible for assisting them in transporting various supplies and personnel to their destinations.

In addition, for the safety of the two, the Togolan colony in East Africa also dispatched a company of soldiers to Dapon and Natitingu temporarily.

A company of soldiers is not many, but it is enough to ensure the safety of the two men. After all, the garrison of the neighboring Kingdom of Dahomey in France is only about a thousand men, and they are responsible for the security of the entire Dahomey region. Not to mention, they would not cross the border and enter East African territory to provoke us.

As for the indigenous forces, those who were short-sighted have long been wiped out by East Africa. Now, the indigenous people around Togoland all know that East Africa is not an entity they can mess with.

Therefore, the greatest threat to the safety of Crown Prince Karl and Archduke Ferdinand was not even people, but wild beasts on the road.

……

Dapang Town.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, escorted by the Togolan garrison, finally arrived in Dapon.

“Your Excellency, we have arrived. This is Dapang,” said Alte, the platoon leader of the Togolan garrison in East Africa, as he opened the car door for Archduke Ferdinand.

Even though he already knew that Dapon was a remote and backward town, it was only after witnessing the scene before him that Archduke Ferdinand understood how difficult his future work would be.

With a wry smile, he said to Art, "Mr. Art, I now understand how difficult the conditions were for Russia to develop Siberia back then. No wonder Tsarist Russia liked to exile prisoners there! I estimate that most of Siberia, like Dapeng Town, is practically a natural prison."

Platoon Leader Alt understood Archduke Ferdinand's feelings very well. He said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, when I joined the army and was assigned to Togolan, I felt much the same way you did when I arrived here."

"Although my ancestors told me how difficult things were in East Africa back then, when I was born, East Africa was already quite prosperous. In the more than ten years that followed, East Africa changed every year and became one of the most developed and prosperous countries in the world."

"Therefore, although I often heard my father and grandfather say that East Africa used to be very backward and desolate, I did not experience it firsthand and it was hard for me to understand."

“When I came to Togolan, I immediately understood what my ancestors had experienced. When I came to Togolan to serve, Lomé was still underdeveloped. At that time, Lomé was less than one-tenth the size it is now, just a town of more than four thousand people.”

"Apart from Lome, it would be no exaggeration to describe the area as uncivilized; in many places, the conditions are even worse than in Dapang Town."

"Even now, there are still many areas, especially small villages, that are not as developed as Dapang."

Dapang is, after all, a regional center, so it is one of the best-developed towns in northern Togolan.

Archduke Ferdinand said, "It's more like I'm here to be a village chief than a king. However, the development in Togolan in East Africa is quite good. The roads are even better than in some parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Togoland has a limited number of well-constructed roads, but the quality is quite good. Archduke Ferdinand did not experience much of a bumpy ride on his journey.

As for comparison with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the roads in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were certainly not of too bad quality. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had uneven economic development and a large area. In some of the less developed areas, the roads were indeed not as good as the highways built in Togo.

After all, before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire could only be considered a semi-industrialized country, and its level of industrialization was even surpassed by the Soviet Union.

From the fall of Tsarist Russia until the completion of the First Five-Year Plan, the Soviet Union achieved remarkable progress in infrastructure development, with a development speed far exceeding that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Platoon Leader Alte was equally proud of East Africa's infrastructure capabilities, saying, "East Africa's ability to become the world's leading industrial power is largely due to its emphasis on transportation development. It was the construction of roads, railways, and other transportation infrastructure in the 19th century that paved the way for the rapid economic development of the empire in the 20th century."

"Although Togoland was just a colony of the empire, it inherited the characteristics of the mainland in terms of development. To put it bluntly, Togoland was very backward compared to the mainland, but in West Africa, it was one of the most modern places in the entire region."

Togoland's level of development in West Africa is probably only comparable to that of the Kingdom of South Germany and the coastal towns that Britain and France focused on developing.

The Kingdom of South Germany is the undisputed largest country in West Africa, so it is not surprising that its level of development ranks first in the entire West Africa.

The colonies of countries like Britain and France were primarily used to support their homelands, lacking development capabilities. Furthermore, the large number and vast area of ​​their colonies made it difficult to concentrate development in any one location.

As the only East African colony in West Africa, Togoland was able to enjoy more local resources, which is the main reason why its development was faster than most other places in the region.

(End of this chapter)