I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 707 On the verge of breaking out

Having dual citizenship is certainly an extra talisman, but losing one citizenship is not enough to make one unable to survive.

It is indeed dangerous for some people with dirty butts.

The "evil wind" in Constantinople continues to blow.

After the Paris Peace Conference, young Nicholas did not return to Constantinople immediately, but went to the Kingdom of Montenegro to visit relatives with his wife Anastasia.

At the Paris Peace Conference, the Kingdom of Montenegro finally got the long-desired access to the sea. Nicholas I was very happy and received little Nicholas with the same standard as he would receive the Tsar.

When the news of Russia's abolition of dual citizenship reached Cetinje, little Nikolai and Anastasia had different opinions.

Anastasia is a Montenegrin princess. If she gives up her Montenegrin citizenship and only retains her Russian citizenship, she will lose her princess status.

"Why would George do this?"

Anastasia was very angry. Russia's abolition of dual citizenship would have the greatest impact on members of the royal family like her.

Members of the royal family had privileges, and even if they lost the privileges of the Russian Empire, they still had the privileges of the Kingdom of Montenegro.

Apart from anything else, if Anastasia travels to the UK as a Montenegrin princess, the British government will have to receive Anastasia according to the standards for receiving members of the royal family.

"Whatever George does, he must have a compelling reason."

Little Nicholas's protection of George is also comprehensive.

After returning to Constantinople, little Nicholas might go to George's house and have a quarrel with George over the cancellation of dual citizenship.

But once he left George's house, little Nicholas had to stick to Russia's side.

Even couples are not allowed.

This is the idea that old Nicholas instilled in young Nicholas since he was a child.

"Well, I'll have to see if George will let Sasha keep his Russian citizenship."

Anastasia wants George to practice what he preaches.

Montenegrin Nikola shook his head speechlessly.

My daughter is indeed a little naive.

Before Polis went to Bulgaria to become king, he was not a Bulgarian.

If the Grand Duchy of Yuriev needs a king, it can just invite Alexander or Alexandra.

George himself may choose not to ascend the throne, but he cannot stop his son from becoming king, or his daughter from becoming queen.

“I plan to follow the example of the United Kingdom and implement a constitutional monarchy in the Kingdom of Montenegro.”

Montenegrin Nikola follows public opinion.

That's right, decentralizing power to parliament is the best way to divert conflicts.

No matter what happens in the UK, the British people always blame the Prime Minister, and the King is not blamed.

Only when the conflict is irreconcilable will the king punish the prime minister to thank the world, and then replace him with another prime minister to continue to be the scapegoat and stand in the front to attract fire.

When the British nobles saw this, they thought, if your king can do this, so can we.

So in addition to the House of Lords composed of aristocrats, Britain also had a House of Commons composed mainly of the bourgeoisie.

Let’s not talk about whether the parliament is efficient or not.

By doing this, Britain at least preserved the hereditary privileges of the king and the nobility.

Montenegrin Nikola was already a step too late.

The Kingdom of Bulgaria has implemented a constitutional monarchy since last year.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Bulgaria's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Croatia and Slovenia, was not Polis's responsibility at all, but rather the result of Prime Minister Stambolijski being too greedy.

Polis took advantage of the constitutional monarchy to its fullest extent.

After the Bulgarian Kingdom annexed the above-mentioned areas, it announced a series of assimilation policies, among which the most intense resistance from the locals was that they had to convert to Orthodoxy.

The situation in the Balkans is complicated largely because each ethnic group has its own language and different living habits.

During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there were no strict requirements on the beliefs of the various places under its jurisdiction, and people were free to believe in whatever they wanted.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire could not do anything about it, as the dual system determined the fragmented state of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Kingdom of Bulgaria confirmed Eastern Orthodoxy as the only religion. Those who could not accept it could leave. There was not even barbed wire on the border and people could come and go freely.

If you don't leave and don't want to change your beliefs, then go to prison and reflect on yourself.

Stamboliski was catching people in the front, while Boris and Queen Elizabeth were comforting them in the back. Today Boris gave candies to the children, tomorrow Elizabeth brought two barrels of oil and a bag of noodles to visit the elderly and widows, and the day after tomorrow she saw that the local people were living in such a difficult situation that she simply exempted this year's taxes.

Who wouldn’t like such a king?
Stamboliyski didn't like it.

But Stamboliyski couldn't do anything about it.

Here's the thing, Stamboliyski didn't want to be prime minister, but there were plenty of people lining up behind him.

Being a king is comfortable. All the benefits go to the king, and all the blame belongs to the prime minister.

If he wanted to overthrow Polis's rule and become king himself, he would have to ask the 10 well-equipped and well-treated guards, as well as Polis's father-in-law, the King of Romania, and Grand Prince Yuriev of Russia, whether they agreed.

"The right choice!"

Little Nicholas encouraged his father-in-law to be brave enough to try.

With the advanced experience of Britain and the Kingdom of Bulgaria, this is not an attempt, but a borrowing. George is the one who dares to try.

After Russia abolished dual citizenship, most Russians with dual citizenship chose to retain their Russian citizenship. Only less than 1 people gave up their Russian citizenship. Together with their families, the total number was less than 10.

The wealth owned by these ten thousand people still made Witt feel distressed.

Guchkov asked George for advice. If George agreed, Guchkov had a way to keep the money but not the people.

George admitted that he was indeed moved.

Those who have renounced their Russian citizenship are no longer Russians, and George has no psychological barriers in dealing with them.

But for the sake of Russia's national credibility, George allowed those people to leave Russia with their money.

Although Russia is not an immigration country, its demand for high-quality talents will never disappear.

Those so-called democratic countries in Europe and the United States will sooner or later reveal their true colors that are even more feudal than the Russian Empire. At that time, Russia, where everyone is equal, will have unparalleled appeal to ordinary people.

George remembered that the United States once slandered Red Russia, saying that during the Cold War, a large number of Russians fled Russia and ran to the United States to embrace democratic freedom.

This is indeed true.

But at the same time, many Americans and Europeans have defected to Russia, and these Americans keep silent about it.

At that time in Russia, even ordinary workers could go to the Black Sea to enjoy a vacation after working hard for a year.

In order to counter Russia's appeal to ordinary people, Europe and the United States began to increase social welfare.

In other words, without Russia, ordinary British people would have to devote their youth and descendants.

Just recently, the UK passed a law limiting the working hours of women and children to 48 hours per week.

You see, in 1919, the children of ordinary people in Britain didn’t go to school and had to start working from childhood.

This explains why the British and French reacted so strongly after Russia implemented nine years of compulsory education.

As time goes on, the British and French will become more and more dissatisfied.

To meet the needs of their populations, Britain and France will have to become welfare societies.

Russia does not advocate welfare, but emphasizes that there must be gains if you work hard.

Russians can get free houses and land as long as they go to Siberia.

The prerequisite is to go.

We also have to make full use of the land.

These houses and lands are not allowed to be sold or rented out, and if they are not fully utilized, the Russian government has the right to reclaim them.

The reason for emphasizing this point is that some self-proclaimed smart Russians, after going to Siberia to get free houses and land, rented them out at relatively low prices to those who were really willing to farm, and then returned to the city to become rentiers.

This then brings up the personal credit bankruptcy system.

Credit bankruptcy and financial bankruptcy are not the same thing.

In Russia, there is still a chance to turn around after economic bankruptcy. If you cannot pay back the money you owe to the bank, you can negotiate to reduce or waive interest, extend the repayment period, etc. to alleviate the financial pressure on the debtor.

If a person's credit goes bankrupt, not only will he no longer be able to obtain a loan from the bank, but he will also lose opportunities such as joining the army or taking civil service exams, and even his relatives will be affected.

Some people think that credit bankruptcy is not a big deal. Why should they pay back the money they borrowed with their own ability?

It doesn’t matter. As time goes by, people will naturally understand which one has a greater impact on individuals: financial bankruptcy or credit bankruptcy.

On August 8, Felix brought good news that the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow was finally reopened to traffic after nearly a year of hard work by engineers and prisoners of war.

After the Provisional Government moved its capital to Moscow, it blew up the railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

After Moscow was recaptured, George began to repair the railway, mobilizing nearly 20 people and investing 1500 million rubles.

The railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg is 650 kilometers long. Considering the cost of the Trans-Siberian Railway, it would cost at least 3000 million rubles.

The Trans-Siberian Railway was built at the end of the last century, when the ruble was more valuable than it is today.

George did not attend the opening ceremony due to the increasingly tense situation in the Ottoman Empire.

At the Paris Peace Conference, the Ottoman Empire, like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was completely dismembered.

During the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its land area was 67.7 square kilometers.

After the Paris Peace Conference, Austria's area was reduced to 8.4 square kilometers.

During the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, its territory covered 550 million square kilometers, spanning Asia, Africa and Europe. It was one of the most powerful countries in the world at the time and was known as the "Lord of the World."

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Ottoman Empire's territory covered an area of ​​150 million square kilometers.

After the Paris Peace Conference, the Ottoman Empire's territory was less than 40 square kilometers.

When the news reached the Ottoman Empire, the angry Ottomans demanded that Sultan Mehmed VI not accept the results of the Paris Peace Conference.

Muhammad VI found this result acceptable.

Compared to the other three perished empires, the Ottoman Empire at least still exists.

The Ottoman Empire was currently divided into two factions. The reformists, led by Mustafa Kemal, demanded renegotiation with the Allied Powers.

The conservatives, led by Muhammad VI, wanted to accept this result and shift their focus to reconstruction.

Civil war in the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of breaking out.

(End of this chapter)