I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 757 Self-control

After taking over Germany's colonies in the Pacific, the Grand Duchy of Yuriev had a territory of over 240 million square kilometers and an ocean area of ​​over 350 million square kilometers, with huge potential.

The population of the Grand Principality of Yuriev mainly comes from Russia, and it is extremely difficult for foreign workers to join the Grand Principality of Yuriev.

Last year, the total industrial output value of the Grand Principality of Yuriev reached 120 billion rubles, averaging 2400 rubles per person, making it a truly developed country.

Compared with Amur, who gave three cards to George, the cards Alexander got were a perfect start.

George's cards were also good, and he was about to have a clean suit. His opponent not only had a bad hand, but also made a series of stupid moves.

The reason why the Labor Party led by Ramsay MacDonald emerged as a dark horse in the general election and defeated the Liberal Party to become the second largest party in Parliament was due to the welfare promises made by the Labor Party during the election.

Since its establishment in 1906, the Labour Party has always been a runner-up in the House of Commons. Under normal circumstances, it is simply unable to compete with the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party.

The series of welfare policies introduced by Russia after the end of the civil war provided the best example for the Labour Party.

So during the election campaign, the Labour Party’s slogan was: to transform Britain into a welfare society that is more friendly to ordinary people, so that the poor can be better protected.

Over the past 100 years since the Industrial Revolution, ordinary people in Britain have not shared the dividends of development. The rich have become richer, the poor have become poorer, wealth has further concentrated at the top of the pyramid, and people at the bottom have suffered terribly.

Regardless of whether the Conservative Party or the Liberal Party came to power, the policies they introduced were all aimed at safeguarding the interests of the aristocracy and capitalists, and no one ever paid attention to the lives of the lower classes.

After taking office, McDonald fulfilled his campaign promise and introduced the Whateley Housing Act to build municipal housing for 50 low-income working families.

After the end of the World War, there was a wave of marriages in Britain as millions of British soldiers retired and returned home.

Along with the marriage boom comes an increasingly serious housing shortage. Many married young people have to continue living with their parents because they have no houses.

When Lloyd George and Stanley Baldwin were prime ministers, they each introduced housing subsidy bills to try to solve this problem, but the results were not good.

McDonald's response was to build low-rent housing for 50 low-income families.

As soon as this plan was launched, it sparked widespread discussion.

Low-rent housing is definitely friendly to young people who don’t have much savings.

But it is extremely unfriendly to wealthy people who control a large amount of housing resources.

The poor people all rent the low-rent housing built by the government, so who would rent a house from a private owner at a high price?

This raises a paradox: the interests of the poor should be protected, but aren't the rich British?
From a purely tax perspective, since the rich pay more taxes, the government should protect the interests of the rich rather than using the taxes paid by the rich to subsidize the poor and win over people's hearts.

George has no control over Britain, and he has no obligation to teach MacDonald what to do. Russia is also vigorously promoting the construction of low-rent housing. MacDonald is just copying homework without even understanding it.

The situation in Russia is different from that in the UK. The families that pay the most taxes in Russia are big families such as the Yuriev and Yusupov families.

During the civil war, the most intense fighting in the city centers of major cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow was almost razed to the ground. Only one in ten buildings in the entire city remained, the rentier class completely disappeared, and both the poor and the rich were displaced.

George didn't need to take care of the rich people's houses. The old ones had to be demolished before the new ones came. Those razed to the ground by the war were just the right size to be demolished and rebuilt.

The houses that the poor live in are square tube-shaped buildings that are easy to heat. First, solve the problem of whether there are houses or not, and then discuss whether they are good or not.

After the end of World War II, more than 300 million Russian soldiers were discharged from the army. With their discharge certificates, these soldiers could apply for low-rent housing from local governments, or go to Siberia and become a new generation of farmers.

From 1919 to 1923, the Russian government built 150 million low-rent houses, which not only effectively solved the housing needs of newlyweds, but also greatly promoted economic recovery.

The price of low-rent housing is low and the conditions are relatively simple. Although there is sufficient heating in winter, the one-bedroom and one-living-room format is only suitable for single workers or newlyweds. If you want to improve your living standards, you have to buy commercial housing with better conditions, or simply buy land and build it yourself.

Compared with low-rent housing, commercial housing has better living conditions, better environment, higher-quality neighbors, and better location.

Many newlyweds first live in public housing for a few years, and after saving enough for a down payment, they own their own home through a bank loan.

At this time, the newlyweds had children, and the proletariat was officially promoted to the bourgeoisie, becoming the new base of Russia.

Having a house will generate a new round of demand in the home furnishing market, and decoration companies and furniture and appliance brands will spring up like mushrooms after a rain.

For small businesses like these, the Russian government will not compete with the people for profits, but will open up the market to full competition.

On December 12, George left Crimea by train and went to Coconut City via Vladivostok to attend Alexander's coronation ceremony.

The last time George travelled by train was just before the outbreak of the World War.

Compared with 10 years ago, the Trans-Siberian Railway has reached a higher level. The maximum speed of some sections is close to 100 kilometers per hour. The average travel time between St. Petersburg and Vladivostok has been shortened from more than a month 10 years ago to 14 days now.

"Ten years ago, it seemed like only a dozen days—"

Anne is not very sensitive about time.

"Under normal circumstances, it only takes about ten days. If there is a railway disruption, it is common to have a one or two month delay."

George was not surprised.

The train George took was a special train, the highest level of traffic, and it was unobstructed all the way. Other trains had to give way in advance, so the speed was naturally fast. Accompanying George to Coconut City were not only Alexander's fiancée Shen Jun, but also Alexandra and his youngest son Leonid, who had just graduated from Amur University this year.

Leonid means lion in Russian.

While George and Anne were chatting, Alexandra was questioning Leonid about whether he had ever had a girlfriend during college.

"No, no, no, I've been studying so hard that I don't have time to have a girlfriend."

Leonid flatly denied it. He said that he did not use his real name while at the Amur University but a pseudonym. Except for a few people, most teachers and students did not know about the relationship between Leonid and George.

"Are all your female classmates blind?"

Alexandra's expression and movements were exaggerated. Suddenly, her expression changed and she smiled strangely: "Or do you have any questions?"

Leonid was helpless. The big sister was lawless and no one could afford to offend her.

Alexandra couldn't stay idle for a minute. Seeing that Leonid was not fooled, she took the initiative to find a new topic.

"Boris is the king of Bulgaria, Sasha is the king of East India, do you want to be a king too?"

The question was so casual, like asking Leonid what he wanted for dinner.

"No, I don't want to be like Brother Nicky—"

Leonid regretted saying only half of it. It would be better not to say such things in front of Shen Jun.

"Where do you think brother Nicky is now?"

Alexandra is not shy about it, and this kind of thing should serve as a warning.

“Maybe only God knows.”

Leonid didn't want to discuss the subject.

The whereabouts of Nikolai's family remains a mystery, and the Russian government has searched for clues in many ways but has not found any clues.

The more likely speculation now is that Nicholas' family has been killed in the civil war and those who knew about it have also died, otherwise Nicholas should have appeared long ago.

Perhaps many years later, when the bodies of Nicholas' family are discovered, everything will have an answer.

"Tell Sasha that we must not be lenient with the rebels and we must kill them all!"

Alexandra instructed Shen Jun.

"Sasha is not a bloodthirsty person, but if someone crosses Sasha's bottom line, Sasha will not show mercy."

Shen Jun knew Alexander very well.

The train sped along, and George and his family boarded the Pacific Fleet flagship "Russia" in Vladivostok to Coconut City.

When passing by Japan, George casually asked Mario what new moves Japan had made recently.

"Japan suffered a massive earthquake last September, killing about 9 people. This spring, an epidemic of encephalitis killed tens of thousands more people. In the months before the New Year, at least 20 people starved to death in Japan. This did not stop the Japanese ambitions. This year, Japan ordered two new battleships on loan from Britain, which will be delivered as early as next winter."

Mario looked disdainful. Japan's current militarism is even more excessive than Germany in 1914.

This earthquake was the famous Great Kanto Earthquake. Russia donated money to Japan at that time, and George himself donated 100 rubles.

Look carefully, it’s 100, not ten thousand.

Like Russia, neighboring countries such as Korea and Tokyo all donated money to the Great Kanto Earthquake. Not only did these good intentions not receive a response from Japan, but after the Great Kanto Earthquake, Japan used the excuse that some people took advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos and killed tens of thousands of Koreans and Chinese.

"Japan's finances are on the verge of bankruptcy. Only through foreign wars can it divert domestic conflicts. According to the current situation, Japan is most likely to attack the University of Tokyo, and it can only attack the University of Tokyo."

Mario frowned. This was not good news for the University of Tokyo, which was plagued by frequent civil wars.

The civil war in Russia was successfully quelled in just a few months, and reconstruction began.

The University of Tokyo has been in turmoil since the fall of the empire. Some time ago, Japan proposed to the League of Nations to impose an arms embargo on the University of Tokyo in preparation for attacking the University of Tokyo.

The only thing George could do was to be more vigilant against Japan.

On January 1, the "Russia" arrived safely in Coconut City.

Coconut City prepared a grand welcome ceremony for George. George and Anne moved into the palace prepared in advance. Shen Jun lived with Alexandra. According to royal regulations, she could not meet Alexander before marriage.

As to whether Alexander will abide by these regulations, it depends on Alexander's self-control.

(End of this chapter)