I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 923 Ungrateful
To everyone's surprise, the British Prime Minister was replaced before the meeting even ended.

This is also normal.

Europe has a long tradition of "discarding a donkey after it has served its purpose," as seen in Bismarck and Clemenceau, and Churchill was not alone.

Unlike the stubborn Churchill, the new Labour Prime Minister Attlee is more pragmatic and considers issues based on the actual situation in Britain, rather than being like Churchill, who ignored changes in the international situation and the actual situation in Britain and was completely immersed in his own world.

The current situation is that the United Kingdom is showing signs of decline. Not only is it unable to compete with Russia and the United States, but after losing its traditional ally France, Britain has also lost the ability to influence the situation in Europe.

The British were enthusiastic about war only if the flames of war would not reach British soil.

The German rockets made most of the British people realize that even if the Royal Navy's strength were doubled, it would not be able to stop the German bombing of the British mainland.

Attlee's attitude toward Britain's overseas colonies was also completely different from Churchill's.

With the successive independence of South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the United Kingdom has become a mere shell of its former self.

Churchill clung to India, the most dazzling jewel in the crown of the British monarch, in an effort to preserve the last vestiges of the British Empire's glory.

Attlee's attitude toward India is to let things take their course; if India wants independence, Attlee will not stand in its way.

During his campaign, Attlee put forward a series of campaign slogans, the core of which was to establish a comprehensive welfare system in Britain and strive to protect the lives of ordinary British people.

Compared to his predecessor, Labour Prime Minister McDonald, Attlee has further shifted his focus from international affairs to domestic matters, consolidating the Labour Party's popular support base.

George was also surprised that Attlee paid a visit to him on the very day he arrived in Constantinople.

George thought Attlee was just making a routine visit.

Attlee had many questions about Russia, and he genuinely sought George's advice with sincerity.

As Labour Prime Minister, Attlee wanted to emulate Russia by nationalizing British companies, making them more socially responsible, and providing greater protection for British workers.

"Did you consult the opinions of the upper house nobles before doing this?"

George did not believe Attlee could do the job.

The UK's current economic system results in a lot of repetitive competition, inefficiency, and serious waste, and reform is indeed necessary.

The problem is that Britain has implemented a constitutional monarchy for hundreds of years, and various industries have formed extensive alliances of interests. If Attlee wants to touch the interests of these people, he might come up with some really outrageous ideas.

"This is the result of my discussion with the Earl of Baldwin. We both agreed that if Britain does not make changes, it will be left behind by the times."

Attlee frankly admitted that reform was a consensus in British society.

That's right. If a consensus hadn't been reached, Attlee wouldn't have dared to act rashly.

With the United States ahead and Germany and Russia behind, Britain's industrial strength is gradually weakening. If it does not make changes, Britain will be sitting at the children's table with France.

"Whether the results are good or not depends on whether the changes are thorough."

George still wasn't optimistic.

The British aristocracy was forced to carry out reforms due to circumstances. Whether the reforms were successful or encountered setbacks, Attlee would inevitably face a backlash from opposing forces.

Unless Attlee can wield absolute power in Britain like George did.

"Peace in Europe requires our joint efforts to maintain. The two world wars have made us fully aware of the cruelty of war. Countless generations of accumulated wealth have vanished in an instant, cities have been completely destroyed, families have been torn apart, and regardless of social status, everyone dies tragically like an innocent infant in the face of war. We cannot allow this tragedy to repeat itself."

Attlee's purpose was not to learn from others, but to hope that Russia would stop its actions.

That's right.

George is not a warmonger. As long as Russian goods can flow freely, George doesn't necessarily want to plant the Russian flag in every corner of the world.

"You're right. We should establish a new world order and work together to maintain peace in Europe."

George reciprocated by saying that if Attlee was willing to open the British market to Russian goods, Russia could also open its market to the UK.

Crown Prince Wilhelm was in tears, realizing that Germany's long-desired overseas markets had been obtained so easily in this way.

George also did not expect that although Churchill was ousted by the British themselves, the United States would then face internal strife.

After the Constantinople Conference, Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered a cerebral hemorrhage upon returning to the United States and died suddenly two days later while in a coma.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's health had been deteriorating in recent years, and he was suffering from various illnesses, something George had been prepared for.

Vasily did not believe that Roosevelt died a natural death, and firmly believed that Roosevelt was assassinated by the Americans.

"Do you have evidence?"

George asked curiously. "No!"

Vasily spoke with righteous indignation, saying that Americans have too many past offenses.

For politicians, the US president is the most dangerous country in the world.

Although France can change prime ministers three times a week, it is still within the rules and is not considered a high-risk profession.

Starting with Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley were both killed by gunshot.

Although Harding's official diagnosis was a stroke, many Americans still suspect that he was poisoned by his wife.

After Franklin D. Roosevelt became President of the United States, he implemented sweeping reforms, including a personal income tax rate of 98%, which caused great hardship for wealthy Americans.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's prestige was unmatched, and through normal procedures, it was impossible for his enemies to remove him from office.

During World War II, Roosevelt's enemies needed him to lead the United States to victory and had to be patient.

Vasily firmly believed that the war in Europe had only just ended, yet Roosevelt's enemies were already eager to take action against him in such a despicable manner.

"How can this be!"

George didn't believe it. He thought Roosevelt wasn't Harding, and that no one could match his control over the United States. Anyone who opposed Roosevelt would be ruthlessly suppressed by the FBI under Hoover's leadership.

"Do you have evidence that the Americans wouldn't harm Roosevelt?"

Vasily sneered: "Or do you think Hoover would avenge Roosevelt?"

George quickly calmed down.

Regardless of whether Roosevelt died from assassination, this is a good thing for Russia.

The United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt's leadership is on the right track. Give Roosevelt another 20 years—no, not even 20 years, just another 10 years—and he could transform the United States into a communist international power and a formidable rival to Russia.

According to U.S. regulations, if Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office, the presidency will be assumed by Vice President Harry Truman.

Something embarrassing happened.

Because Franklin D. Roosevelt was so dazzling, Truman, as the Vice President of the United States, lived in Roosevelt's shadow and rarely made public appearances.

Harry Truman was born in 1884, participated in World War I, and served as a U.S. Senator from 35 until he became Vice President of the United States during Franklin D. Roosevelt's fourth term.

Beyond this publicly available information, Alpha is unable to provide any further information about Truman.

More than Roosevelt's death, George was concerned about whether U.S. foreign policy would change after Truman took office.

That's hard to say.

The two world wars gave rise to the United States' military-industrial complex.

After the end of World War I, the United States experienced a severe economic crisis due to a decrease in military orders, which led to the Great Depression.

The U.S. military-industrial complex is now more powerful than it was during the last World War.

While Franklin D. Roosevelt was alive, American capitalists had to back down and endure his "exploitation" and "manipulation."

After Truman takes office, can he suppress the backlash from American capital like he did with Franklin D. Roosevelt?

George was not optimistic.

George was also taken aback.

After Truman became President of the United States, his first action was not to adjust the US military-industrial production or to modify the US foreign policy, but to pass a constitutional amendment to put into practice the unspoken rule that the maximum term of a US president is no more than two terms.

Just imagine how much Americans hate Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Franklin D. Roosevelt made such a huge contribution to the United States that he could be said to have single-handedly saved the country from dire straits.

Even before Franklin D. Roosevelt's body was cold, Truman amended the Constitution to prevent a second Roosevelt from emerging in the United States, demonstrating the immense influence Roosevelt wielded over the country.

From this perspective, Americans are more ungrateful than the British.

At least the British didn't kill Churchill outright.

Of course, this could also mean keeping Churchill around to continue cleaning up Britain's messes.

(End of this chapter)