Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 128 Eastern Crisis
To quell public discontent, the President pushed through a series of policies. He declared the property of former French kings to be state property, banned the Orléans family from owning property in France, and revoked the financial grants previously allocated to the children of former King Louis-Philippe. The seized proceeds were distributed among non-profit organizations such as mutual aid societies, workers' housing, church service funds, and the Legion of Honor. To Orléans royalists and the bourgeoisie who longed for the July Monarchy, these regulations were inflammatory and tantamount to plunder. The bourgeois segment of the electorate, in particular, viewed them as an attack on property rights.

While dealing with domestic affairs, President Napoleon did not forget diplomacy. At the same time, two French warships sailed into the Dardanelles Strait, forcing the Ottoman Sultan to hand over the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This provoked a reaction from Russia. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also a holy site for the Orthodox Church, and it was unacceptable for the French to keep the keys.

Nicholas I had originally planned to send his army to "interrogate" the Ottomans after some time, but he could no longer remain passive due to the domestic situation. Nobles and peasants in Moscow and St. Petersburg were urging the Tsar to emulate Catherine the Great and give the Ottomans a small shock.

"The Ottomans dared to hand over the Holy Land to France; this was an insult to Russia."

War Minister Alexander Chernyshov called at a state council meeting for the swift deployment of troops to the border, to show the Ottomans who was now in control.

“We should indeed do this, but it will provoke opposition from other countries. We don’t know Britain’s attitude, nor France’s. Prussia may remain neutral, but Austria supports us.”

Foreign Minister Karl stated the current inclinations of major European countries. At present, apart from Austria, the support of other countries is unpredictable, especially Britain. Nicholas I originally went to Britain to discuss the partition of the Ottoman Empire, but no treaty was signed.

"Moreover, Persia has already formed an alliance with the Ottomans. If we want to suppress the Ottomans in the Black Sea region, then we must also suppress Persia in Yerevan."

This is the safest approach; if we're going to suppress them, we have to suppress them all at once. Persia has been emulating the Ottomans' reforms in recent years, and its strength has certainly increased considerably. The overwhelming dominance it once possessed is no longer likely.

"Even if we add Persia, they wouldn't be enough to fight our country. Don't forget, many wars in the past have ended in our victory. All of Europe should thank us for liberating them from Napoleon's rule. Why can't they support us?"

Karl didn't know how someone had become Minister of War; diplomacy wasn't static. If it were, Russia wouldn't have acquired so much territory.

Currently, Russia's aid to Austria has alienated European liberals, while its pressure on Prussia to dissolve the Union has kept them neutral. France will certainly not side with Russia, and Britain, given its significant investments in the Ottoman Empire, is likely to oppose it as well.

"Gentlemen!" Finance Minister Peter Block stopped them. "Whether it's war or diplomacy, both require financial support. I can tell you with certainty that the Empire's current finances cannot sustain a war for long."

This is an old problem; Russia's finances have always been a major issue. Prolonged wars have forced them to rely on tax increases and borrowing to solve it, most importantly by selling bonds on the European market.

Russia's finances had barely recovered from the crisis, and now another war was looming, threatening the entire country's bankruptcy. That's why Peter the Great declared that a large-scale war was unacceptable. However, Nicholas wasn't concerned with these matters; to him, the so-called financial situation was nothing more than a string of cold, hard numbers. He believed that once Constantinople was captured, everything would be resolved, and he even gave the city a new name: Tsar Grod.

Moreover, it wasn't just him; the vast majority of Orthodox Christians were also a major driving force behind Russia's military intervention. An illegal march of 10 people took place in Moscow, demanding that the government send troops to the Ottoman Empire and reclaim Constantinople.

This time, public opinion was difficult to defy, and calls for military intervention within Russia grew louder and louder, ultimately prompting the imperial government to decide to send 150,000 troops to the Danube River and 50,000 soldiers to the South Caucasus, respectively, to deter the Ottomans and Persia.

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At this time, London, England, was packed with people. After a year of planning, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations officially opened in London.

This exposition was organized by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, to celebrate the emerging trends in modern industrial technology and design.

Because the Prince and Queen’s staff were so enthusiastic about promoting this profitable exhibition, they finally persuaded the British government to establish the Royal Commission for the 1851 Exhibition on January 3, 1850, which greatly improved the feasibility of the plan. This commission included Brunel, one of the most renowned engineers in Britain at the time.

Although the British Royal Family organized the event, it did not define it as a "domestic industrial exposition" but rather as a "world industrial exposition." Britain believed that if it only emphasized the display of domestic crafts, the advanced achievements of its colonies and protectorates would be overlooked. Therefore, the World Industrial Exposition was to invite "countries of the world" within the British Empire to achieve a true world exposition. Britain even considered it an important event to showcase its technological achievements to neighboring, less civilized countries and regions.

At the time, a sense of arrogance and boastfulness regarding the "British model" was prevalent in Britain. Most people felt secure because of the country's political and economic prosperity, and Queen Victoria sought to increase public satisfaction with her regime. Therefore, this exhibition was naturally something everyone looked forward to.

The most distinctive structure of this exposition was undoubtedly the Crystal Palace, with an iron frame and a glass body, which indeed made a stunning debut upon completion. This enormous glass house was approximately 563 meters long and 138 meters wide, and it took only nine months from laying the foundation to completion. This demonstrates the power of the Industrial Revolution.

The exhibition features a wide variety of items, with over 14000 pieces from more than a dozen countries on display. These include Iranian goods, but the majority are agricultural products, while industrial goods include carpets, silk, and various fruit juices such as Iranian grape juice – items that are quite popular with visitors.

Iranian tourists also saw world-changing artifacts, including rail-mounted steam traction machines, high-speed steamships, cranes, kitchenware, iron products, and harvesters from the United States. These things were enough to transform any country, and all of London was swept up in the exposition's fervor. Newspapers and the public alike proudly recounted the exposition's brilliance.

(End of this chapter)