Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 599 What I Saw and Heared

With the government's policies finalized, Ali could finally relax. His textile factory had laid off many workers due to poor management, but now, with the government's series of policies supporting the economy, the remaining employees were temporarily safe.

"We're so lucky, otherwise we'd all be unemployed." A colleague approached Ali and asked him to have a drink with him.

"Yes, it's not easy to find a job these days. I heard that the number of unemployed people in France could line up all over the country."

The situation in Iran is much better than in Europe. Even if you can't make it here, you can go to East Africa or the Americas. After a few years of hardship, you can accumulate some wealth. It seems quite a few people have left by ship in the past few months.

"By the way, have you joined the mutual aid association?" Ali asked.

"Of course, anyone who doesn't join is a fool."

When the mutual aid society began its pilot program, a large number of people applied. Within just two weeks, it received 31 applications. Everyone wants some form of protection; otherwise, what will they do if they lose their job?
Thinking of his fellow workers who had left their homes, Ali couldn't help but sigh: "If only the mutual aid association had been established sooner, so many people wouldn't have had to risk their lives at sea."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two merchants at the next table, both wearing wool coats, suddenly raised their voices. Ali tilted his ear and heard the words "Britain," "gold," and "mint closure" drift into his ears. One of the men, wearing a bowler hat, tapped the table: "I heard from a British trading company in Basra that London suddenly stopped minting gold coins last week, and now all the gold coins in the banks are hidden away! Ordinary people have to pay extra to exchange for a Charles I-era gold coin."

Another merchant with a thick beard sneered: "It's not just Britain. Russia is even more absurd! The Tsar ordered all private silver to be nationalized, supposedly to 'stabilize the ruble,' but as a result, all the silversmith shops in Moscow closed down, and even the silver candlesticks in the churches were taken away by soldiers."

Alibaba doesn't understand anything about stability; all he cares about is making more money. Unless the government acts irresponsibly.

A colleague came over and said, “Don’t look so gloomy,” Mahmoud patted him on the shoulder. “At least we still have jobs and mutual aid societies. We’re much better off than those people in Europe who are starving to death on the streets. Do you remember the unemployed Europeans you saw in the newspapers? They didn’t even have a proper coat and were shivering in the cold wind. We’re much luckier than them.”

Yes, I'm much luckier than them. They're still worrying about a week's worth of food, while I don't have to worry about that. I bet those people are itching to get back at me.

Ali listened to their discussion and gained a better understanding of the situation in other countries. Britain's economic intervention had barely stopped the bleeding, and in order to better recover, it could only make things harder for its colonies and other countries. India, in particular, was reportedly required to import only British-made textiles and other goods, with no imports allowed from other countries. Moreover, prices would be raised by a small margin of 100%. After all, the profits were in their hands, and nobody cared about the lives of the Indians.

Not only Indians, but also Burmese, Black people, and Native Americans suffered equally, and even the Irish did the same. Despite being ruled by Britain for over a century, they remained second-class citizens in the country, not to mention the tyranny of British rule and the Irish famine.

To resist London's relentless exploitation, Ireland formed the Ireland Autonomy Association, demanding self-government. However, another group advocated for complete separation from Britain, pledging to use force if necessary to achieve full Irish autonomy. Overall, the autonomy faction prevailed. Meanwhile, in France, an economic crisis, coupled with a political crisis, struck the country. Workers lost their jobs, farmers went bankrupt, and a large-scale exodus of people to the Americas plunged France into a dark period.

Meanwhile, in Provence, Brittany, Corsica and other places, a large number of grammar schools that taught Occitan, Brittany and Corsican languages ​​appeared. They also taught the history of the region and the people, and sometimes you could see standing up signs in the streets and alleys.

With the second wave of awakening national consciousness, regional languages ​​also received greater attention. Provençal intellectuals sparked the Provençal Renaissance, declaring that Occitan was no less excellent than French. The republican government was also aware of this, but was temporarily unable to suppress it due to political struggles.

The economic crisis also spurred the emergence of numerous groups demanding independence from France for their respective regions, some even aligning with royalists. For instance, some royalists, together with southern independence groups, proposed the secession of Aquitaine from France.

“Look at what’s happening in France—intellectuals in Provence are reading poems written in Occitan in the streets, Corsicans are waving old flags and shouting ‘Not French,’ and even farmers in Brittany are blocking the tax collectors’ path with sickles!”

"Isn't it all because of the crisis? I saw French workers loot a bakery in the port of Marseille, and the police didn't dare to do anything about it—those people were starving and shouting 'I want jobs, not French,' and no one even paid attention to the Republican government's conscription order. I heard that in many parts of the south, children only learn the local language when they go to school, and they are not even allowed to mention the word 'France'!"

"If this continues, won't France fall apart?"

"It won't fall apart, but it won't get better either. The Republican government is too busy fighting the royalists to care about the South. I heard that bread prices in Paris have increased tenfold, unemployed workers are blocking the parliament doors every day, so the government can only print more paper money, resulting in money becoming increasingly worthless."

A colleague patted Ali on the shoulder, his tone full of relief: "We're so lucky in Iran. We have the mutual aid society to back us up, and the government is helping the factories get through this difficult time. Look at France, even if they didn't fight for independence, the people would still starve to death. Britain, on the other hand, forced Ireland to demand autonomy, and the colonies are almost on the verge of collapse. We're incredibly lucky to have food to eat and work to do."

Ali nodded and looked out the window. On the streets of Tehran, the sign for the mutual aid association office shone brightly in the sunlight. Although there were many people queuing, their faces held hope, unlike the despair and resentment the merchants had described of Europe. He thought of his fellow workers who had sailed to America; perhaps they had made the right choice. At least in America, they didn't have to fear language barriers, food being smuggled out, or living in constant fear during a crisis.

"Let's go, Ali. If we don't get to the textile factory soon, it'll be too late!"

"coming!"

Ali took a deep breath, putting the chaos in Europe behind him. No matter how bad things got outside, he just needed to focus on his own life, save enough money to build a house, and live a stable life.

(End of this chapter)