Chapter 1082: Chapter 91: Germany’s Discussion
In the early 20th century, although East Africa was one of the few countries with a population exceeding one hundred million, its population size was not enough to make other countries feel threatened, after all, many European countries have populations exceeding ten million, and then there’s Russia, a top power with a population of over one hundred fifty million.
Russia’s population has long been the largest in Europe, but this doesn’t mean its massive population terrifies other countries, as we must also consider factors like industry, defense industry, economic capability, social stability, and mobilization ability. If national power was based solely on population, the other European countries would have surrendered long ago.
Moreover, although the news of East Africa exceeding one hundred million people is shocking, it’s not entirely unacceptable. In 1910, the United States population also approached one hundred million, and the gap with East Africa wasn’t significant, while the industrial and economic strength of the U.S. is far superior to East Africa’s. Therefore, instead of worrying about East Africa, it’s better to worry about the U.S., which appears stronger in many ways.
At the same time, such exaggerated population figures for East Africa are plausible; as an immigrant nation, most of its population comes from the Far East Empire, which partly explains the abnormal population situation in East Africa.
The Far East Empire has long been the world’s most populous nation, and any slight population overflow there could match a small to medium-sized country’s population. Since East Africa continuously absorbs surplus population from the Far East Empire, its rapid population growth is unsurprising.
Additionally, we must consider the factor of the European German Region, whose economy only recently turned around, having been a major population outflow area in the past. Therefore, with the support of the German Region and the Far East Empire, East Africa becoming the world’s fourth most populous country is entirely reasonable.
In fact, Ernst has always considered population as wealth, particularly before the colonization of Africa. Without sufficient people, the difficulty of developing African land is unimaginable, so attracting a large number of immigrants to East Africa is a necessary strategy for the Rhein Royal Family to explore Africa.
The success of East Africa has also provided experience for countries like the Southern German Kingdom and Belgium, which previously didn’t massively introduce immigrants from the Far East Empire.
Although there were quite a few Chinese laborers in the U.S., especially railroad workers, they only numbered in the tens of thousands, and after the Chinese Exclusion Acts and economic crises, not many remained.
In fact, Americans inherently look down on East Asian people, not just those from the Far East Empire; Japanese and other East Asian populations aren’t exceptions. For example, in recent years, the U.S. and Japanese governments signed an agreement where, through mutual benefits, the Japanese government restricted its nationals from entering the U.S.
In stark contrast is Brazil, which placed few restrictions on Japanese immigrants, leading to the Japanese becoming a significant community there, reflecting Brazil’s more inclusive society, earning the country the title of a "melting pot." Even towards Black people, the Brazilian government’s attitude can be considered "friendly."
Of course, Ernst doesn’t comment much on Brazil’s approach. Regardless, he tends to lean towards a "conspiracy theory" mindset regarding the Japanese due to their past dirty deeds being in line with the Japanese national character.
As for why Brazil didn’t encounter any special situations in the past, Ernst thinks it isn’t because the Japanese government had no such ideas but because their wartime defeat hindered them from executing such plans. In the latter half of the 20th century, Japan’s population started to decline, exacerbating the situation.
Moreover, Japanese immigrants in Brazil, beyond the Japanese government’s control, probably wouldn’t want to be pawns for the Japanese government; after all, they live well in Brazil. East Asians are known for their highly competitive nature, often gaining advantages in a fairer society like Brazil’s.
There’s even a significant possibility that Japanese immigrants could become president in Brazil, a scenario that’s unlikely in the U.S. or similar countries.
...
While the East African Government was compiling data for the Five-Year Plan, the German government was fiercely debating the East African population issue.
"East Africa’s population is about one hundred ten million, nearly double that of our country, and most of East Africa’s population is of German descent. If we can draw East Africa into our camp, it would be incredibly advantageous for Germany to seize global power."
Any country with a population exceeding a hundred million is worth trying to align with or leverage, even if past situations like India’s were dire.
After the release of East Africa’s population data, it naturally piqued the interest of many within the German government; if East Africa could be linked to Germany’s cause, the German government might even dare to challenge the whole of Europe alone.
"Can we confirm the authenticity of this information?" William II remained skeptical about East Africa’s reported data, considering such a population growth to be exaggerated.
Imperial Chancellor Batman remarked, "It’s unlikely that the East African Government would fabricate such matters, and from our economic cooperation over the years, it seems East Africa’s population data is credible. For instance, trade in bulk commodities like agricultural products, industrial goods, and minerals corresponds well."
"Our previous estimates of East Africa’s population were above fifty million, but this was evidently underestimated; however, this also explains the rapid increase in East Africa’s trade volume in recent years, which would be impossible without a large population base."
William II nodded, "Indeed! No one expected East Africa to hide this so well. Previously, they never officially released population data, but this is good news for us. Plus, we’ve seriously underestimated East Africa’s market potential, resulting in some losses."
A population exceeding one hundred million certainly qualifies as a tremendous market in today’s world, especially since having dealt with East Africa for a long time, Germany knows that East Africa isn’t one of those poor Afro-Asian-Latin countries. At the very least, the common people in East Africa are wealthier than those in India.
Even under such impoverished conditions, India can sustain British dominance with its massive scale. If Germany could dominate East Africa, it would be no worse than India; not to mention the sheer size of East Africa is incomparable to India.
Batman sighed, "We missed the best opportunity to intervene in East Africa. If only we could rewind twenty or thirty years and recognize East Africa’s potential, we wouldn’t be so passive now, especially before the South African war. But we’ve consistently underestimated East Africa’s value."
William II also expressed regret, "Had Germany shifted its development strategies earlier and aggressively colonized Africa, today all of Central and Southern Africa could have been ours!"
As a staunch colonialist, William II’s pursuit of maritime power was the highest among successive Prussian monarchs.
Of course, what he envisions isn’t entirely practical; initially, Prussia had to focus on Europe, or Germany would never have unified; it might only have become a second-tier country, still suppressed by England, France, and even Austria-Hungary. A second-tier nation could only compete for the scraps of overseas colonies that the great powers disdained.
Belgium and the Netherlands are prime examples; frankly, if England, France, and other nations were interested in their colonies, they’d have to yield obediently. The fact that their colonies remain today is largely because those colonies hold "no" substantial value, or because the great powers weren’t eager to disturb the balance.
For example, if not for East Africa’s existence, France might not have allowed Belgium to occupy certain territories, not just in the colonies but even Belgium’s mainland would have been swallowed by France without Germany and the United Kingdom’s presence.
Thus, if Germany hadn’t unified in its early stages, it would merely have been a pawn for England, France, Austria, and Russia, never achieving today’s stature.
