Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 297: Chess of Giants (5)

Has 20th-century communism perished?

No, they have not disappeared.

The survival power of an ideology rivals that of cockroaches; as long as industrialization progresses and workers suffer within it, far-left ideology could not disappear even if it wanted to. These ideas emerge organically from material conditions, resurfacing wherever exploitation creates the fertile soil for revolutionary thought. They adapt, evolve, and find new expressions in each generation that faces economic inequality.

Even if subversive forces desiring national liberation beyond self-liberation couldn't reach revolution, this ideology was inherently attractive to those groaning under the imperialism of the great powers. The promise of collective ownership and equitable distribution of resources continues to resonate with populations marginalized by global capitalism, providing a framework for resistance against economic domination.

In particular, the history of imperialism has a very clear bad example: Haiti.

Haiti, once a Spanish colony, then passing through the French colonial era to achieve independence.

They were a great nation that achieved independence in 1801 during the great colonial era.

But the true hell came after independence.

All domestic assets were still owned by whites.

No longer slaves but free people, they nevertheless lived lives worse than even American black slaves.

A country was born where the average life expectancy of adult males was a mere 19 years, even without the devastating toll of war. Disease, malnutrition, and brutal working conditions silently claimed lives daily, creating an invisible battlefield where survival itself was the primary struggle.

The railways—those gleaming symbols of progress and connectivity—belonged exclusively to whites. The fertile land, with its abundant resources and ancestral significance, belonged to whites. Factories humming with productivity, vast plantations yielding valuable crops, and even the governmental positions that determined policy and law—all belonged firmly in the hands of white colonial powers. Indigenous populations served merely as labor, disconnected from the wealth their efforts created.

If the heavy shackles of economic dependence and structural inequality remain firmly in place despite the ceremonial granting of independence, what country can truly and honestly claim to have achieved genuine sovereign independence? Political freedom without economic autonomy is merely a paper tiger, a hollow victory that maintains the colonial relationship in all but name.

To those living under such oppressive conditions yet glimpsing such a clearly articulated alternative future, this leftist ideology beckons with irresistibly sweet promises of dignity and self-determination. The vision of equality and shared prosperity falls like rain on parched soil, offering hope where little existed before.

Just overthrow everything, and that's it.

How not to follow their capitalist system? Just don't participate in that market economy.

Thus, this socialism, which had spread mainly in Britain, Germany, France, and Russia where Marxist capitalism had developed since the 19th century, spread to colonies worldwide, transformed into communism.

While socialism tried to resolve wealth conflicts within a society through the communalization of the means of production, colonies simply began to think of themselves as these workers.

If the great powers are capitalists, Then they are workers.

This concept had long been spread throughout Asia and was still like an easily accessible opium.

"The oxen pulling the carts have died in droves. Now only carts pulled by people remain."

"Beyond that mountain is Shanxi Province. If we go there, we can rest a bit. Let's hold on a little longer."

Of course, no one said the journey of these opium addicts would be easy.

The Long March of the Chinese Communist Party.

As Chiang Kai-shek became unhindered in exploiting his own people after joining hands with Russia, they sought to rise up, even with force.

But there was no way the Red Army could defeat the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, which had cleaned up warlords.

In the Central Plains War, the Red Army was barely continuing underground struggles while fleeing, far from expanding its influence.

"Comrade, even after reaching Shanxi Province, we must immediately regroup and continue our exodus... How far must we flee?"

"Chiang Kai-shek is a traitor who sold the country for his own power. Once the Chinese people realize this fact, our journey will also end."

This ideology accelerates as it spreads, so with enough time, Chiang Kai-shek, who surrendered to those great powers, might eventually be abandoned by China.

This was Mao Zedong's theoretical answer as he led the Red Army.

But in truth, even the leadership could not see a future in the face of Chiang Kai-shek's continuous success.

The problem is simple.

Chiang Kai-shek is doing too well.

While Yuan Shikai, unable to control his luck, tried to ascend to the imperial throne himself to become the Qing emperor, Chiang Kai-shek didn't even think of changing the system.

The booming economy centered on Nanjing. The Nanjing government getting closer to unifying China every day thanks to that economy and external help. Even winning over public sentiment by driving out opium.

Could the downfall of the flawless Chiang Kai-shek really be possible?

As if to express this frustration, a subtle voice emerged from the leadership:

"Instead of that... couldn't we also join hands with Hong Kong?"

"Hey! Don't say such things anywhere! We are fighters against the dirty Western powers! Warriors dedicating their lives for this country's independence!"

"Of course that's true... but even now, if we ask, Britain might help us. Chiang Kai-shek borrowed Russia's power, so what reason is there that we can't do the same?"

Russia, the almost fraudulent card that Chiang Kai-shek pulled out.

This was a weapon that broke the balance in China's power struggle.

The logic was that since the other side had played the Russia card first, they could also receive help from Britain.

Of course, whenever this came up, Mao Zedong deliberately rebuked and ignored it.

But deep in his heart.

As the escape route stretched from hundreds to thousands of kilometers, and now approaching ten thousand kilometers, this almost cheating measure kept appearing in his mind.

'...Help from the great powers is not allowed. They are dirty imperialist countries, the culprits who led China to ruin!'

But as hardships continued, the devil's temptation naturally grew stronger.

'No. This is wrong!'

'It's definitely wrong...'

.

.

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'Just once... would it be okay?'

The Western powers that led the Qing Dynasty to destruction by imposing all sorts of unequal treaties.