Bab 51: German West Africa
It's not just the Japanese empire, which is worth ¥50 billion (2024: $500 billion).
It's one-twoth of the Kingdom of Italy at 954 billion marks (2024: $954 billion), and one-third of France at 144 billion marks (2024: $1.44 trillion).
The German Empire, worth 237.3 billion marks (2024: $237.3 billion).
It doesn't even come close to the British Empire's mainland, which is worth 2,246 billion marks (2024: $2.246 trillion).
Of course, the available GDP of 50 billion marks (2024: $500 billion) comes from population and primary industry, without industrial power, so the available GDP is far from enough.
***
"Sell!"
"Buy!"
"Sell it all! Sell it before the neighbors do!"
"Buy it all. Before the other junkers buy it!"
The Dutch were dumping their assets in the German East Indies.
The Hohenzollerns scooped it all up.
Commercial land.
Sugar cane plantations, cocoa plantations, coffee plantations, tea plantations, cotton plantations, cotton plantations, rubber plantations, palm plantations.
Gold mines, silver mines, copper mines, coal mines, iron mines, future oil fields.
Corporate bonds, stocks, shares, etc.
Transportation infrastructure such as railroads, roads, and ports, as well as communication infrastructure such as telegraphs and post offices.
Tourism facilities, art, and cultural treasures.
How much did all of this cost?
Not as much as you might think.
For starters, the total national wealth of the Germanized Netherlands is around 60 billion marks (2024: $600 billion), a tiny fraction of GDP.
This is because, while great powers accumulated capital by investing their profits on the mainland or in promising emerging industrialized countries, the Dutch East Indies sent their profits back to the mainland where they were earned.
The mainland was fattened by the astronomical profits from the Dutch East Indies and strengthened its national competitiveness.
Meanwhile, the Dutch East Indies became the German East Indies?
The Dutch sold their astronomical assets for a tenth of their value, 6 billion marks (2024: $60 billion).
"It can't be helped, the barbaric German Empire wouldn't even pay a tenth of that, they'd rob us for free!"
"On the contrary, let us sell it all while the House of Hohenzollern will pay us even a tenth of it!"
"Besides, the profits we've made so far from the Dutch East Indies are astronomical; we'll lose nothing."
Of this, I invested only 30 million marks, and took out a loan for the remaining 5.97 billion marks.
Doesn't make sense?
At the end of the romanticized 19th century, monarchs ruling over empires had plenty of credit.
And so the Dutch East Indies, flowing with milk and honey, came into the bosom of our German Empire.
Nay, into the bosom of the House of Hohenzollern.
The German East Indies became a de facto fiefdom of the Hohenzollerns.
Unlike the barren lands of the German Empire, where the cold North Sea winds could only grow turnips, the vast expanse of warmer weather flowed with milk and honey.
The Hohenzollerns had finally acquired a vast colony four times the size of the German Empire itself.
***
The Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Amsterdam stock market.
∇12.4%.
"...It didn't crash, did it?"
The loss of the Dutch East Indies didn't have much of an impact on the Dutch stock market.
In the first place, the Netherlands is a world-class industrialized country, and the loss of the Dutch East Indies didn't block trade routes.
In particular, the Netherlands' long-running trade surplus was breaking records every year, and it was generating huge profits.
Moreover, the Dutch East Indies were a fiefdom of the upper classes and did not benefit the Dutch people much.
A little cheaper sugar, coffee, and chocolate, if you ask me?
The mainland Dutch empire's ability to squeeze astronomical riches out of the Dutch East Indies through a straw for hundreds of years was enormous, and within a few years, it was all recovered.
On the contrary, the financial markets were revitalized by the 200 million marks a year from the German Empire, which was invested in the stock market.
"Pax Holland!"
"No more Dutch colonial empire! The Amsterdam financial empire that makes City of London tremble, New York shudder, and Frankfurt weep is upon us."
The glory of the financial empire seemed to last forever.
But they don't know that.
They don't realize that there's an eight-armed idiot salivating over not only the Dutch East Indies, but the Dutch mainland as well.
"The lowlands have always been the piggy bank of the great powers. Now that we're a big power, why don't we siphon it off?"
***
May 30th.
Capital of Belgium.
Brussels.
The Dutch colonial empire and the German Empire.
Negotiations were held not only with the direct stakeholders in the East Indies, but also with the three countries present as observers.
Portugal, Belgium, Great Britain, and the German Empire.
What they had in common was....
"is that they had colonies in Africa."
***
May 20th.
Capital of the German Empire.
Berlin.
Before going to see the king, who was very fond of his wrist, Bismarck and I had a private audience.
Over a glass of French wine from the old territories lost to the Aryan Empire, I said.
"What business have you called me to in the middle of the night, Kaiser? Is it to do what you failed to do last time-"
"...Bismarck. I have important orders to give you in Brussels."
"...A very disturbing one, but what is it?"
"Bring the western part of Africa into the arms of our German Empire."
"...!!!!"
Bismarck's eyes widened at my words.
Africa is the current theater of great powers.
Ever since the discovery of the cure for malaria and the exhaustion of the world's colonies, every country in the world that can afford it has been clinging to Africa.
Why?
Africa is a huge continent, three times the size of Europe, with a large population, markets, and untapped resources.
As a greedy white man, how can you not take on the white man's burden?
Especially for the German Empire, Africa was a hope.
The British Empire and the French Republic had planted their flags all over the world, hundreds of years ahead of the industrial revolution and the age of imperialism, so pristine territory was at a premium.
"And now you want to bring the western part of the African continent into the arms of our German Empire?"
"Yes. It is possible."
"How?"
"We just have to play nice with the British Empire."
"..."
As soon as Bismarck heard me, he immediately nodded.
The first world hegemon to emerge since the Mongol Empire, Great Britain could easily take over the western part of Africa if it could just change its mind.
The problem is, the evil empire is greedy as hell and won't take its heavy ass off for any price.
"So what do we have as a bargaining chip?"
"German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika). That should be enough to satisfy the British Empire, right?"
"...!!!!"
***
May 25th.
Amsterdam, capital of the Dutch Empire.
Five days before the conference in Brussels, Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire, and Secretary of State Joseph Chamberlain met in secret.
"..."
"..."
In true Germanic fashion, the two men remained silent.
But Bismarck, who was a bit more impatient, spoke first.
Uncharacteristically, he was very, very direct.
"We, the German Empire, would like to establish a vast colony along the coast, connecting Liberia to German West Africa."
"...!!!!"
"For this purpose, we, the German Empire, are willing to cede German East Africa to Great Britain, and we are also willing to cooperate with our ally, the Ottoman Empire, to invest in a railroad connecting Cairo with the Indian Empire."
"...!!!!"
Bismarck's words stunned Secretary of State Joseph Chamberlain.
This was because German East Africa was part of the British Empire's policy toward Africa, the End of Africa Policy, as well as the larger framework of imperialist expansion advocated by such giants as Benjamin Disraeli, Cecil Rhodes, and George Chamberlain.
The Japanese empire dubbed this policy the 3Cs policy, or Cairo - Cape Town - Calcutta.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
IQIX
IQIX South Korean novel translated into English through AI.
Status Power Mingguan
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Power 
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