บท 23: A end, for now (October-December, 1907).
Romanian situation]
After having effectively crushed the peasant uprisings in Wallachia, Romanian Moldavia and some uprisings in Transylvania, the intervention coalition (Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary) put Romania, the Romanian monarchy and the Hungarians to discuss a resolution of the problems.
The rebellions had left tens of thousands dead, perhaps close to 100,000 victims (although these are only estimates), both Romanian peasants and Romanian noblemen-landowners, Jews and Hungarians had died.
A considerable part of the agriculture and part of the infrastructure had been destroyed between conflicts and their use by the forces involved, leaving Romania in a precarious economic and geo-political position.
In the first place the coalition shared some of the spoils of war, in particular Serbia, Bulgaria and Hungary received most of it in reparation for their joint aid to Russia in the intervention.
To solve the expansion attempts of Serbia and Bulgaria, Russia put up a solution.
Although the Serbian Banat did not expand, Serbia was allowed to place troops in the Romanian Banat while the situation was 'pacified' and the coalition saw fit.
At the same time Bulgaria and Russia placed troops in North Dobruja, more specifically Bulgaria in Constanța and Russia in Tulcea.
A secret protocol would allow the coalition forces to take control of these regions should the Romanian situation flare up again in the short term.
*******
*Perspective.
"Bulgarian aid is seriously appreciated, but I am concerned about Bulgaria's prospects for expansion." Tsar Alexander III indicates Tsar Alexander I of Bulgaria.
"Why?". Alexander I questions with seriousness and concern.
"Have you dealt first with the Greeks from the territories annexed to Greece?" Alexander III responds to the doubt. "Do you or your government know how to deal with the population that would be annexed?"
"We are trying." Alexander I indicates.
"It's not enough to try, you must succeed. As soon as the Bulgarians show weakness, Greek rebels are going to bite your ankles. I wouldn't be surprised if you already have a Greek rebellion on your hands with the authoritarian measures of the new civil government." Alexander III responds, from the safety of experience.
Alexander I was silent for a moment.
*******
The biggest problem came with the Hungarians of Transylvania, a real headache. When everyone was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Hungarians were part of the same country (surrounded by a large number of Romanians, but it was the Hungarians who were in the upper part of the state), but with the partition of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after their rapid fall, the Hungarians of Transylvania now lived separately from the Hungarians of Hungary.
Not surprisingly, the Transylvanian Hungarians soon recovered and launched open rebellions when the Romanian state showed weakness due to peasant uprisings.
Attacks were carried out against Romanian neighborhoods, at the same time that the Romanians had launched attacks against the Jews, but it does not mean that we excuse the Hungarian crimes.
The problem came when the crisis in Romania stopped, it still had to be solved: What to do with the Hungarians?
Parts of Transylvania like Covasna, Harghita and Mures were full of Hungarians, and there were also Hungarians in cities and the Hungarian-Romanian border, but the problem was the connection between these regions.
The Hungarians did not inhabit a continuous territory, they were separated by non-Hungarian majority territory (Romanians and others, such as Gypsies), which caused problems for the unity of the Hungarians in a Hungarian state.
The rebels wanted secession from the Kingdom of Romania, most of them wanted to unite with the Kingdom of Hungary, although there was also a minority who wanted an independent Transylvania.
There was a possibility of forming an enclave but that would make it difficult for the Hungarians of Transylvania and would undoubtedly remain a point of tension.
Obviously the Romanians didn't want to lose territory either, but they didn't have many options. And you could clearly assert the Romanian population of parts of the territory claimed by the rebels to join Hungary.
It was simply not possible to satisfy everyone.
The solution of Tsar Alexander III was to put conditions on Hungary (under King Nicholas I, heir of Russia) and Romania, to reach at least a tense tie between both parties.
Hungarian majority areas would effectively be annexed to Hungary, Hungarian neighborhoods would be under Hungarian jurisdiction and Romanian neighborhoods would remain under Romanian jurisdiction (making really confuse micro-maps in some zones...).
The territories with Romanian population annexed by Hungary had to have a free movement towards the Kingdom of Rumania and the Magyarization was strictly prohibited.
In exchange for this free movement and anti-Magyarization politics, 'neutral' powers had to have a presence on Hungarian soil to ensure compliance with the treaty and prevent inter-ethnic violence. The countries would obviously be Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia (plus Slovakia), with a special delegate of Romania.
Faced with the imposition of the treaty (of which the great powers did not speak, occupied in other matters and worried by the fear that the peasant revolt could have turned into a communist coup to Romania), King Carol I abdicated to retire from the Romanian throne.
The coalition allowed Ferdinand to take the throne, provided he will ratify the treaty. At first Ferdinand I doubt, since he had some loyalty to Romania, but it was to accept the treaty or lose the throne and allow Romania to be further divided.
Ferdinand I ratified it the day 8 of October, although there were obviously complaints, Ferdinand I's unpopularity started at a high point with this. Russia on the other hand began to put its claws in the country to cement its influence through its military and political action.
Ferdinand I helped since now he needed Russia to mantain certain power in Romanian soil.
*******
[Swedes in Russia]
With the rise of the Social Aristocracy in Sweden, the Jewish and non-Swedish population of the country accumulated towards the closest country, the Russian Empire (more specifically the Grand Duchy of Finland), due to regional stability.
However obviously there were problems with this, first of all some cases of illegal immigration and complaints from the local government of the Grand Duchy of Finland. During the Alexandrian period, Finland's Swedish-speaking elite was almost entirely displaced by Finnish-speakers.
Now the Finnish-speakers did not want the growth of the Swedish-speakers again, for fear of losing ground in the socio-political and economic life of the region.
But the number of Swedes seeking to immigrate to Russia and piling up at the border kept growing, so the Russian government had to do something.
On October 16, Tsar Alexander III issued a decree for Swedish immigrants in Russia, firstly facilitating their arrival in Russia but also carrying out a policy of 're-settlement' of said immigrants on Russian soil.
Many of them would end up in the Åland Islands, which were still predominantly Swedish-speaking, but others would end up in the Caucasus, Siberia-Far East and European Russia (especially the Baltic).
The Swedish government conferred with Russia about this decision, of course with certain complaints, although the fact that the Swedish Jewish population was leaving was welcomed by the Swedish government at the time.
This is why Sweden and Russia reached a protocol between the two, the border between both sides was militarized through checkpoints, but easy access was still allowed for the Jewish population and certain Swedes to Russia.
Of course, the aristocratic social government of Sweden still had the goal of ending those who did not immigrate to Russia, but that is another matter.
The Social Aristocracy in Sweden no longer had an aristocracy, so they solved it with even more anti-Semitism than the British, with some large doses of Nordic paganism and militant violence around the country.
This meant more immigration to Russia and solving most of the Finnish complaints regarding Swedish immigration to its border, and avoiding illegal immigration through the militarization of the border.
Of course on rare occasions the Russian authorities and some collaborating Swedish authorities still made some strategies to allow 'illegal' Swedes to get a chance to cross the border easily.
*******
The Swedes who moved to Russia were generally monarchists, Jews, liberal-social democrats, and socialists, all of whom did not fit exactly well in the new Sweden.
Among these was a family that obviously stood out, the Bernadotte dynasty in exile. That they lived in Russia, similar to how the Habsburgs lived in the United Kingdom or the Bonaparte in Africa, exiled after the change of government due to various factors.
On December 8, King Oscar II of Sweden, the last reigning king of Sweden (who lived through the Fashoda war and the fall of the Kingdom of Sweden), died.
Tsar Alexander III gave a quasi-state funeral to the Swedish king, while the Bernadotte dynasty and most monarchists in exile recognized Oscar Gustaf Adolf, as Gustaf V, heir to Oscar II and rightful king of Sweden.
Russia did not recognize the Swedish monarchy, they recognized that obviously now Sweden was a non-monarchical country, although obviously the Swedish form of government was not the best either ...
Despite this, the Bernadotte family lived quite well in Saint Petersburg and with some smaller estates in Finland and Estonia.
There the Bernadottes dedicated themselves to reclaiming their lost throne vocally (but lacking in actions), doing acts of charity, some capitalist enterprise, meetings with Swedes in Russia and some meetings with Russian high society to discuss common things (art, sports, the weather, etc).
There were Swedish monarchical societies in Russia, but the most notable were the Socialists and Social Democrats, who called for things like universal health services and other reforms from the Russian state, but were generally loyal and unproblematic (something Russian nationalists liked).
In Sweden, on the other hand, in the absence of the monarchy, the non-monarchical ultra-right bastadized the Bernadottes (the monarchy), the Jews and the political left.
This influence of the Social Aristocracy marked many Swedes, the traditional (monarchical) right simply disappeared from the national psyche.
Right-wing populism and militancy, neo-paganism and Nordicism-Aryanism ran freely through Swedish society.
*******
[Russosphere]
On October 17, the Russian Empire celebrates a series of trade tariff, immigration, joint investment and customs treaties with various members of the Russosphere (area of influence of the Russian Empire).
This assumes a much more established commercial relationship between Russia and its 'allies' (protectorates or states under the influence), rather than a series of individual treaties between each country or group of countries.
It meant the strong presence of the ruble over the rest of the countries (practically a frank currency in the Russosphere), allowing Russia to absorb the local brain drain, the minor countries receiving Russian specialized workers, the continued investment of Russian capital in local infrastructure, Russian rights to local resources, and the influence that comes with all this, etc.
Forming a pretty decent Russian bloc.
Countries included.
*Russia.
* Kingdom of Hungary.
* Kingdom of Slovakia.
*Kurdistan.
* Republic of Syria.
* Greater Lebanon.
* State of Ionia.
* Republic of Cilicia.
* Montenegro.
*Bosnia Herzegovina.
* Kingdom of Albania.
* Republic of Macedonia (North).
* Alawite State.
*Assyria.
* Druzia (the State of the Druze).
* Republic of Baghdad (or Iraq).
* State of Mesopotamia (Shiite Iraq).
*Kuwait.
Serbia and Bulgaria were a special case with future invitations and other deals with Russia, and Romania and Greece were not invited after the local wars in both countries.
Therefore this treaty applied mainly to parts of the Balkans, most of Anatolia, the Russian Middle East and Hungary-Slovakia (in central-eastern Europe).
Hungary continued to have regained 'part' of its post-Austro-Hungarian national pride, thereby continuing its route from 'Hungarian Switzerland' (a financial center for Central-Eastern Europe, dependent on Russian resources).
Although Slovakia was a notable competitor the Hungarian dream.
Alawite State and Greater Lebanon became tourist centers for the rest of the Russosphere (with hotels and other coastal infrastructure) in the eastern Mediterranean.
Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina continued to be particularly affected countries and to which Russian products arrived. The trans-Balkan railway continues under construction.
Druzia was basically a mountainous-rural state under Syria and under Russia.
The rest of the member states continued an interesting development under Russian capital and guidance, in particular more oil began to be discovered and extracted from the Middle East, for the benefit of Russia (and allies by trickle down economics).
*******
[First Duma]
The creation of the Pan-Russian National Union (Всероссийский национальный союз / Vserossiyskiy Natsional'nyy Soyuz, VNS) marked an important change in the First Duma, it was a much more 'united' and centralized rightist bloc, a real opposition to the left and center of the First Duma.
This left in the center the moderates, autonomists, independents not aligned to the right, the Kadets and Septembrists. And there were some of the latter quite aligned with the right (and therefore possible allies of the VNS).
On the left, on the other hand, were still the members of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP, Российская социал-демократическая рабочая партия / Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochadoviiya), and the left-wing Populists of Trujillo. Even so, it was clear that for the next elections, the Trudoviks would lose ground to the Social Democrats-Socialists.
The government was still formed and led by Premier Stolypin, but the nationalist and right-wing faction was now a powerful part of the Duma that could interfere in the legislative process of the Russian Empire.
Once again being a possible problem for the young democracy in Russia.
Premier Stolypin was a comprehensive reformer, he assumed slow reforms that could take years to produce results or pass in the Duma, so such opposition could seriously damage important developments in the Premier's policies.
Especially in this period of 1907, at the end of the year Premier Stolypin and the legislative government under Tsar Alexander III proposed new measures.
* Labor reform: "On the provision of workers in case of illness", said law would provide that workers would receive payments in case of temporary disability and employers had to organize free medical care for workers.
Money issued through independent public funds administered by the insured themselves (called sickness funds), the salary of the workers and some fees of the employers.
Not applying to all industries or types of accidents of course.
* Educational reform: Continue to increase public education (support for low-income families between the ages of 6 and 16), more Russian lessons in secondary education, women's education and specialization in Russian universities.
* Reform of the penal system: Introduction of the conditional sentence in certain matters.
* Reform about income taxes.
* Reform about the administration of local municipalities, religious and rural societies: With the aim of simplifying all this or making it more efficient in the lines of agrarian reform and civil reforms of the Russian Empire.
* Reform of the town halls: Remove the laws that prohibited Jews from being more than 30% of town halls in cities and other forms of legal anti-Semitism.
* Continue the policy of settlement and industrialization of Central Siberia and Alyáska.
*Anti-curruption laws (anti-filibusterism, anti-corruption and lobbysm)
Some members of each part of the Duma could be in favor or against this, as a result of this the period of November-December 1907, the First Duma was quite paralyzed, revising the bills several times and proposing different modifications.
It was also necessary to fight against the refusal of certain deputies to discuss the bills (a form of filibusterism in a certain sense), to fight against lobbying attempts (the 'United Nobility') and obviously the extension of the periods of discussion of actions legislative.
And other anti-democratic activities, such as duels between Kadets and Septembrists (factionalism), or harassment and insult to deputies.
By 1908 there was already some improvement in the state of things, although problems continued.
*******
[Militarization of the Baltic?]
December 5, the Ministry of the Navy continues its naval expansion with infrastructure around the Baltic, especially around the Gulf of Finland.
This was to continue the protection of the Russian Baltic (St. Petersburg and other major ports), Russia continued to invest in the construction of ships, submarines, equipment, bases and some new projects.
Of course not as much as Britain or decadent Germany, but it was still an investment of the Russian state.
During this, a current arose within various factions of the Empire, primarily the need to re-militarize the Åland Islands for the use of the Russian armed forces.
This had been imposed through treaties to Russia, but Russia had already been able to overcome previous prohibitions, such as the Black Sea fleet, being able to recover from the Crimean War.
Other powers were occupied, but Sweden and the United Kingdom were concerned about the growth of the Russian imperial navy in the Baltic.
Especially when the Baltic Sea-White Sea channel existed, which allowed quite large battleships to cross from the Arctic to the Baltic, something that Sweden (and allies) could not afford like Russia (due to the largest fleet of icebreakers in the world belonging to Russia and geographical distances between the two power blocks).
Tsar Alexander III did not re-militarize the islands, but it was clear that he could seek it out and Admiral Makarov developed together with the war ministry a plan to have troops on the island in the event of a war in the Baltic and Scandinavia.
*******
[International]
At the beginning of October, academics and other delegates such as Otto Jespersen, Wilhelm Ostwald and Roland Eötvös (Danish, German, English, etc.) meet at the Delegation for the Adoption of an International Auxiliary Language, to determine an international language.
The meeting ends by reforming Esperanto.
The truth is that the dreams of an international language (Esperanto and similar) are never fulfilled, instead there are some international business languages or regional lingua francas (English, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, etc).
October 17, the American projects in Hispaniola continue with the opening of the first telegraphs and another American import to the island.
On November 21, Americans founded the first American-style university in the region, teaching English and other factual sciences (engineering).
This supposes the 'civilization' of the natives of Hispaniola (generally Afro-Caribbean, although there are also whites and some Native American descendants), generally considered inferior by the whites of the United States.
October 18, diplomatic meetings between the German Empire and the United States of America begin. By 1908, the United States is going to hold elections, so it makes sense that the Republicans want to close down at least part of the conflict.
October 24, various Wall Street financiers go into crisis and bankruptcy due to the Great Depression, inflation continues and only a few monopolies remain standing (J. P. Morgan, E. H. Harriman and James Stillman in particular).
American capitalist barons continue to amass some prominence due to the Great Depression, after they continue to join the arms business in Latin America and the Mexican front.
But other businesses fail, especially small and medium businesses, and some large industries (luxury products such as coffee, certain foods, certain minerals-metals, and agricultural products)
November 4, the first Russian plush bears arrive in the United States.
As in the Russian Empire and the Rusosphere, they become commercially successful.
November 16, Oklahoma becomes a state as proclaimed by President Elihu Root.
November 25, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason founds the Church of God in Christ.
December 6, a coal mine disaster in West Virginia kills 362 people.
December 14, the Thomas W. Lawson, the largest sailing ship in the world (with 7 masts) sinks in Sicily due to an incident (colliding near the islands).
*******
*["Peace"]
December 16, the German Empire and the United States reach a treaty that effectively ends the Haitian and Colombian-Panamanian fronts of the American-Germanic war.
* Germany recognizes the current government of Hispaniola and the American presence there, with certain rewards for the theft of German assets.
* The United States recognizes Greater Colombia, but takes over Panama as a territory outside the continental United States.
* The conflict between the two navies in the Caribbean stops, so the United States stops attacking Cuba (Second Mexican Empire) and the German Empire stops its maritime war policy without restrictions.
This means that only one issue remains unresolved, the Mexican front, where the United States is still involved, German troops remain in Tehuantepec and Yucatan, and Mexican guerrillas continue to fight.
This saves only a little of the republican popularity in the United States and the German economy, profound damage is already done irreversibly for the following decades.
The German economy is in decline without stopping, the housing crisis has worsened, many valuable military assets have been lost, and positions in Latin America still remain under threat.
In the United States, anti-German sentiment is quite high, Republican popularity at an all-time low, rampant inflation, unemployment in the industrial states, the Hippo Wars will not end, and the disastrous Mexican front does not seem to end in the following years. The gains from the war seem very little in exchange for the high costs.
The Second Mexican Empire for its part is reduced mainly to Cuba and some loyal positions in the south, but the great empire has fallen into guerrillas and obviously enormous economic losses. Emperor Maximilian I is still loved of course, but he is quite depressed about the current situation of the Mexican people and cannot help stop the war on the continent.
Gran Colombia (the union of Venezuela and Colombia) have lost Panama, but they are still an economy with a lot of potential, they only have to repair themselves a little and fight against previous problems (the military coups, wars between parties, etc), and try to not end in a new war in the next years.
Grim prospects especially for Mexico and Germany. The United States and Greater Colombia can still emerge, especially the United States (even after stepping on the Mexican bear trap).
*******
December 17, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck becomes the first king of Bhutan (Druk Gyalpo), after being unanimously elected by the representatives of the people, officials and clergy.
Enthroned as the first hereditary king of Bhutan in Punakha Dzong, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck would make major efforts for the unification of Bhutan.
Prior to this, the first Druk Gyalpo had been, more or less, the de-facto ruler of Butan for 10 years, although he was only enthroned in 1907.
December 19, Pennsylvania coal miners' general strike (again) hits industrial states hard during Elihu Root's presidency.
Causing again a serious blow to the coal economy and nearby industrial states, in the midst of the Great Depression (not in the literal medium, there are still many years to go).
December 21, massacre at the Santa Maria School, in Chile, which results in the murder of around 2,000 striking miners at the school.
December 24, in Paris, the People's Republic of France, President Jules Guesde performs the 'Red Promise'.
Under a historical monument honoring the French (socialist) revolution, several time capsules are placed, filled with 'red flowers' (texts and objects of young French socialist generations from 1907).
The promise was that in 100 years (from 1907), the future French socialists would return to remove the capsules. Important for the results of more than 1 century of socialism and future generations of France to be observed
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