บท 39: Welcome new leaders, and new possibilities... (October-December, 1910).
Siam]
October 23, 1910, King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) of the kingdom of Siam dies, this meant the death of a great reformer of Thailand (technological and socio-educational modernization) and ally of the Russian Empire (which precisely allowed the entry of Thailand in the Russosphere through treaties between the two countries).
Fortunately to avoid dynastic wars, Rama V had made clear an heir, Vajiravudh or King Rama VI, who had entered the government relatively recently for certain military reforms.
The rise of King Rama VI meant certain, renewal, in the relations between Siam and the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire wanted of course to make sure that King Rama VI will not try to alienate Thailand from the Russosphere.
Fortunately it did not happen, King Rama VI would renew Thailand's commitments to the Russian Empire, basically keeping the kingdom as a protectorate (with certain freedoms, as during Rama V) and not trying to separate from the Russosphere.
Because to the west was the British Empire and to the east the German Empire, plus angering the Russian Empire could have massive consequences when it comes to the Thai economy and Russian-funded-supported projects.
Like for example, the Thai Canal.
The first actions of Rama VI were aligned with the government of his father and the Russian-Thai cooperation, the creation of new educational institutions was announced such as the Royal Pages College (later renamed Vajiravudh College), Chulalongkorn Academy for Civil Officials (Chulalongkorn University ) and more.
"In the Royal Pages College, what I want is not so much to turn out model boys, all of the same standard, all brilliant scholars with thousands of marks each, as to turn out efficient young men— young men who will be physically and morally clean, and who will be looking forward keenly to take up whatever burden the future of our state may lay upon them "
-King Rama VI.
The modernization of Thai society would continue through the educational introduction, although Russia and Thailand also planned the following military modernization needs under Alexander III-Nicholas II and Rama VI.
Military corps such as the Wild Tiger Corps would be created, with the influence of Russian officers for training. There would also be some Cossack bodies in Thailand, but that's for another time.
*******
[Russian Empire: Elections of 1910]
November 2, finally the time of the 1910 elections has come to the Russian Empire after the August candidacies and the September-October electoral campaigns.
Pyotr Stolypin's Premiership reforms allowed the elections to have some improvement, the first elections where women from the Russian Empire could vote and be elected, which caused an increase in the votes and general participation of the population in the democratic process of the empire.
But not only that, they also fought against electoral fraud, corruption, etc. The democratic process of the Russian Empire had had its foundations and successes, justifying its existence (at least for now).
If we talk about the results of the Second (II) Duma, we are talking about a new situation of power in imperial politics. The moderate-nationalist right, the Pan-Russian National Union (Всероссийский национальный союз, Vserossiyskiy Natsional'nyy Soyuz) gained supremacy in the government.
Not only because of the votes received and their elected deputies, but also because of the formation of the VNS-KD coalition.
The turn of the Kadets (Constitutional Democratic Party, Конституционно-демократическая партия, Konstitutsionno-demokraticheskaya partiya) towards the center-right led to their alliance with the VNS and therefore the formation of a government.
The rest of the Duma was occupied by Pyotr Stolypin's Progressive Bloc (alliance of moderates, liberals, Union of September / Союз сентября / Soyuz sentyabrya, independents and other progressives) and the political left (RSDLP and Trudoviks).
There were also other independent non-partisans and the autonomists-ethno-cultural minorities.
The government of the Second Duma would be divided as follows.
Tsar: Alexander III (Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov).
Tsesarevich: Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov.
Premier of the State Duma: Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev.
Deputy Premier of the State Duma: Pyotr Nikolaevich Balashov.
Minister of War: Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev.
Minister of the Interior: Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin.
Minister of the Navy: Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov.
*Deputy Minister of the Navy: Stepan Makarov.
Ministry of the Imperial Court: Vladimir Borisovich Frederiks (Adolf Andreas Voldemar Friedricks / Adolf Andreas Woldemar Freedericksz).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Mikhail Nikolaevich Girs.
Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry:
Ministry of Public Education, Technology and Culture: Pyotr Mikhailovich von-Kaufman (von-Kaufman-Turkestan).
Ministry of Justice: Ivan Grigorievich Scheglovitov.
Other members of the elected deputies, secret services, bureaucracy and other government workers were also part of course.
The VNS-KD coalition could effectively dominate the Duma for the period 1910-1915 ... but this would only be so if the entire VNS could be coordinated as a single bloc in the first place, which was certainly difficult.
This was due to all the factions of moderates, nationalists, greens and other factions that entered the party, united very weakly.
An example of this is that the Balashovtsevs (followers of Balashov) could many times align with the progressive bloc of the Duma, the factions of Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich and Alexander Ivanovich Dubrovin clashed with each other, and many other similar examples.
What could hinder the legislative activity of the Duma.
It would also affect the lack of a unified, planned or concise economic program, but for that there were Stolypin, Tsesarevich Nicholas, Tsar Alexander III, other deputies of the Duma, etc.
The concerns of the VNS led by Mikhail Skobelev were on other internal aspects of Russia and its foreign policy.
It was clear that the first decades of the 20th century were problematic regarding the relationship between the British, Germans and Russians. With the Anglo-German coalition closing in every day, the Russian Empire must have been prepared, and no one had planned against the Germans as much as Premier Skobelev.
Stolypin during his Premiership had insisted that any non-defensive policy would be insane, but for some militants, the best defense was always a good offense.
There were already several projects on technological developments in the imperial army and navy (and in the air forces, but the other two branches were still the main ones), war plans, civilian evacuation plans, resource rationing plans, industrial plans for the war economy and so on.
But Skobelev still planned the need to go further, the Russian spirit and society had to be ready.
The militarization of Russian society had already begun years ago, but under a nationalist government it is obvious that it is going to reach new heights ...
*******
Among the unexpected consequences of the general elections of 1910.
We have as a first example the beginning of the tidal changes in the Troika of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Российская социал-демократическая рабочая партия / Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochaya partiya).
The Troika, or triumvirate, was led initially by the candidate Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev who had the largest number of followers within the party.
But then the party began to turn more towards the second most popular leader of the Troika, Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili.
* The third leader, Lev Borisovich Kamenev, was still in third place.
On the Russian right, a pair of independent Duma deputies was beginning to align with the right, gaining some popularity.
These were Boris Savinkov and his lackey-assistant, Pyotr Karpovich.
Also of course with these and other twists, the cliques of the intelligence services and the army would become more prominent in certain aspects of Russian politics.
*******
[Navy-Air Force: Aircraft Carrier]
April 7, Navy Deputy Minister Stepan Osipovich Makarov (under the authority of Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov) demonstrates the results of the development of the first aircraft carrier of the Russian Imperial Navy.
An aircraft carrier (авианосец, avianosets) is a warship, which, as its name suggests, has the objective of supporting the air forces, since it is a kind of 'mobile air base' (MA, мобильная авиабаза, Mobil'naya Aviabaza).
The objective of the experiment was to verify how an aircraft could successfully land and take off from an aircraft carrier, in addition to carrying out combat exercises with certain objectives (using the aircraft to bombard targets at sea and on land).
This of course was more of a prototype in its final phase, or a proto-aircraft carrier, much less modern than current carriers and with the technological difficulties of the 1900s-1910s.
And finally it turned out that the development of the aircraft carriers or avianosets, was a success in the aforementioned tests and exercises. Made in the White Sea and some other secret / closed testing grounds of the Russian Empire.
With the successful results, the government of the Russian Empire under Alexander III and Premier Skobelev, accepted the creation of a first generation of aircraft carriers (created during 1911 and 1913 in particular).
While Makarov directed the design, experimentation and development.
While the Minister of the Navy, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov, devoted himself to the preparation and expansion of the shipyards and fleets of the Russian Empire.
For the production of the aircraft carriers, shipyards and industrial capacity would be needed, which Russia certainly had, but we are talking about a new asset so the builders had to be trained, the necessary technical specifications prepared, etc. A logistical-bureaucratic project, precisely in which the Grand Duke was successful.
With the aircraft carriers there were also new cooperations and approaches towards the air force, as it could (and now, had to) work with the navy and not only with the ground forces.
As far as doctrine is concerned, under Makarov's term as minister during the reign of Alexander III, the doctrine of submarines (wolf packs) had developed and amphibious operations had advanced (the capture of Constantinople).
But now with the development of aircraft carriers and the international situation, new developments were going to be needed in the Russian Empire.
This because it was expected that the empire's navy would have to compete with the navy of the Imperial Federation and the German Empire, two of the largest navies in the world.
Precisely in this two doctrines had arisen, one that wanted to match the super-drednouts of the Imperial Federation and one that sought the use of a combination of torpedoes and aerial bombardment (dependent on the aircraft carriers).
Ultimately it turned out to win the second idea, much cheaper when it came to competing with the Imperial Federation (which spent a lot for a limited number of Super-Drednouts).
It was clear that the Russian Empire was not going to fight under similar conditions and while rapidly expanding the navy was possible, the Russian Empire was still a land power (the way to bring down Germany faster). They couldn't invade the Imperial Federation by land (a very complicated geography).
The plan of the Russian Drednouts would be rather to fight in the Pacific, precisely a 'natural environment' for this type of ships, in addition to the fact that certain British positions such as Malaysia and Borneo could be taken or "threatened" (threatening was rather towards Australia and New Zealand).
The rest of the fleets and ships had their own guidelines depending on the situation, defending crucial points, attacking supply lines, how to fight against enemy drednouts, etc.
The submarine doctrine would remain the same for the moment.
*******
[Science]
October 30, scientist and inventor Boris Lvovich Rosing makes major breakthroughs, in what Rosing called the idea of the 'electric telescope' (what we call television).
Rosing invented the first Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a kind of vacuum tube that could display transmitted images, through the manipulation of its beams, images could be displayed on a phosphorescent screen.
Today CRT are adapted to devices such as television and computers.
After this invention and the receipt of a patent, Rosing would work for the state in founding the Kuban State Technological University.
In 1911-1914, Rosing began to develop theories and some experiments for his so-called 'electric telescope'. Although of course there was still a long way to go for a modern television or computer.
*******
[International]
October 1, President William J. Bryan officially launches the constitutions of Panama and Hispaniola as 'associated' territories with the United States.
Basically a kind of protectorates or colonies by another name, they have no representation in the United States, but the United States influences many of the spheres of society and government in the region.
Battle of Palaú (Coahuila), marking an important defeat for the guerrilla-revolutionary forces that had advanced in Coahuila and Nuevo León.
2800 Mexicans die, including Venustiano Carranza, who led part of the front for the reconquest of the north. With Carranza's death, part of the operation falls, forcing Mexican forces to retreat while the Americans regain some of their lost territory.
The guerrilla-revolutionary army is now led primarily by Emilio Madero and Pancho Villa, with the government led by the Mexican Revolutionary Council.
The People's Republic of France and the Federative Socialist Republic of Italy are successful in rebuilding military capabilities, again initiating major developments in the air force and navy.
October 3, the Imperial Senate of China (Tsucheng-yuan) is called for the first time during the Qing dynasty, the senate is presided over by the regent Prince Chun.
The Senate has 202 members, 100 were elected by provincial assemblies and the others 102 appointed by Prince Chun.
It is certainly not democratic, although it is not that the Imperial Senate of China had much time to develop and be currently useful in something.
October 4-5, in the Portuguese Socialist Republic the Portuguese Communist Party (Portuguese section of the Iberian Communist Party) carries out important reforms.
Not only educational reforms similar to those promoted by Francisco Largo Caballero or military-police such as those in Catalonia, but also internal reforms as occurred in other parts of the socialist world.
Former palaces of the nobility became museums or distribution sites for state aid, many new hospitals were built, construction of civil-military infrastructure (communication, transport, defense, etc.), and occasional purges against 'counter-revolutionaries'.
Old church properties were nationalized, new industries were built (with aid exported from northern Italy and France), and the socialist state was firmly established in society.
Portugal became a fortress in the west of socialist Iberia, mainly due to the fear of a possible invasion by the Imperial Federation.
October 10, in the great Latin American wars, the imperial forces of Dom Pedro III capture Rondônia from the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
As a result of this, Brazilian imperial troops, troops from Paraguay (in the Chaco) and troops from Acre begin to push Bolivia out of the war.
Despite this important victory, which would play its role on the Bolivian fronts, the Empire of Brazil of Dom Pedro III did not know or could not capitalize on this victory as regards Mato Grosso, Goiás, Bahias and other states under Republican control.
October 11, Dr. Sun Yat-sen meets with the Tongmenghui group, declaring that on March 29, 1911, the next uprising against the Qing dynasty will begin.
October 12, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, funded by John D. Rockefeller, opens its first hospital (with 75 beds).
October 14, incidents occur between the navy of the Imperial Federation and the French countries (the Second French Empire and the People's Republic of France).
It is clear that the Imperial Federation is testing the waters as to whether the situation is adequate to return to fight against these countries (retake Suez, eliminate part of European socialism, etc).
October 15, the People's Republic of France is successful in its agricultural plans, a French generation begins to eat healthily again after the collectivization processes.
Although some products are missing from time to time, because they had to be mostly imported. Like, for example, potatoes (pomme de terre).
And there are producing countries, like the USA, that refuse to export potatoes to socialist France.
Ramon Barros Luco becomes president of Chile, the situation in the country is remarkably unstable, in the midst of economic problems and the war with Argentina, the government is divided between liberals and conservatives who could not agree.
October 16, the Qajar dynasty in Persia establishes forces to protect the roads in the areas of influence of the Russian Empire and the Imperial Federation, preventing theft or attacks on vehicles related to foreign interests.
Particularly in northern Persia, the Russian Empire trains its particular Persian police forces for such purposes, similar to the Persian Cossack brigade.
All this related to his interests, it was good to have some of the best-trained and most modern forces in Persia in his pocket.
October 18, the dictatorship in Greece completely seizes the powers of the monarchy-government after the attempts of King George I to end it, placing the monarchy as something purely ceremonial-decorative.
George I's son, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, becomes a collaborator himself, though certainly somewhat angered by the attack on the monarch's powers. We can say that Constantine was opportunistic or maybe just a bit of an idiot.
Russia and other Balkan countries protested loudly when the Kingdom of Greece and the Imperial Federation approached again, the imperial navy was now very close to the Greek shores.
October 20, the RMS Olympic is launched.
October 22, the Imperial Senate of China moves Prince Chun's date for the creation of the elected parliament and written constitution, from 1916 (the date Chun wanted) to 1913 (the date the senate wanted).
Under Kaiser Wilhelm III and Chancellor Paul von Hindenburg, the ill-treatment of the German government (in his time under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck) against the Poles and some Jews, is repeated again.
October 24, disaster in the government of Hispaniola, with an explosion in the gunboat Liberte, 70 of the 90 passengers died, including 10 generals and other high-ranking people.
The United States is not related, but it certainly serves to start a clean slate on the island, placing more puppets of American interests in the associated territory of Hispaniola.
October 27, the Kone Oyj company, one of the largest elevator manufacturing companies in the world, is founded in the Grand Duchy of Finland (Russian Empire).
They worked with the Russian state on a few occasions on construction projects during the 20th century, a story for another time.
October 28, Democratic Peru finally establishes its supremacy over the last remnants of civilist Peru in the north, marking a heavy blow for the Chilean bloc.
With this, Democratic Peru turned its attention, it had to help Gran Colombia to defeat Ecuador or help to defeat Bolivia.
On October 31, the country, led by José Nicolás Baltazar Fernández de Piérola and Villena "el Califa", focuses its attention first on helping Greater Colombia against Ecuador.
The Chilean coalition was reduced to Chile, Bolivia and the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
October 30, Shiraz Muslims expel the majority of the Jewish community (about 6,000 Jews) after spreading the false rumor of the murder of a Muslim child.
November 1, riots in Lima are crushed by the government of Nicolás de Piérola y Villena, after having launched its coup, Democratic Peru will not allow a counter-coup or a coup against them.
January 3, General Tanaka Giichi, of the Imperial Japanese Army, is assassinated during the instability of the Empire of Japan, resulting in a spiral of uncontrol within the IJA.
As a result of this the opposition and problems within the Japanese ground forces intensify.
They start rumors about alleged discussions about the annexation of Panama and Hispaniola to the United States, although President William J. Bryan would later deny this.
November 4, the Qing dynasty issues a new decree, ordering that all Chinese diplomats abroad should cut their hair (remove their Manchu hairstyle) and "wear their hair as is the practice of the countries in which they are stationed."
Although this is quite broad and vague, especially in countries with many popular or native cuts of different cultures-ethnicities ...
November 5, in the Imperial Federation they initiate attacks against the post-impressionist movement after many authorities and popular critics compared this artistic tendency with anarchism.
Many of the Post-Impressionists and Post-Impressionist works of the Imperial Federation go elsewhere, what was called the 'Post-Impressionist scandal' and 'Post-Impressionist diaspora'.
November 6, sculptures of the god Vishnu, dating from the 9th century, are discovered by archaeologists in Sahebganj (Jharkhand), north of the British Raj, a colony of the Imperial Federation.
November 8, the elections of the House of Representatives in the United States show the changes in the country, although the chamber is mostly Democratic, the traditional Republicans now hardly exist.
Now the National Republicans and Socialists occupy the second and third positions as the main parties within the United States government.
November 9, 26 people make another attempt on the life of Emperor Meiji, something that decades ago or even less, would have been considered unthinkable ...
November 10, the Imperial Federation gives a loan of 15 million pounds to Chile and another of 50 million pounds to China.
Of course it does not come from generosity, it comes from the interests of the Imperial Federation.
November 15, Rui Barbosa becomes president of Brazil, starting almost immediately his new economic policies to try to resolve the situation in the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
There were on the one hand the great Latin American wars and on the other the Great Depression, it was not a simple situation ... and Barbosa's policies would not help to resolve the situation.
November 18, one of the largest protests for the right to vote for women in British history, thousands of suffragettes led by Emmeline Pankhurst marched to the Palace of Westminster for the rejection of the reform proposals.
The police respond by violently suppressing this, leading to what was called Black Friday.
It was clear that despite certain sympathies for the suffragettes, the reform was not to occur under the reign of Albert Victor and Louis Alexander Mountbatten.
Aquiles Serdán de Puebla is assassinated during the northern front between the Mexican guerrilla-revolutionaries and the United States.
Puebla honors this politician and revolutionary as a local hero, who had supported the reform proposals of the Madero brothers and the Mexican Revolutionary Council.
November 22, as said, only a few days after becoming president, Rui Barbosa begins the path to the economic crisis of the Republic of the United States of Brazil by enacting his new policies.
Which undoubtedly initiates certain instabilities, not only in the country but also in the region of the former Empire of Brazil due to the weakness of local markets in the midst of the Great Depression, guerrilla fighting, displaced populations, etc.
November 30, Thomas Edison claims to have created a patent for a flying machine, similar to a helicopter. But he never created it materially.
December 3, modern neon lights are shown for the first time in Paris, People's Republic of France.
December 4, the Madero army (led by Emilio Madero) succeeds in stopping the American advance on the northern Mexican front (after Carranza's death).
December 7, Gran Colombia and Peru successfully trap several Ecuadorian corps, continuing the successful Colombian invasion of Ecuador during the great Latin American wars.
Now with the support of democratic Peru in the south, Ecuador's downfall is rapidly accelerating.
December 10, economic decline in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro during the government of Rui Barbosa, the Republic of the United States of Brazil is reeling economically (although the army manages to stay, the question would be: For how long?).
The fall is due to expansive policies of the Brazilian currency without metallic backing, lack of internal industries, devaluation of Brazilian products such as coffee and rubber, the economic damages of years of war and civil-bureaucratic mismanagement, etc.
December 19, explosion in Grand Central in New York, USA. 10 dead and 125 injured from the accident.
December 20, the Argentine air force successfully begins the bombardment of several important Chilean positions, Chile in response created its Chilean Military Aviation Service.
The problem is that Argentina had more money and therefore a larger air force, which already had more experience and preparation thanks to government support, so the Chilean pilots had few opportunities to learn and shine before getting down (some survived of course, but they were under siege, which didn't help to develop much of a Chilean air force)...
December 24, the Imperial Senate of China votes in favor of the rejection of the power of the emperor to reject the senate's proposals for a constitution with democratic reforms.
Two days later they reconsider the vote due to the insistence of the court about how the reform demands will be granted. Eventually.
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