Chapter 1162 The Visit of Franz IV
September 30, 1914.
The Rhine City welcomed a new group of guests. Since the outbreak of the European War, Washington and the Rhine City have become the focus of frequent visits by the two camps.
The mission that visited the Rhine City this time was composed of the Ottomans, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the outbreak of the war, East Africa's importance to the Allied camp became increasingly prominent, especially in terms of overseas material sources. East Africa almost achieved trade with the three countries. Monopoly on most strategic materials in China.
In 1914, the total population of Rhine City successfully exceeded 600,000. A large number of corporate headquarters and government agencies were located in Rhine City. At the same time, the development of other industrial and agricultural industries showed great vitality, with New Frankfurt City, Kabwe, Lusaka, etc. Cities form another core of the Central East African economy.
In the center of the Rhineland, classical and ultra-modern buildings complement each other and are well-proportioned. After the urban economy was liberalized, a large number of people poured into the capital. The streets are bustling with traffic and people coming and going, reflecting the profound heritage and vitality of urban culture.
This is very rare. After all, East Africa has never been a country with a profound history. However, East African cities such as the Rhine City have made East Africa look similar to some European cities with profound historical heritage through architecture, art, and design. .
And it is completely different from the style of modern American architecture, especially the exaggerated architectural forms of New York's various types of skyscrapers and dense steel and cement forests.
East Africa has its own unique understanding of some modern architecture, which is deeply imprinted with Ernst's architectural aesthetics of previous Far Eastern cities. At first glance, it is far less wild and artistic than the new architecture in Europe and the United States.
This is fundamentally different from the classical architecture in the Rhineland. In terms of classical architecture, East Africa completely replicates the essence of European classical architecture in a rigid manner, and it can be said that it is meticulous.
However, the modern architecture in the Rhine City pursues practicality and unity in appearance. This makes the new-school buildings in East Africa look a bit conservative, unified, and cookie-cutter compared to the new-school buildings in Europe and America that are now being developed roughly, but they can achieve very good results.
This cannot be seen in a single building, but within the entire urban building complex, it appears to be very integrated, natural and smooth.
To describe it simply, just like many people write, European and American architects are currently pursuing the pinnacle of individual fonts and incorporating their own artistic characteristics. However, when arranged into sentences or articles, some fonts will appear very abrupt, while those in East Africa are simple and square. There is no distinctive font, but the unified design and planning of the city make the whole font very pleasing to the eye.
This made Duke Friedrich Franz IV of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who came to East Africa for the first time, very sad.
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is one of the important states in North Germany. Although Prussia unified Germany, there are still many monarchs below, the most famous of which is the Kingdom of Bavaria or the Principality of Hechingen.
Bavaria is the second kingdom in Germany after Prussia, and the Principality of Hechingen is special in that its nominal ruler is the famous Emperor Ernst of the Rhine Empire.
Therefore, as the monarch of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, if the East African factor is excluded, the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is theoretically more important than the Principality of Hechingen, but it is not needed now. I am confused, who allowed the monarch of the Princely Kingdom of Hechingen to still hold the title of the Rhine Empire? There is no comparison between the two.
Francis IV's uncle was Tsar Nicholas II, and his grandfather was the nephew of the former German Emperor Wilhelm I. Crown Prince Friedrich said to Francis IV who was amazed: "Your Excellency, it seems that you are very interested in our urban construction in East Africa?"
Franz IV, who was questioned, said: "This is natural. This is my first time coming to East Africa. To be honest, East Africa has greatly exceeded my expectations. This city can be said to be my favorite city outside of Europe." , one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, it is like a work of art that makes people linger. ”
In front of Friedrich, Franz IV naturally could only say good things. After all, Friedrich was not comparable to himself, the false king of the German state, from any angle.
Of course, the admiration for the urban construction in East Africa is not fabricated, but inspired. Nowadays, European countries are caught in the flames of war, and a peaceful area like East Africa is probably a paradise second only to the United States.
Crown Prince Friedrich, who inherited his father's character, said modestly: "There are still some gaps between East Africa and Europe and the United States, and there is still a lot to learn. After all, compared with the traditional German region, the history of East Africa's development is still very short. Most of our achievements were developed on the basis of Germany and other first-mover countries.”
The traditional German region is naturally relative to East Africa. After all, East Africa calls itself a German country, so East Africa is naturally the new German region.
Of course, this is mainly to distinguish the concepts of large and small German regions in Europe. Among the two plans for German reunification, what was realized was the Little Germany advocated by Prussia, while the Greater Germany would cover Austria and other German regions.
However, due to various reasons, the concept of New Germany has not been widely recognized for the time being, and New Germany is not like New France. The Rhine Empire is a major power in the world today, and New France was only a colony at its most glorious, not to mention that it has now been conquered by Britain and the United States. The country is completely divided, with only one region of Quebec having some influence.
Franz IV: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a little humble. I have come here from Dar es Salaam and have a full understanding of the national conditions of East Africa. Except that the population is somewhat thinner than that of Germany, East Africa has not developed at all now." As good as anywhere in Europe.”
The area of Europe as a whole is smaller than that of East Africa, and the population is indeed three to four times that of East Africa. However, the European population is not evenly distributed. For example, Germany has more than 500,000 square kilometers of land, but more than 60 million people live in it. Therefore, Germany The population is relatively dense, while other regions such as the Balkans and Northern Europe may not be as dense as many regions in East Africa.
"Nowadays, all European countries are deep in the quagmire of war, but East Africa has taken advantage of this opportunity to prosper all over the world, and its economy is booming. It is really enviable."
Although the energy is involved in Europe, it does not mean that European countries are not aware of the trends of countries such as East Africa and the United States. Now East Africa and the United States are making a lot of money around the world, especially East Africa, which got all of Germany before the war. Overseas colonies, from this alone, East Africa has made a lot of money.
Of course, that is to say, East Africa did not take advantage of Britain and France being busy with the European war to sneak attacks on their overseas core interests. It is hard to say for France. Britain will definitely withdraw from the European war directly. After all, no matter how great the threat from Germany is, it cannot compare with India's safety.
As for the economy, European countries can only allow East Africa and the United States to conquer cities and territories in their respective overseas markets. Of course, this situation will end after World War I. As long as overseas colonies are not lost, Britain and France will have ways to control them after the war. Most of the market share has been regained, so the most important thing at the moment is to solve the immediate troubles of Germany and Austria-Hungary.
And this is exactly what Germany does not want to see. For the sake of World War I, Germany has sacrificed too much, including its own colonies, so Germany will never allow the war to fail. If it does not defeat the Allies, even if it is a draw, it will be considered strategic for Germany. failure.
Franz IV's visit to East Africa was obviously another lobbying activity on behalf of the German government. In fact, the German government also put a lot of effort into the United States. However, compared with the United Kingdom, it was ultimately difficult for Germany to achieve actual breakthroughs in the United States.
(End of chapter)