Octopus diplomacy (April-June, 1880)
Electricity: Lachinov]
The Kompaniya Elektricheskogo Osveshcheniya or KEO (translated as Electric Lighting Company) received contributions from one of its workers, Dmitry Aleksandrovich Lachinov, a friend of Vladimir Chikolev.
Lachinov developed how to solve an important problem, the transmission of electricity over long distances. The main idea explained by Lachinov is that to maintain the efficiency of the power transmission it is necessary to increase the transmitted voltage as the distance increases (in proportion to the square root of the resistance of the circuit, which eliminates the dependence on the efficiency from distance).
That meant that KEO will begin the development of high-voltage technology, based on Yablochkov transformers and the ideas of Lachinov's electromechanical work.
This had another important effect, it would make it possible to capitalize in a much more effective way the hydroelectric resources and power plants of various parts of Russia at the time of increased electrification of the country.
Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev were some of the first fully illuminated cities in the 19th century, which became an attraction in itself during the Sankt-Peterburgskaya Universal'naya Vystavka.
Various Russian streets got lamp posts with signs indicating the main roads and routes of the city (and temporarily the universal exhibition).
The foreigners obviously had some fun walking or even cycling during the day and at night.
Even the first traffic light in Russia was installed due to the crowded universal exhibition.
*******
* Perspective of Nikola Tesla.
Together with Petar, the young Serbian watched a row of electric lights illuminate the paths around one of the main squares of the universal exhibition.
"Hey guys, you have to try these noodles." Mihajlo shows up with a couple of instant noodles bought from a few servings.
"They look weird." Petar mentions while Nikola looks at the noodles curiously.
Then a person bumps into Mihajlo and Mihajlo's noodles end up on the man's suit. "Hey! Be more careful." The man mentions in English, as he does not know Russian, which is why Mihajlo simply speaks to him in another language until he leaves.
"Little did we know at the time that Mihajlo had thrown his noodles on top of Thomas Alba Edison, when he recognized us when he made an exhibition of his patents on pieces from the United States.
It's a curious start to the story between Edison and me. Mr. Edison tried to recruit 'Russian talent', including me (because at that time most Americans don't know how to differentiate between Slavic peoples), but sadly his record of opposing Russian inventors (Lodygin) did not give him much success.
Although I did not accept Mr. Edison's proposal, his demonstration gave me something very important, more than money, ideas.
In 1881 I decided to move to Vladivostok to form my own company. "
-Memoirs of Nikola Tesla.
*******
[Russo-British diplomacy?]
During the Sankt-Peterburgskaya Universal'naya Vystavka it was clear that Russia (only to a certain extent according to Western powers) was an industrialized state, before it was already a great power and therefore its interests had to be taken into account.
This was only reaffirmed with the demonstration of military power and economic growth demonstrated in 1876 and 1880.
During the exhibition the United Kingdom obtained a new Prime Minister, after its considerable failures abroad, anti-Ottoman sentiment in the public, the resignation of conservatives towards liberal sections of politics and little support for English farmers, William Ewart Gladstone returned as Prime Minister to Queen Victoria on April 23.
*******
"English policy in Afghanistan has proven to be a fraud, two of our delegates have died and sending a third does not seem like an option." Gladstone explains to his foreign minister Granville George Leveson-Gower, the anxious Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood Dufferin and Queen Victoria.
"Why don't we support another Emir?" Queen Victoria questions her Prime Minister.
"Because Afghans will fight whether we have a puppet or not." Dufferin intervenes, although he is promptly silenced, his point is valid.
"Consequently, we must reach a diplomatic discussion with Russia."
The Russians and the English started diplomatic discussions between Alexander III and Prime Minister Gladstone, it was clear that both wanted the establishment of an independent Afghanistan (also the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan who did not want foreign interference to begin with).
The question was: What borders would it have?
There were territories that both empires wanted, for example Russia wanted parts of the Pamirs and even some border cities that wanted to be part of Russia.
The British Empire had interests in some of the regions close to the British Raj.
But a semi-functional buffer state was still needed.
*******
[Ministry of railways: A future change]
After years of work in the service of Tsar Alexander III, the railway minister Pavel Petrovich Melnikov was showing health problems that forced him to retire to his estate in Lyuban, 85 kilometers from Saint Petersburg.
*******
Tsar Alexander III stopped to pray (accompanied by Deputy Minister Alexey Pavlovich Bobrinsky) at the Lyuban Church, built with Melnikov money. Which Melnikov himself also used to build a home for the elderly, a boarding school for orphans of railway workers and a school for children.
The tsar stopped to greet the children, elders, and church attendants shortly after he and Bobrinsky had visited Melnikov and prayed.
"It's a shame, Melnikov has been a very good worker." Tsar Alexander III mentions.
"The Trans-Siberian Railway is almost finished, I hope I live to see it." Deputy Minister Bobrinsky mentions.
"... It would be nice, but it will be what God decides." Emperor Alexander III responds. "When Melnikov dies, you will be minister of railways, I already have your replacement as deputy minister."
"Who?". Bobrinsky asks professionally.
"Sergei Witte." Emperor Alexander III responds, a valid substitute (with the right ties also) with an impeccable record.
*******
[Sports Culture: Soccer Diplomacy]
At a time when the curious eyes of foreigners were fixed on the Russian Soccer League, the government of Alexander III offered some invitations for the realization of an international match (or tournament in case many accepted) between a Russian team and foreign teams. .
Invitations were sent to:
*Italy.
*Germany.
* Austria-Hungary.
* France and Spain (although it was doubted that they were attending because they had just emerged from a civil war).
*UK.
* Sweden-Norway.
*Bulgaria.
* Serbia.
* Montenegro.
*Greece.
*Romania.
Of the invitations, they accepted: Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece, Germany and Italy.
This assumed that the event (planned for 1882) had four Slavic-Orthodox teams, a Greek-Orthodox team, a German team (Catholic-Protestant) and two Romance-Christian (Catholic Italy-Orthodox Romania)teams.
*******
[Sports culture: Quarter-finals]
* Arkhangelsk vs Siedlce: 3-1 (Victroai of Arkhangelsk).
* Vladivostok vs Moscow: 2-4 (Moscow victory).
* Saint Petersburg vs Tbilisi: 2-1 (Victory of Saint Petersburg).
* Riga vs Grozny: 1-2 (Grozny win).
*******
[International]
At the beginning of April, when the English Prime Minister was still Benjamin Disraeli, the British Empire got into a war with the Basuto tribe when the Cape Colony gave a deadline to said tribe for it to hand over its weapons.
The war is known as the Basuto Gun War.
On April 19, the Prime Minister of Sweden (-Norway) Louis De Geer resigned after his failed attempt at reform in the Riksdag of Sweden-Norway.
On April 27, under William Ewart Gladstone, the Royal Ireland University is founded, and with this a Catholic educational institution is once again allowed in Ireland with the University College Dublin (evolution of the Catholic University of Ireland).
May 2, Thomas Edison tries to recruit Russian personnel and fails, partly due to the fact that he does not know Russian, legal conflicts, etc.
May 13, King William IV and Tsar Alexander III, among other illustrious people from Europe, jointly get on the St. Petersburg electric tram.
June 28, the criminal Ned Kelly is captured in Australia.
On June 29, the Second French Empire of Napoleon IV makes its first 'great' colonial movement, expanding the French territories of the South Pacific by annexing the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
The Austro-Hungarians on the other hand continue their colony of Kaiser Franz Joseph Land von Borneo-Kalimantan with relative success, giving access to French ships in the region.The French presence in North Borneo also allows the Austro-Hungarians greater experienced personnel in colonial control, capital, etc.
What draws the attention of the Germans in Deutsche-Südostasien by the possibility of a French threat to the colony. By fixing some ambitious attention it made the possibility of expanding and developing more Deutsche-Südostasien.
*******
[Aceh, Russia and the Netherlands]
The Dutch East Indies were administered through a Governor-General appointed by the monarch, who governs together with a Raad van Indie (Council of the Indies), but the strategies and policies of both are also controlled from The Hague through the Ministry of Colonies.
So in essence, the Dutch king and government controlled the Dutch East Indies, and the king also had power over the Dutch East Indies and his policies.
Tsar Alexander III and King William IV basically discussed Russian expansion in the Pacific and the relationship between the Dutch colonies, the Russian colonies, and (still) independent states in the region.
It would have been a more even and probably productive talk, if William IV were more competent, diplomatically speaking. But the young king of the Netherlands already had considerable illnesses, fatigue problems and substance use (alcohol, tobacco, etc.).
Between the negotiations between Alexander III and William IV, Russia requested that the Dutch East Indies leave Aceh alone, and allow Russia to conduct business and foreign diplomacy with the Sultanate of Aceh, the Kingdom of Bali and the other regional states without interference or problems with the Dutch. Even fulfill the request of the Sultan of Aceh (to become a Russian protectorate), in peace.
In return Tsar Alexander III would forgive part of King William IV's huge debts in Russia and give some loans and gifts, quite simple ...
... Somehow the agreements between both monarchs also drifted towards a huge quantity of 'goverment issued wine' a fancy way of saying vodka that would be delivered to William IV and the Dutch government in general.
* Dutch perspective.
The government of King William IV caused huge losses in the state coffers, not only that it marked a rapid decline of the power structures present in the Netherlands.
The government of William III had been sustained in its early years, but after the Luxembourg crisis it went down considerably and the lack of political action aggravated the situation.
With William IV simply continued this decay at the administrative and economic level, without a political reform, bourgeois-liberal and republican groups were forming a serious opposition.
In the Pacific, the interests of other powers also caused a decrease in sales, the colonial administration was also receiving less funds, it was becoming more complicated (after the failures in Aceh there were several problems) and the fact of controlling only the coasts of the region Indonesia was also a problem now that new naval powers were emerging, etc.
The fact that William IV left a free hand to various foreign powers (in addition to the English) was a severe diplomatic, economic and political blow.