The horseman of War (April-June, 1896)
Grand Meeting of April]
30 years are celebrated since Tsar Alexander III ascended to the throne in April 1866 (if we talk about emperors and the Alexandrian government in 1896, Alexander III is only behind Catherine II in reign time), a period in which the Empire Russian transition from a feudal or semi-feudal state to full capitalism, with other remarkable advances in science, arts, infrastructure, army and navy, among other various sectors of the Russian Empire (Rossiyskaya Imperiya) and the Russian colonial empire.
Large cities, various churches and villages, military posts, etc., celebrate the emperor and the Grand Meeting event, which is attended by the emperor's ministers, directors of the Okhrana, the Duma (administrators and economists), governors or representatives provincial, and other diverse personalities important for the administration and state projects.
*[Demography]
With the annexation of Korea the Russian Empire obtained a boost of more than 10 million inhabitants, to a population already in considerable growth through the birth rate and immigration to the Russian Empire.
The growth potential of the Russian Empire was enormous and its population was also considerable, surpassing the German Empire (December 1895: 52,279,901), France (less than 40,000,000) and at least England and Wales (1891, last British census in 1896, 29,002,525).
But the Russian Empire had not carried out an adequate demographic census, the closest were the literacy measures of the Russian Empire, which indicated which part of the population knew at least read and write, and which did not (allowing to know by the sum of the total the population of the Empire).
At the Grand Meeting a proper census was decreed to be carried out in 1897, indicating ethnicity, religion, property, literacy and work.
This information would allow for more adequate policies and would allow the government to know more about its population, its distribution, etc.
Positive results were expected, continuing the trend of previous years, counting everything the Empire went through, a full-blown golden age.
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* [Ministry of war]
The Russian Empire, led by Alexander III with his minister of war Mikhail Skobelev, were working on the previous seeds of previous ministers (Milyutin and Romeyko-Gurko) presenting the advances made in previous years.
Not only were training and logistics policies continued, but new breakthroughs and discoveries were also developed.
For example, we can count the creation of the world's first professional air force, with bombers, scouts and other important assets in this new field of warfare.
The development of tractors and other heavy vehicles (including armor) for war, capable of transporting not only vital supplies but also artillery equipment.
The development of communication technologies such as radios, etc.
The protection of soldiers also increased, with improvements in the design of personal helmets and with the beginning of the development of gas masks against chemical attacks.
The Russian Empire, particularly in Moscow, was already investigating improvements in the medical sciences for the treatment of its soldiers at the front.
Military production had increased, not only that, civilian production could be refocused on military production if necessary, giving important logistical assets to military tasks.
Mining helmets could become helmets for soldiers, cars could become military vehicles or at least parts, etc.
*The enemy?.
It was quite clear and concise who the enemy was, and who the allies were, at least at this time of the Russian Empire, the goal was the next Russo-Turkish war.
In this war Russia already had years of planning, support and joint development with most of the allies, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania and Kurdistan.
This indicated that the obvious enemy was the Ottoman Empire, but also due to the initiatives of the Skobelev ministry and the emperor, the Russian Empire developed a series of plans or "Operations", in which different scenarios were foreseen and how Russia and allies should to react.
The Operations included the cases of the interference of one or more foreign powers, a war against the Kingdom of Serbia, a war against Persia and other Muslim states or guerrillas, etc.
In the Russian mind this was not only military planning seen as necessary, it was also the product of Russia's various fears or defensive needs, defending an invasion.
* Until the last man, beyond of the Urals.
Even in the most extreme and necessary cases, the Ministry of War developed plans and initiatives for the massive relocation of infrastructure (heavy industrial factories) to more remote regions of the Ural Mountains and beyond to continue the fight against possible enemies.
Enemies that were expected to come from the west of course (Europe).
Some mobilization had already started, but the ministry had even more massive plans, "the last resort", in case of an emergency or desperate situation.
It was clear that in the event of a war where Russia lost on the European front, the war would not be easy for the enemy, the Russians did not plan to make it easy.
First, the enemy would have to take Poland, a land that would not be of any benefit since industry and economic development was limited to centers like Warsaw, the rest was de-facto removed by state policies.
Then the enemy would have to travel further into the Russian Empire, to Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic and the heart of Russia, difficult not only because of the population and defenses, but also because of the climate.
And even if that failed, there was still so much more of the country to fight with. Charles XII of Sweden and Napoleon learned it the hard way, so would Russia's likely and future enemies.
There were also plans for the mobilization of the population, moving towards shelters or fighting, propaganda and distribution of food, etc.
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* [Ministry of the Navy]
*Expansion plan.
Headed by Minister Stepan Makarov and Deputy Minister Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov (relative of the Tsar ... also son-in-law of Tsar Alexander III, since the Grand Duke married Grand Duchess Xenia in 1895), the Admiralty a great expansion program had begun in 1895.
Expansion of shipbuilding, training of navy troops, scientific developments and weapons production of the fleets of the Russian Empire of course.
The objective of the program was the defense of the routes and colonies of the Russian Empire (in particular the New Silk Road, the positions of the Pacific and some of the most vital African ports), which supposed to equal or surpass the regional powers (understand Japan ).
Russia was not interested in the arms competition of the United Kingdom and Germany, but was partially responsible for the beginning of said competition (there were already tensions but Russia was an excuse in this sense).
Russia had a plan to stick to, while Germany and Britain only increased their spending more and more. The Russian plan simply did not involve becoming the greatest maritime power or surpassing the other great maritime powers, although the Russian Empire had one of the largest navies in the world, its main strength was land warfare.
The bulk of this expansion was the Pacific fleet of course, especially when Russia gained some very good ports in its expansions in Asia (Port Arthur, Busan, Tsushima, etc.) but the Black Sea fleets were not forgotten (especially with the nearby Russo-Turkish war), the White Sea (necessary for the defense of Murmansk) and the Baltic Sea Fleet.
*Naval building.
The naval plan included the development of the first proto-Drednouts and the Drednouts, ships that, although they represented a considerable expense, compensated for it in armament, armor and size.
Russian designs in these respects obviously triggered Anglo-German spending even more, but that's another matter.
Russia was still preparing to launch its first Drednout (the most optimistic forecasts were 1898 and the most pessimistic were 1901) but it had already launched proto-Drednout.
There was a quite remarkable process of scientific study, both in the theory of naval doctrine of these ships and as these were quasi-Drednout that only needed some modifications to reach their maximum potential.
The development of "super ships" was a growing fashion for European navies after the expansion plans of the Russian Empire, as a result of the fact that an empire as large as Russia could no longer hide said expenditure on resources, production, etc.
* Research and technology.
Under Minister Makarov, the Ministry of the Navy continued extensive advances in research and development of new technologies for use in marine warfare, not only in submarines and drednouts (weapons, armor, design, etc.) but also in other utilities for the troops .
Similar to the army there was an investment in the use of radios and other new medical technologies, but one of the most important developments today was the development of the first radars.
A radar was based on the scientific discoveries of Alexander Popov, but it was Minister Stepan Makarov, Deputy Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov and various members of the ministry, who expanded the technological development of said discovery to be useful in the detection of other ships, submarines , etc.
It was an extremely secret invention, unknown to rival powers and most of the public, although there were independent personalities with their own research (such as Nikola Tesla).
There was a possibility that radars will be used for the first time in the next Russian-Turkish conflict, it all depended on when it will happen.
*Operations.
The plans of the war ministry of course also involved the navy, they were vital in the defense of strategic points and the coast of Russia.
But there was also a discussion regarding offensive possibilities, particularly in the following Russo-Turkish war, the possibility of an amphibious attack against positions in northern Anatolia was discussed.
De-facto, the Black Sea Fleet was the most powerful native navy in the Black Sea, the Ottoman fleets rotted in ports or under the sea, while Bulgaria and Romania were simply not naval powers (Russia either but it was one of the main navies of the world, Bulgaria and Romania not), focused more on armies and future land operations.
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* [Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry]
The Russian Empire at the time of 1896 was not in any particular megaproject, not as in previous decades where the Trans-Siberian railway, the White Sea-Baltic Sea canal, the Transmanchurian railway, massive constructions, etc.
The closest thing would be the Green Wall of Central Asia, but it was a project of many decades of duration and less infrastructure (and more responsible use of water, reforestation, etc).
Instead considerable commercial projects had simply been initiated, such as the continuation of the New Silk Road and the new trade agreements, now Russia was the main exporter of agricultural products to and from Europe.
There were also other exports of course, minerals and metals, oil, pearls, dairy and meat products, among other goods.
Of course, this did not mean that state ministries and industries had no progress or projects to present.
* Second series of Romanov-Blinov cars.
The RVZ under Fyodor Blinov and other associates presented after years of work, not only the first modern snowmobiles but also the next series of models of Blinov tractors and Romanov cars.
Snowmobiles were a considerable engineering step, not only with respect to the engine but in its usefulness for operations in snowy terrain, which could be used by workers, rescue services and other state officials assigned to particular operations (or simply people interested in an adventure for Snow...).
However, the main and most exciting point for this invention was the possibility of using it in regions such as Siberia and Alyáska, either by the armed forces (transport of supplies and personnel, logistics, not combat) or for infrastructure projects (by workers , other logistical needs and vital tasks).
The next Romanov model was the Alexei model (or simply model A), named after Alexei Romanov.
A particularly more efficient car, with a roof and some other useful attachments like a glove box, etc.
Tractors on the other hand was precisely what shot Blinov to fame, and one of the most useful recent sales, to export as agricultural equipment to other countries.
With assembly lines and a highly developed automotive industry, Russia had an absolute advantage over other innovators or outside producers.
So it was not surprising that a new series of sales and exports of the new vehicles of the Russian Carriage Works (and other Russian companies) would quickly begin, within Russia and abroad in 1896.
In particular, Russian companies continued to prove to be at the forefront in propaganda, quality testing methods and convenience development, simply the RVZ (and other Russian producers) developed a brand image and a community to sell to, ensuring success.
*Farming.
With Russia now in the forefront of selling agricultural products, production had to continue to become more efficient and productive, for this of course there were quite a few methods.
Russia was already initiating reproductive selection measures useful for plants, medical research against pests of various origins, and of course more efficient methods of using water.
In 1896 on the other hand new proposals arrived, in particular "Vertical Agriculture" as described by Tsar Alexander III.
This project consisted of the practice of growing plants within several levels, one above the other (hence the verticality) within buildings or rather, greenhouses.
A controlled agriculture where new hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics techniques would be researched and developed. A revolutionary project at that time.
The agricultural reforms of the Russian Empire in the Alexandrian period eliminated famines in the territory, something that had been unthinkable in the reign of previous tsars.
With vertical agriculture began the construction of new greenhouses and vertical agriculture facilities, intended for agricultural production and research. They required less space (in a massive territory like Russia, space was no problem, but it assumed that LOTS of greenhouses could be built) and they were still productive.
One of the "farm-scrapers" (sel'skokhozyaystvennyye skrepery, сельскохозяйственные скреперы) of Russia some years after 1896 could produce food for 50,000 people.
* Projects related to animal life.
Apart from the aforementioned Green Wall of Central Asia (intended not only to stop desertification but also to green regions near the Aral Sea and its rivers), Russia already had several zoos and nature reserves that were doing relatively well.
This meant that when the population of endangered species, or extinct in their natural habitat, was increasing beyond what was expected, Russia could allow wealthy personalities hunting permits to get more money.
And when this did not happen (the species grew at the expected rate or slower than expected), Russia took money from external and internal tourism, zoos, animal-related goods, etc.
Not only this, but the Russian Empire developed methods of farming oysters that produced rounder pearls, and this allowed Russia to export even more artificial pearls of considerably better quality.
Bad for other pearl producers, but good for Russia.
In the marine life business there were also many advances regarding the farming of fish and shrimp in the territories of the Russian Empire, through advances already mentioned above (selective breeding for example).
* Urban development: Moscow.
Under the governor, Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, the governorate of Moscow, Russia's largest industrial center, continued to grow in infrastructure and economy, but also in achievements and legislature.
For example, the Moscow metro was expanding, workers' rights, and Moscow had become a notable center of institutes engaged in scientific research (for example in medical, investigating the application of X-rays in military medicine and the creation of the radiobiology, etc), where now some foreign talents were attracted to serve the world (Russia ...) through medicine.
Not only this, but in urban planning, Nicholas Alexandrovich in urban planning followed in the footsteps of other Russian planners of the Alexandrian era, in adding green spaces (parks) for the population to enjoy, but he did it in such a way that Moscow was transformed literally in the greenest city in Europe, while remaining the main industrial-economic center of Russia.
International]
At the beginning of April the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius presents in his article "On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground" the results of the first study of the sensitivity of the global climate to atmospheric carbon dioxide.
April 6, in Athens, Kingdom of Greece, begins the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics of 1896, the first modern games in the world.
The event is attended by prominent personalities from various countries, as well as, of course, various teams or athletes from countries such as:
*Australia.
* Austria-Hungary. (Third in number of bronze medals).
*Bulgaria.
*Chili.
*Denmark.
*France. (First in bronze medals).
*Germany.
*UK. (Third in number of gold medals, first in number of silver medals).
*Russia. (Second in number of gold medals).
*Greece. (First in number of gold medals).
*USA. (Second in number of bronze medals
* Sweden (Norway did not send anyone). (Third in number of silver medals).
*Italy. (Second in silver medals).
*Swiss.
The rest of the participants obtained mixed results, some positive but without reaching the first three places in the three categories of medals.
(OOC: Use an RNG to decide positions and medals).
April 15, the 1896 Summer Olympics are closed.
May 13, in the Colony of Natal (British Empire) a new law is approved that deprives natives of other countries of the right to vote.
May 18, the Supreme Court of the United States continues to defend racial segregation, and it is when the doctrine of segregation "Separate but equal" begins to become popular.
That it is just another way to resolve the conflicts between racial segregation and equality promulgated in the constitution, racism will not diminish with this type of doctrine in the bow of the government and the judicial system.
May 27, the St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado occurs, the third deadliest tornado in United States history, but the costliest.
More than 200 people die and 1000 are injured.
(OOC: In terms of damage, with inflation, it would cost $ 4,676,335.83 US dollars in 2020).
June 4, Henry Ford starts his business empire with the invention of his first vehicle, the Ford Quadricycle, of course these are just baby steps, far behind other vehicles on the market such as the most recent Romanov cars launched in April, but it is just another challenge for young Henry Ford.
June 23, Wilfrid Laurier becomes the first Francophone Prime Minister of Canada after defeating Charles Tupper during the Canadian federal elections for the eighth Canadian Parliament.
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[Fashoda]
June 7, 1896, the day that shakes the world.
The British Empire was led by King Edward VII, with his prime minister being Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, and the Second French Empire was "led" by Emperor Napoleon IV, actually de-facto led by Generalissimo Georges Boulanger.
Anglo-British armies were marching through northern Sudan, when at a midpoint of the Nile they encountered French forces, who had conquered all of southern and most of central Sudan.
The independent Sudan had been annihilated, some French troops were marching east towards Eritrea while the bulk of the army was still in Sudan.
The problem came when the British wanted to discuss peace and annex Sudan, with the aim of getting their line from Cairo to the Cape (from Egypt to South Africa). The problem is that the French wanted the same thing, to annex Sudan to get an empire from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.
The two main forces were there, increasing the tension while there was no response, they were about 12,000 French against about 13,000 Anglo-Egyptian forces, the problem came when Sir Herbert Kitchener ordered the withdrawal of the French forces and supposedly started an investigation of you are to expel them from Sudan.
It is generally accepted that this was the trigger, whether Kitchener's forces attacked first or it was the French, then the conflict occurred, a battle was generated between the English and French troops.
In which the French were victorious, with the death of 2/3 of the Anglo-Egyptian forces, the troops of General Jean-Baptiste Marchand, then they marched on the British conquests of the Sudanese territory.
Accompanied by officers such as Captain Marcel Joseph Germain, Captain Albert Baratier, Captain Charles Mangin, Captain Victor Emmanuel Largeau and Lieutenant Félix Fouqué.
This caused a scandal in all Anglo-French diplomatic spheres, the English were outraged but Georges Boulanger was still willing to speak.
On June 18 the "Ultimatum of Fashoda" took place.
The ultimatum is named after the town of Fashoda, in southern Sudan, where the French wishes for a partition of Sudan and the claim of French rights over a joint possession of Suez (... or the full return of Suez were transmitted to France, after all they paid for it).
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and the English nobility were outraged, they had given so much money to France and that is how they were rewarded, furthermore the French claims would violate the British possession of the Nile and directly threaten the interests of the British Empire in Suez, the routes between the British Raj and the Mediterranean, the home islands, etc.
The situation did not become negotiable for the prime minister, leader of foreign policy (he literally served as secretary of state for foreign affairs), worse still Boulganger threatened the French military response to advance if necessary.
Finally 10 days passed, and the Boulangist regime nationalized all British economic assets in France and the French colonies, taking all British capital and their assets as their own.
Both sides promptly declared war at 12:00 noon. Marchand's army marched on the British conquests towards Egypt, while in the middle of the Atlantic a battle between the two forces began.
In the first battle of the Atlantic, the British ship SS Newton, leader of a flotilla, was sunk by the French ship León, leader of another flotilla, before the Lion sank due to the damage caused in said combat.
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* Fashoda War Diplomacy.
The Paris-London axis collapsed, at least between the aforementioned parties, it was unthinkable that this would happen, after all the economic ties between the two were 'strong' and they had a common enemy in Germany (some might point out that the British king's sister was she had married the French emperor, but at this point in the history of diplomacy that no longer mattered).
However, the Fashoda War started, and the alliance simply fell apart. The United Kingdom did not take long to collect the pieces, Portugal was its ally.
The problem was Austria-Hungary, which could join France or the United Kingdom, either option could be lethal, but it had to be quick, or else Austria-Hungary would be eaten up by neighboring states.
Even Germany, Italy, as well as other countries inside like Romania, and outside, like Russia, of this axis were confused. What did this mean for them and Europe? It was what these groups readily began to discuss.
Neutral countries with much less to lose were not interested, Switzerland was thinking of breathing easy, and the United States could not do much due to its economic crisis and the upcoming elections.
France was trying very hard to bring Spain and some Balkan countries, but it was difficult to know what would happen.
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Militarily speaking, the problem was that the British Army was taken by surprise, and was in decline (in terms of budget and loyalty), while France did not have the navy to defeat the United Kingdom, its fixations were on land warfare. .
The British navy was in great shape and growing, the French navy in decline.
But the problem is that precisely except for specific points, the war was obviously in its initial stages going overland, after all Marchand's armies were passing overland pointing towards Egypt.
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* Meeting of Alexander III, Wilhelm II and Umberto I.
"I ask that you two carefully re-consider any interference moves in the Fashoda war." Alexander III orders, apparently calm but still quite serious.
"What do you mean?". Umberto I questions.
"What do you think will happen if either side wins? I raise that, consider that your actions could have consequences that, maybe you do not want. Albion can be tentative, but only interested in using foreign forces against its enemies." Alexander III 'explains'.
"... What if France wins? What if the United Kingdom wins?" Wilhelm II questions Alexander III, he is unable to know what the tsar means if he does not speak directly.
"Yes, very good question Wilhelm." Alexander III exclaims, congratulating the kaiser. "What I propose is that a French 'victory' is more convenient for us over an English victory."
"You keep ignoring the question, why would that be." Umberto I mentions.
"If Britain wins, and I see quite many points in its favor, it means that we are going to have not only a more powerful British colonial empire, but we are also going to have a France de-facto subordinate to London's designs. Not only that, potentially they will unite France, Portugal and Austria-Hungary under their command, potentially more. " Tsar Alexander III explains. "All the manpower the UK wants and needs, plus the most powerful navy in the world."
"... And what would be the scene of a French victory?" Wilhelm II adds.
"In her current state, France probably won't survive long after the war, but she still has the fangs to bleed the UK off for a few years." Tsar Alexander III responds. "You see, any British blockade of France is not going to work as long as they can still obtain resources and agricultural products by land, and there is precisely a fairly generous deal between Russia and France for that."
"So I understand that you are pushing for us to support France in this war, or at least to be neutral." Wilhelm II exclaims, his jaw opening little by little.
"Neutrality is preferable, for now. However, if you're lucky, Wilhelm, you can declare your support for France in the later stages of the war and watch support for the current French government decline, pushing an enemy out of your way. " Tsar Alexander III exclaims. There was no particular reaction from the tsar, the Kaiser was thinking, the Italian king was not going to react until the reaction of the kaiser. After this proposal, the British advances towards Germany and Italy, unthinkable until now, failed.
Of course, we are talking about a time when crimes against humanity in French Colonial Africa were unknown, and therefore countries were guided much more by their interests and the limited knowledge they had.
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"What do you think of me, Wilhelm?" Tsar Alexander III questions by inviting Wilhelm II some tea or Koka-Kola, even Vodka if the kaiser wanted it.
"... I think you are an inspiration, Bismarck and my father spoke highly of you and your father, even Nicky does, but the point is, I'm still surprised." Wilhelm II responds.
"You don't have to praise me like that Wilhelm, be honest and direct." Tsar Alexander III insists calmly, laughing a little.
"....Well, you are a bit... weird at times, but you also seem to be so confident and confident, plus even though your foreign policy is soft, you still seem to understand European diplomacy." Wilhelm II exclaims.
Wilhelm II received something very important from Tsar Alexander III, respect, the Tsar was direct and concise, but respectful, something that fit very well in diplomacy, because all humans want respect.
Edward VII offered no respect to Wilhelm II, which is why the Kaiser preferred the Tsar of Russia to his uncle, the King of the United Kingdom.
A person could be very direct with Tsar Alexander III, this broke the label among the nobility and diplomatic service of his time, and with someone as emotionally unstable as Wilhelm II, this abnormality of Alexander III resulted in Wilhelm II and Alexander III having a strange but favorable relationship (not exactly teacher-pupil, but a basic respect).
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* Nicholas and Alexander III.
"And then I said something like 'Neutrality is preferable, for the moment. However, Wilhelm, you can declare your support for France in the later stages of the war and watch support for the current French government decline, pushing an enemy out' or something like that." Tsar Alexander III explains.
"You seem really evil sometimes, old man! You are a truly good actor." The Tsesarevich Nicholas exclaims, toasting some fermented milk to his father's last diplomatic meeting.
"In a sense, I feel like a merchant of death, I will profit from war and the suffering of others ...
It is a sad reality. I would like to sit and sleep, but an absolute monarch like me has to do so much dirty work.
I would like the reality about me to not be white-washed. To be honest, I have committed crimes and horrors, but I don't think that means erasing everything good.
We just have to learn, I condemned many and saved others.
But what else can I do outside of putting Russia and her interests above all else? If the slaughter of the British is in the Russian interest, so be it.... "
-Laments of Tsar Alexander III.
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* Perspective on the Fashoda War.
Captain Charles Emmanuel Marie Mangin was assembled with many other officers after a speech by General Marchand, as they advanced north.
"Excuse me, my general." Mangin somehow manages to communicate with Marchand after speaking to the chain of command.
"What's going on?". Marchand asks, there wasn't much time for formalities.
"The war is going to be difficult, we need to recruit as many men as we can. I even suspect that we are going to need to recruit many African or Asian subjects, perhaps even hire mercenaries. Whatever we do, we are going to lose many men" Mangin proposes with some Difficulty, there were African subjects in Marchand's army so the idea wasn't exactly weird.
"... Good observation Mangin." The general accepted.
Mangin would be noted for his participation at the front and his fearlessness as a commander, supporting the participation of African colonial troops in war and "total war."
His skills would earn him rapid promotion and notoriety in the Fashoda war.
"People don't want to admit it ... but there were children in the first battle between us and the British, it is one thing to see the murder of Africans and another to see the murder of another white man.
They taught us that murdering the black man was not wrong, we know what we were doing at all times when we burned Sudanese villages. It's just that we believed that he was part of our destiny, to civilize the population, to get land and resources for the honor of our empire.
But we were taught that the white man is civilized, that we are civilized. So why is it okay to kill another white man now?
We were not civilized. We were not civilized when we decided to murder thousands of Africans to gain land in Sudan, and we were not civilized when we advanced on British corps to gain even more land.
Were we ever civilized?
I hope God forgives us for what we are about to do. For France and for the future of the children of France "
-Memories of Mangin.