The Trans-Siberian (April-June, 1870)

The Trans-Siberian and the reform]

At the beginning of April, the reform of modernization of the measurement system was launched, at the educational level, infrastructure and other matters, the Russian Empire quickly adopted the Metric System.

Thanks to the preparations and the fact that the Ministry of Education was already prepared, this reform happened quickly, adapting in almost all the Russian Empire with the exception of certain more disconnected areas.

The railway lines were now indicated according to the metric system, now it only remained to abandon the Julian Calendar but that would come later.

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"My mother says that being a law professor is not a noble job" A young man in his twenties mentions, Sergei Witte is his name, the son of a friend of Deputy Minister Bobrinsky.

"And why don't you come to work at the Ministry?" Alexei Pavlovich Bobrinsky delivers. "The emperor is interested in recruiting more trained personnel."

"...How much do they pay?" Witte doesn't take long to ask. It was a decision motivated by the economy, a railway worker focused on administration now received just over 8000 rubles of pay thanks to the Russian economic boom.

This is how Sergei Witte joined the Ministry of Transportation and Railways, and turned out to be excellent in his work, starting with the construction of the railway lines in Bessarabia and southern Russia.

Demonstrating administrative talent and vision for the economics of railways, though Witte's greatest achievements would come at another time in his career.

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In May, in general, the great construction of Section 1, the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, began in Moscow. During this year there was the first explosion of the growth of Russian industry, and with this injection of money thanks to heavy industry, came a technical revolution in the railways.

Several other lines were connected to section 1, some private and others actively promoted by the state.

For example the railway lines of Bessarabia, Malorossiya, White Russia, and the north of the heart of Russia.

The construction was heavily publicized by the Russian Empire, the world's largest railway was being built in the Russian Empire, and some of the most important cities in the state would be connected.

This not only greatly helped the industry and communication of the area, it also helped a national spirit, creating jobs, and training many of the new workers who would be being literate by the Russian Empire.

They also started work on some of the other 5 sections of the Trans-Siberian, albeit more light work than heavy work. The idea of the Trans-Siberian would still take more than a decade to complete.

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[Electric Lighting Company]

In addition to the construction of the Trans-Siberian (Section 1) also initiates the electrification of Russia under Emperor Alexander III, various streets, forts and other public places are lit by Yablochkov candles from the Electric Lighting Company.

Pavel Nikolayevich Yablochkov and associates of the ELC first illuminated the cities of St. Pestesburg, Moscow, Kiev and Helsinki. Allowing for some notable shows and public functions demonstrating recent Russian technological advancement.

Peasants and urban citizens less positioned in high society were undoubtedly surprised, and interested in the advance of electricity.

Soon the ELC under the government of Saint Petersburg began the construction of the first power plants in Russia, which allowed the maintenance of the lighting of the cities.

On some occasions, more private requests were made by the nobility (dance halls, ballet academies, private art exhibitions, etc. for example) but in general the ELC served publicly, museums, universities, schools, state factories, etc.

Also at the end of the period they began the protocols to extend the electrification of Russia to the rest of the cities, although of course it was a slower process than Helsinki, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev.

Between 1870 and 1875 Oranienbaum, Nizhny Novgorod, Odessa, Kharkov, Mykolaiv, Bryansk, Arkhangelsk, Poltava, Saratov, and many other Russian cities were electrified, including in South Central Asia.

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[Russian-Mexican-German Hawai'i Companies]

Taking advantage of the fact that the United States was completely out of foreign trade, for the moment, and in a heavy economic situation.

The Russian Empire under Tsar Alexander III bought several American businesses and properties in the Hawai'i archipelago, where the Kingdom of Hawai'i is led by King Kamehameha V. A conservative and firm monarch but who is limited by various problems of his country (foreign influence, alcoholism, demographic decline, etc).

These businesses focused on trade with Russian positions and businesses in other areas of the Pacific, the Mexican Baja California, Alyáska, the Russian Far East and the Korean-Japanese Russian possessions.

One of the prohibitions of the region was that the sale of alcohol to the natives was prohibited.

This attracted the interest of some Germans and Mexicans from northern Mexico, and Germans from Indochina looking for new potential markets and businesses.

Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg lives by moral principles of honesty and good service, and with his interest in the ocean and diplomatic relations, he kindly approached Kamehameha V for bilateral commercial business.

The Germans are much more interested in explotation and less moralistic, they care more about securing their profits and the new colonial commercial lines of Germany.

Everyone could win, except the Americans.

Mexican agricultural companies in the region employed natives, giving them extensive labor rights and other care while increasing their commercial naval presence in the Pacific.

The Germans focused more on trade towards Indochina.

Russia on the other hand exploited agricultural businesses and commerce made its northern possessions, also beginning to manufacture weapons and uniforms for the Hawaiian army.

The Mexican, German and Russian presence in Hawaii exploded.

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Under the government of King Kamehameha V tourism to Hawai'i also increased exponentially in fact, many people were welcome to travel and spend their money in the region, there were hotels, traditional Hawaiian culture, plantations, some crime, etc.

With the number of Americans in the region and their economic participation dwindling, the British, Russians, Germans and Mexicans began to show up much more.

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[International]

In Imperial Russia, the young Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born, son of Ilya Nicolayevich Ulyanov, director of the public schools of the Simbirsk district in Nizhny Novgorod.

Ilya Ulyanov would actively participate in the construction and aid of various schools during the great educational reform of Alexander III, becoming Director of Public Schools for the entire Novgorod province.

Eventually the Ulyanov family became hereditary gentry due to the work of Ilya Ulyanov.

In June the Tianjin massacre occurs, where 57 people (17 Europeans and 40 Chinese converts to Christianity) are attacked by an angry mob of natives. This due to the churches built in the city.

Among those killed were two members of the French consulate, and three Russian merchants mistaken as French.

This news soon caused sensation and anger in the French public, already very angry at the defeat against Prussia, the French public began to ask Napoleon IV and his regency cabinet for an answer to the Qing dynasty for having murdered French citizens.

Things ranged from the more moderate apologizing or money, to those directly calling for a French or European invasion of the Qing dynasty.

The first message is given between London and India by electric telegraph.

The last confrontation occurs between the Republic of Ezo and the Empire of Japan led by Emperor Meiji, resulting in a victory for the Empire when the Republic of Ezo finally surrenders.

After a little over a year, the democratic experiment in northern Japan is over.

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[Russo-Japanese Treaty over Tsushima. 1870]

"We understand that Japan does not want to pay the debt of the Ezo Republic." The diplomatic service of Emperor Alexander III argues with a Japanese diplomatic envoy regarding debts caused during Japan's civil war.

"The emperor does not consider them to be legitimate." The Japanese envoy explains.

"Can the emperor pay his legitimate debts to Russia?" The Russian diplomatic service asks.

"... Not in the immediate future." The Japanese diplomat responds.

"Fortunately the Emperor of Russia has an offer for the forgiveness of Ezo's debts and most of the interest for Japan." The Russian diplomatic envoy explains.

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At the end of the Russo-Japanese discussions, the debts of the Ezo Republic and 3/4 of the Japanese debt to Russia (including 3/4 of the interest) were forgiven.

In return for this, Russian ownership of the Tsushima islands was greatly expanded, not to mention that the islands of Kamino-shima (or also called Kamijima) and Shimono-shima (also called Shimojima) became fully Russian properties.

This involved the considerable expansion of the Russian possibility of investing in the Korean Straits region, it also considerably increased the workforce and profitability of the economic sectors of the island.

The Russian Tsushima city of Trivolny expanded to add a much stronger naval, economic and logistical presence.

But soon other Russo-Japanese settlements would also grow along the coasts (most originating as naval repair ports).

[Agreement: The Ainu]

The Ainu, also called Ezo (a name they share with the great northern island of Japan) are a curious people that inhabit sectors of the Russian Far East, the Kuril, Sakhalin, parts of the Kamchatka peninsula and the island of Ezo.

Before the victory of the Empire of Japan led by the Meiji Emperor against the Republic of Ezo, it was very likely that the Japanese assimilation policies against the native population of Ezo non-Japanese (that is, the Ainu).

The Emperor of Russia, Alexander III in the discussions about the Tsushima treaty, offered the possibility of receiving part of the Ainu population on Russian soil (the Russian Kurils, Sakhalin and possibly mainland Asia) to forgive more of the Japanese debt (and that's how Japan ended with 3/4 of its debt forgiven).

The Empire of Japan was relatively excited about the offer, for several reasons: The land was to be destined to the defeated samurai caste and removed from power by the Meiji restoration, the land of the migrant Ainu could be used for farms and mines, supporting modernization, allowing the greater Japanization of the land, etc.

With this agreement on the Ainu population, the Russian state began to offer lands in the north, towns in the Russian Far East, towns in the north of Sakhalin, etc. The Ainu would be allowed to maintain their religion, cultural identity, etc.

They only had to perform the duties of a Russian citizen, that is, taxes.

In Japan (Hokkaido) there were a total of 15,000 Ainu at the time of the defeat of the Republic of Ezo. A total of 11,250 Ainu moved to Russia between 1870 and 1904 (a period of 34 years), while 3,750 remained in Japan, forced into a remarkable process of cultural assimilation.

The Ainu under Russia were placed in settlements close to other Ainu tribes, where they began to form farms, mines, logging centers, or other economic activities.

A part of the Russian Ainu community migrated to urban centers, such as Vladivostok.