Trans-World Railway (January-March, 1894

International diplomacy]

The decade of the 1890s arrives, and the tensions between Berlin, London and Paris do not stop increasing, both sectors are looking for more allies on the world stage, mainly military allies but the economy also becomes vital, since both sides want markets, political influence and own spheres of influence.

On one side was the axis Vienna, Paris and London, which counted as an ally Portugal, the English colonies and dominions, the French colonies, Austrian colonies and the sympathy of some other nations (such as Belgium, Republic of the United States of Brazil or the United States itself), in addition to the Dutch populations.

On the other side were Berlin and Rome, as an ally to Romania, the government of the Netherlands and the money of their colonies, support of the Italian and German colonies, as well as sympathies within the Slavic, Romanian and Italian populations of Austria-Hungary, Sweden, and a few more.

Switzerland was between four hard places, Italy, Germany, Austria and France, the little one in the mountains tried to maintain his neutrality as much as possible but he was in the middle of the line of fire.

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The issue is precisely that during this time, the groups continued trying to seduce allies in this conflict, the British were with Norway, the Germans with Sweden, both sides trying to attract Spain (especially Germany), and Russia.

King Carlos VII of Spain led a relatively poor and decentralized government, after years of civil war the government of Madrid had returned several local privileges, which pleased the Basque and Catalan allies but angered the centralists, and others. Furthermore, the colonial empire kept getting more and more expensive to maintain.

It was easy to attract Spain with money, Germany also maintained that her position within the war was strict neutrality, they did not support the claimant Leopold I.

The British and French on the other hand only offered money, the important thing is that the side did not want France to have a war on two fronts, it already had a huge border with Italy and Germany.

Not only that, Austria-Hungary was already surrounded by potential enemies (if Russia joined the Italian-German side), which could spell the end of it. So it was better to have a more potential ally or neutral partner.

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In the Americas, on the other hand, the situation was also somewhat difficult, the United States was very isolationist, but Europeans were concerned about recent movements. The Germans were increasing their influence in Mexico and the British in central Brazil.

But there were still many countries capable of being potential allies (strategic and economic rather than military today), Argentina, another of the Brazilian states, Chile, Peru, Central America, etc.

Chile was close to the Prussian military but also had a certain heritage and positive relations with the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom had a lot of influence in Uruguay but there were German capitalists in the region, etc.

But new markets had opened up with the Brazilian civil war, relatively poor markets and open to new European influence.

That is why Germany began to try movements in the Empire of Brazil, which the United Kingdom had opposed, and whose dynasty was Orleanist (therefore the Second French Empire did not like it).

France and the UK didn't get much, but similar to Russia's deals with Persia or Germany's deals with Italy, Kaiser Wilhelm II got a deal where German instructors could train the ground forces of the Brazilian empire, beginning some German influence. in the region slowly.

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* [Diplomacy: Spain, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Russia and France?]

The Second Mexican Empire and the Empire of Japan were partners, strangers, due to the influence of European investments in both, through the Pacific they had grown healthy diplomatic and economic relations.

But even so it was surprising that the Japanese prime minister, Yamagata Aritomo and the Mexican minister-president, Porfirio Diaz, reached a kind of alliance in a joint diplomatic action.

Japan and Mexico offered a double purchase of Spanish colonies, on the one hand Japan would obtain the Philippines and on the other hand Mexico would obtain the island of Cuba.

Obviously this required a payment, and both countries were offering some £ 80 million in compensation for the purchase.

(OOC: OTL, £ 5,233,302,808.07 in 2020).

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* Alexandrian perspective.

Alexander III had surprisingly found himself summoned by King Charles VII, Kaiser Wilhelm II, king Umberto I of Italy and Emperor Napoleon IV accompanied by Generalissimo Georges Boulanger.

"Here we present the agreement proposed by Japan and Mexico for the purchase of the Philippines, and Cuba." King Carlos VII explains, partly because of the purpose of the meeting.

"An astronomical offer, and somewhat rare. But why is it relevant to us?" Tsar Alexander III promptly questions once Charles VII is finished.

"We are precisely concerned about such an offer." Wilhelm II exclaims. "Although I can support Mexico, it is unusual for an Asian power like Japan to be so daring in a proposition of this type. That is why I think it is obvious that European countries must ally ourselves diplomatically and military to defend the European colonies against Asian countries if they have such ambitions... ". Wilhelm II explains.

"... And I suppose potentially the United States as well? Which has its own interests in the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico." Alexander III is quick to emphasize.

"If necessary, yes." Wilhelm II responds after brief considerations.

"... And what would France get?" Boulanger exclaims, without even speaking briefly to Napoleon IV. "Why would we collaborate with Germany?"

"It is a question of the survival of Europe against the Asian race." Wilhelm II readily defends his point.

"But then what will become of the Mexican proposal?" Alexander III asks Carlos VII with curiosity.

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After some discussions that led to nothing, Alexander III was having tea together with Boulanger and Napoleon IV. Russia had proposed to be neutral, it would accept any Spanish decision without interfering, but it did not commit itself to being a Spanish military ally.

"And how is the family?". Tsar Alexander III asks Napoleon IV.

"Pretty good, Beatrice is finally pregnant, our first child should be born in November." Napoleon IV exclaims with some joy but he was not the most animated person.

"Tsar Alexander, I believe that instead of family we should discuss foreign policy ... The Japanese also have an interest in Hainan, but on principle I refuse any cooperation with Germany." Boulganger interferes with the talk between Alexander and Napoleon, concerned about France and her colony.

"Often preachy, I don't see many ways for France to win anything at this meeting." Tsar Alexander III emphasizes. "Accept or deny, Germany wins more."

"... Russia gains nothing either." Boulanger emphasizes, trying to reason a little to attract the tsar.

"We can change that." Tsar Alexander III mentions.

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France refused to support the German plan for European protection of the Spanish colonial empire, while Italy agreed, and Russia remained neutral.

But Germany remained firm in her position, and this meant something, Germany began to attract Spain to her field, with Carlos VII rejecting the Japanese proposal to buy the Philippines.

However with respect to Mexico, cutting the price to 40 million pounds sterling, Spain and Mexico began to discuss the possibility of a more successful sale of Cuba (and Germany was as mediator).

The idea did not sit well in the United States either, which saw the possible sale as a threat to American geopolitical interests in the Caribbean, but in the midst of its crisis they could not do much.

Another winner was Russia, as Alexander III successfully discussed economic deals with Germany and France, which were signed and ratified on February 10 by Leo von Caprivi (Chancellor of Germany, representing Wilhelm II and Germany) and Georges Boulanger (representing to Napoleon IV to the Second French Empire).

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[International Trade]

The treaties of February 10 were a success of the Alexandrian foreign policy, these treaties allowed that Russian agricultural products, mainly grains, could have a much easier access to the German and French markets.

An extremely cheap grain, which raised Russia's profits in central and western Europe, pushing competition from many German junkers (which led them to complain to Caprivi but did not change the situation much) and some French farmers.

The Boulangist regime took advantage of this, offering jobs to many farmers looking for something to do after profits started to decline.

More settlers for the colonies and more labor for central French heavy industries and corporations.

Russian steel and metals (and also a lot of Coca-Cola) also began to become more common, although France continued to buy most consumer goods mainly from Anglo-Saxon countries or domestic industry.

Due to these deals Russia rose to position itself as the main exporter of agricultural products in Europe, with lands such as Ukraine and Poland producing large quantities of agricultural material that could reach central or even western Europe with relative ease.

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[Terrorism].

On February 12, in the middle of Paris, the Marxist Émile Henry (21 years old) activates a bomb that ends with the murder of 42 police officers and other members of Boulangism, as well as 21 other innocents when he activates a bomb in a Parisian cafe. .

French society and the regime were stunned by the terror created by the young man, he was not the first, he had already killed 5 policemen before in an attack in 1892 but they could only catch him in 1894.

What? Very simply, Henry surrendered as part of his campaign for the revolution (propaganda in fact).

The story of Émile Henry is that he came from a liberal aristocracy with sympathies for the Paris Commune, but civil wars and the regime forced the family to leave. That is why he was born in Barcelona and lived in Spain, where his father died of mercury poisoning after working in a factory, a miserable job where the workers received a pittance.

That's why when Henry returned he got in touch with Marxist revolutionary circles who knew his brother, the Marxists offered a proletarian revolution against the regime (not like the leftists who supported Boulanger did), that's why Émile Henry joined them .

The terrorist saw the café establishment as a representation of the bourgeoisie, and the police station as a representation of the reactionary regime. In Émile Henry's own words: "There are no innocent bourgeois."

The regime condemned Émile Henry to the guillotine, his last words were "Courage, comrades! Vive le prolétariat!"

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* 2 in the afternoon of a day February 14, London.

In a calculated act, the French terrorist Martial Bourdin drops a bomb with considerable chemical elements in the middle of Greenwich, London, in the middle of a visit from the couple made up of the Prince of Wales, Albert Victor, his wife Alix and their daughter Victoria .

Amid the chaos caused by the explosion, Bourdin quickly escaped with money from his pocket to return to France.

As a result of the explosion there are several wounded and dead, among them some city officials, but the royalty survives. The biggest problem is the Prince of Wales' health (both physical, and to some extent mental), but royal family doctors reported his recovery a few weeks later.

At the same time a few weeks later, Bourdin was captured due to his relationship with other anarchists in London. There were diverse reactions at the national and international level.

In the south of England (especially London, but not so much in Cornwall) conservatism and reactionism against leftist groups (Marxist and anarchist) increased, while in the north of England support for anarchism only decreased, but Marxism and socialism was still quite strong among the workers.

"The red wall" as it began to be called (large numbers of workers from the north of England supporting Labor or Socialists).

In France on the other hand, while Bourdin was also executed, the young journalist Charles Maurras (25 years old) joined the ranks of the Boulangist government, and founded Action Française together with Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeoi, but Maurras soon became the main ideologue.

Action Française was a nationalist reaction to the emergence of various terrorist attacks and other actions by socialist and anarchist circles, endorsed by the Boulangist regime (and therefore controlled to some extent).

The newspaper and Maurras advocated:

* French nationalism (populist, like the Boulangerism/Boulangism).

* Monarchy (Bonapartist).

* Support for the Catholic Church and Catholicism as part of the French people.

* Opposition to "republicanism-parliamentarism, Marxism and anarchism", many times called sectarian by Maurras.

* Opposition to democracy due to its internal divisions and opposition to the increase in foreigners.

* Opposition to Zionism, and anti-Jewish positions in general (calling on Jewish republicans and mentioning the need to "sacrifice them at the altar", in the national interest of France). Also advocating a "state anti-Semitism" (which exists in the boulangist regime).

*Denounce the German Empire and the need to purge possible German agents from France.

Through the AF, Maurras began to gain contacts and influence at a relatively early age within the regime. A good thing when the regime relied more on Boulanger as a strongman, and there was no clear right hand or ideological successor.

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[Okhrana: Robotnik]

It is February and Russia also has its own internal affairs to attend to, for example the Polish Boulangist Party (Polska Partia Kulangistów, PPK in Polish) was captured. What happened is that the member, Józef Piłsudski, Polish delegate in the Lithuanian region, began to publish together with his associates a secret newspaper (and obviously illegal for the Russian authorities).

The Robotnik newspaper (Worker, translated from Polish to English).

Robotnik was obviously advocating Polish independence and nationalism, Piłsudski's Boulangism and Prometheanism, all ideas damaging and subversive to the Russian state, more than enough reasons for the Okhrana to topple everything.

The PPK had less than 100 members, so it was a relatively easy operation, the advantage that the Okhrana had was on the one hand its infiltration in the organization and on the other the new criminology techniques, fingerprints were collected in PPK rooms and all related suspects were arrested (or contact persons were investigated) used as evidence.

The whole organization was dismantled in Russia (the Parisian Poles still existed and would undoubtedly remain a problem), but there was a loose nail.

While most of the members were executed or sentenced to life imprisonment, Piłsudski managed to escape, pretending to be mentally ill (he was able to fool the jurors and judges due to ignorance, despite early Russian studies in the psycho-analysis) and was considered truly ill, for which he was sent to an asylum by the jury.

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* Zachariasz Prus.

"I know Piłsudski well, he is quite sane." Prus argues in front of one of the Okhrana directors.

"We know, the tsar knows." The director responds. "That is why we receive private orders, we want you to infiltrate as an asylum guard and watch until Piłsudski tries to escape."

"Do you think he won't recognize me?" Prus exclaims with concern.

"Not if you stay away, but still watch out for possible middlemen who interact with Piłsudski and try to help him." The director orders one more time.

"Okay. What should I do in case he escaped?" Prus asks.

"You have orders to shoot to kill." The director answers simply.

"I understand." Prus accepts without hesitation.

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[Navy update]

Alexander Stepanovich Popov, while developing his lightning detector (invention of 1895, with the purpose of detecting electrical storms) did experiments in the Gulf of Finland.

During these experiments in Kronstadt, Popov detected an interference while he was testing this equipment to communicate between two ships in the Baltic Sea, he noted an interference.

The interference was caused by the passage of a third vessel, and Popov realized that this phenomenon could be used to detect objects in his report.

Popov and Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (who died in June 1894 due to an infection) had already worked for the Russian government, in particular Popov was the father of radio, so the army and navy took particular attention to their experiments.

Popov again made a remarkable breakthrough, this phenomenon that he would describe but would not bother to delve into, was taken up by the navy for the development of radar precursors.

Of course Popov had no interest, but his work was the basis

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[International]

January 9, the Trans-Saharan Railway is finished, at the hands of the Second French Empire, it is a colossal railway, crossing from the Ivory Coast (port with the Gulf of Guinea, in the Atlantic Ocean) to Algeria (with a port in the Mediterranean) .

The route then is a total of 5212 kilometers, passing through cities such as Timbuktu, Segou, Colomb-Béchar, Beni Abbes, Adrar, etc.

Quickly the French make some more expansion of the railway, good for them and their colonist cities...bad for the natives, the wildlife, history and resources of the place.

February 10, trade agreements between France and Germany.

February 12, terrorist attack by Émile Henry in Paris.

February 15, attack by Martial Bourdin in London.

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Also on February 15, an "exodus" began in Brazil, with the Brazilian civil war ending. Antônio Vicente Mendes Maciel, better known as Antonio Conselheiro ("the Counselor") leads his flock of followers from Bahia, in the Republic of the United States of Brazil, made the territory of Alagoas in the Empire of Brazil.

Northeast Bahia, the Republic of Brazil, is arid, poor, with a subsistence economy based on livestock and agriculture, without many cities or rights for its inhabitants. Antonio Conselheiro, in this poor environment, managed to gather a group of faithful among the black ex-slaves, poor and uprooted people (where there could be room for whites, blacks, natives, etc.), Native Americans and mulatto children of all kinds.

Conselheiro traveled from town to town preaching the need for Christian rites, claiming to be a prophet, promising a better world and the return of King Sebastian I of Portugal. Because the Conselhistas (Conselhists) rejected civil marriage and many measures of the republic, after wandering through Ceará, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Alagoas and Bahia, Antonia Conselheiro determines that it is time to settle.

That is why he and his followers moved from the republic to the empire, where they founded the city of Canudos, the promises of the Conselhistas soon reunited 12,000 inhabitants (most of them followers, other refugees), in a well-received beginning in the Empire of Brazil. , but the city of Canudos is not pro-monarchical either, they believe in a new state in the northeast of Brazil (a Christian state that awaits Jesus).

In addition, the northeast of Brazil is hit by one of the worst droughts in history during this period, attracting more population to Canudos, a population that becomes the faithful of Antonio Conselheiro.

Economically speaking, other Brazilian states continue to open up to trade, Rio Grande do Sul improves its particular commercial fleet a little to trade with Argentine and Uruguayan ports.

The Republic of the United States of Brazil trades coffee with the United States, trades other products with the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe (France and Portugal), with Russia, etc.

The Empire of Brazil trades with Germany, Russia, and some other northern South American-Latin American nations, mainly rubber.

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March 1, there is a reform of the local government in the United Kingdom, creating a system of urban and rural districts with elected councils, with elected parish councils in rural areas.

The reform also grants women (regardless of their marital status) the right to vote and stand in local elections (but not national ones).

March 2, 1894, after the ruling of the second proposal of the Home Rule of Ireland, Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.

This obviously has serious repercussions, the Prime Minister supported by Home Rule nationalists simply resigned, this angers above all the rural mass in Ireland and Irish workers in other parts of the UK.

The Home Rule movement loses more and more popularity within the Irish.

On March 12, Coca-Cola achieves a record number of sales in France.

On March 25, the Army of the Commonwealth in Christ or better known as Coxey's army, marches on Washington DC, a march in protest due to the economic crisis that the United States is going through (after the panic of 1893 and the death from President Grover Cleveland).

The march is led by Ohio businessman Jacob Coxey, who is leading a "petition in boots" (lobbying the government through this march), lobbying for job creation through road construction and public works improvement. , pay workers in paper money to increase the circulation of the currency.

The march also had strong populist elements as they headed towards the capital, reaching 6,000 men during April, before the leaders of the movement began to be arrested and federal troops had to intervene.

Setting two dangerous precedents, for example the use of federal troops to stop these types of movements and strikes, but also the populist armies marching on Washington D.C.

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[Okhrana: Korea]

Afanasy Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin on February 14 met again with his agents (some who had been since his arrival in Korea in 1891, others are new recruits that the Okhrana got over the years) from Seoul .

During 1894 the Okhrana in the kingdom of Korea would discover information about anti-Russian elements in Korea, based in noble classes and neo-Confusional elements.

Seredin-Sabatin and his military allies and spies did not take long to prepare the operation for the eradication of said allegations before the situation got too out of control, of course this operation would take time.

Elements ranged from neo-Confusional intellectuals to Queen Min herself and parts of her family and former associates of her, who lost considerable power to Russian influence over King Gojong and the Korean civil-military administration.

However, in 1894 the group already had to start getting rid of some nobles and intellectuals too annoying to be left for later, for example some who wanted to access the administration.

The Korean peasants knew nothing of this, and continued to be quite pro-Russian, as taught by teachers, administrators, and military officers.

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[Tsesarevich]

With January comes a new year, 1894. Tsar Alexander III makes Dmitry Sergeyevich Sipyagin minister of the interior, with this Sipyagin leaves his post as governor of Moscow, and Tsar Alexander III positions Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov as the new governor.

Surprising, but exciting news for the Muscovite population that welcomes its new governor.

Nicholas was ready to get to work learning about the Moscow governorate situation through extensive paperwork, but then news comes from the Balkans.

It is on January 18 when Tsar Sergei I of Bulgaria dies, a cousin of Nicholas Alexandrovich and Tsar Alexander III, as well as a strong ally in the Balkans for Russia.

Before this event, Nicholas and his family had to leave for Bulgaria for the funeral of Sergei I, and the coronation of Alexander I as Tsar of Bulgaria (a boy of just 9 years old).

The cause of death of Sergei I is not entirely clear, he was 45 years old but it is possible that his death was due to problems with alcohol and eating, or some problem in the brain.

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The Balkan and local nobility had gathered to dismiss their first Tsar, with 17 years of rule the death was sudden but Carol I of Romania and his family, Nicholas of Montenegro and his family, George I of Greece and his family appeared, some Serbs, and representatives of Bosnia.

Besides the aforementioned Russian royal family of course.

A regency council was installed by the military, Bulgarian elected elements, and Tsarina Joana until Tsar Alexander I came of age.

The Russian plans and those of other states did not stop, precisely the pro-Russian Bulgarian army continued to support Tsar Alexander III and the plans for the next war against the Ottoman Empire.

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"Poor kid, losing a father so young." Elena, princess of Montenegro exclaims while traveling with Tsesarevich Nicholas during his funeral in Bulgaria.

"My father has already been talking to him." The Tsesarevich Nicholas mentions, trying to ease the spirits a bit.

"That's good, I guess he needs the family right now." Elena responds somewhat more calmly.

"Without a doubt, according to my father the pain is not going to go away, but one has to be strong." Nicholas ends, not on the happiest note.

After this the Russian royal family was divided, on the one hand Nicholas repeated a short trip through the Balkans accompanied by Elena of Montenegro, and on the other hand the rest of the family returned to Russia.

After a short journey, Nicholas and Elena ended up in Montenegro, at the court of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro.

The Tsesarevich Nicholas and Elena were walking through Cetinje, the capital of Montenegro, when finally the Tsesarevich proposed to the Montenegrin princess.

Elena accepted and of course so did the Montenegrin royal family, shortly after the new couple traveled to Moscow to announce the event and celebrate the wedding in the Moscow governorate with the royal families of Montenegro, Russia and some other relatives such as Wilhelm II. , the British royal family, the Danish royal family, etc.

(OOC: Obviously, I'm not the best romance writer XD).

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[Sports culture]

The first four teams are chosen for the eighth edition of the Russian Soccer League, including:

* Baku.

* Minsk.

* Kharkov.

* Warsaw.