Ch.153The Great Depression (3)

* * *

Germany is already ruled by communists, Italy has Mussolini who merely painted his sign red, and France is about to experience multiple communes rising up.

“Hmm, Your Majesty already knows the locations of all Russian resources. If Spain turns communist…”

“France’s communist transformation will accelerate too. Or conversely, France might turn communist and then support Spain.”

I wonder how the civil war will unfold.

Will France turn communist? Will Spain undergo a civil war?

This is another historical variable I’m unfamiliar with, which is annoying, but also interesting.

Let’s assume France turns communist, and the Spanish Civil War will be Russia’s weapons testing ground.

“Although communes have been growing in number recently, will it really be that significant?”

Hey, one shouldn’t underestimate the communists.

Communist Germany will try to support the revolution somehow.

We’re separated from France and can’t help, and Britain isn’t in a position to stop a French revolution either.

So Russia needs to be careful too, and I should make that clear.

“Didn’t the Paris Commune exist before? Britain is in no position to help France now, and our Russia is far away. Communist Germany is perfectly positioned to support the French communes.”

Communists have no principles, so regardless of the historical relationship between France and Germany, as long as Berlin is the center of communism, the communists will take orders from Berlin just as they took orders from Moscow in the original history.

“Meanwhile, Britain plans to crack down on its colonies. This is serious.”

I know, right?

As a solution to the Great Depression, they’re just squeezing their colonies more. What an unprincipled approach.

Instead of solving domestic problems, they want to solve them by exploiting colonies?

Come to think of it, this is very Churchill-like.

Fundamentally, he wants to suppress communists spreading in the colonies while profiting from them.

The problem is that this approach will eventually backfire.

Honestly, by my standards, it’s enough if Britain manages to survive World War II.

I don’t care if Britain later collapses due to large-scale rebellions in its colonies.

“At least Hitler has been traveling around the former Austria-Hungary constituent states recently, calling for the establishment of a new country. Won’t Austria-Hungary be rebuilt soon?”

I should eliminate any noise about this.

“Well, it depends on whether neighboring countries recognize it or not.”

“In the end, the Baltic states of the Anti-Comintern Pact and the Balkan countries need a shield to take hits for them, so they probably won’t change their stance on the agreement. We don’t need to worry about the communist regimes in Germany and Italy. What remains is Britain.”

That’s right. They know about it too.

But those Anti-Comintern countries, well, it’s complicated.

“We’ll get a definitive answer from Britain soon. They already know we support Austria-Hungary.”

Britain will have a lot to say about the Dual Monarchy.

They’ll have to revive what they tore apart. But what can they do about it?

Because of that other Chamberlain who started the beta test of peace in our time, Britain must be in disarray.

From what I can see, except for Churchill, the cabinet doesn’t seem interested in taking down communist Germany.

“I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”

“Come to think of it, there’s no country as stable as ours in the world right now.”

This might be Russia’s era of peace. Perhaps it could be called Pax Russica.

Unlike the Soviet Union in the original history, we haven’t suffered from the Great Depression.

And unlike the Soviet Union, we’re friendly with the West and soaring higher.

Stalin’s authority is incomparably weaker than mine.

This is all possible because the Russian people follow me well.

“Indeed. Isn’t this all thanks to Your Majesty? All Russians have united through Your Majesty’s broadcasts, and your previous reforms have shone brightly.”

“It’s peculiar that what I did to develop Russia has helped us deal with the Great Depression.”

“That’s inevitable.”

It’s somewhat embarrassing to say, but Russia was so backward.

Just doing what needed to be done has helped us deal with the Great Depression.

A disastrous economy is a Russian tradition. Reforms to fix this have solved the Great Depression problems.

“Come to think of it, hasn’t Your Majesty been preparing for the Great Depression since the civil war?”

A member of the Roman National Party suddenly ambushed me with worship.

Well, putting it that way is a bit much.

This is why the Roman National Party is problematic.

“How about awarding medals this time?”

“Medals?”

“Yes, Your Majesty’s authority is absolute, so the people will be delighted with medals.”

Someone is suggesting awarding more medals.

I feel like I’ve become too much of a legitimate dictator. Fine. Do as you please.

* * *

London, England

British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

The reason for his perspiration was simple.

The Russian ambassador had appeared and bluntly declared that Russia would officially support the reconstruction of the Dual Monarchy.

“Russia will help rebuild the Austro-Hungarian Empire?”

“Yes. The British cabinet already knows this, doesn’t it?”

Although Britain hadn’t directly participated in the Anti-Comintern Pact, they were aware of the issue of rebuilding the Dual Monarchy.

The problem was that it was happening too quickly.

London citizens were already in an uproar after learning that Britain had yielded to communist Germany, and the reconstruction of the Dual Monarchy would make matters worse.

“You’re pushing for this suddenly?”

“Heh. Since Britain has supported communist Germany, it’s only natural that Germany will covet Austria. Are you just going to leave it be? Rebuilding Austria-Hungary would be better.”

“Even though we tacitly approved Austria, isn’t rebuilding Austria-Hungary too soon?”

Britain, having lost prestige by supporting communist Germany, didn’t want to revive Austria-Hungary, which they had dismantled as a victorious power.

The dismantling of the Dual Monarchy was, after all, Britain’s spoils of war.

Now Russia was trying to take away Britain’s trophy.

Baldwin could already envision British subjects pointing fingers at the incompetent parliament.

Stanley Baldwin felt a chill down his spine.

“That’s rich coming from Britain, which supported communist Germany. Or perhaps those who supported communist Germany to maintain colonies actually want the European continent to become communist?”

“Of course not!”

Baldwin raised his voice involuntarily.

Even though they supported communist Germany, it was for humanitarian reasons. This is different.

The European continent becoming communist?

If that happened, Britain, as a colonial empire, would immediately have to pour budget into the navy to cover the seas with the Royal Navy.

Not only that, they would have to defend their colonies.

It would be difficult to mobilize colonial troops, so they would have to deploy forces from the homeland.

During the Great War, they had been able to mobilize colonial Indian troops by promising independence, but they had reneged on that promise.

Those colonies could turn red too. That’s why they had no choice but to make an agreement with communist Germany.

“We Russians also need to prepare. Even with Poland, we don’t know how long they can hold against communism. So we need to make at least one reliable friend. Or do you think the small Balkan states can stop Germany after it swallows Austria?”

Britain hadn’t thought that far.

Even though the Balkan states were leaning toward Russia, Britain still had Western Ukraine and the Baltic states.

In short, if the Balkans fell, it wouldn’t be good for Britain either, but war was a different matter.

“Nothing has been decided yet. It’s too early to think about war.”

Nothing had been decided yet.

With the Versailles Treaty being milder than in the original history and the communist revolution, Britain had estimated that Germany wouldn’t be able to wage war.

However, this estimation was unconsciously ingrained in British minds because they believed that even if war broke out on the European continent, Britain would be safe thanks to the Royal Navy.

Of course, for countries that might have to fight Germany, this was a different matter.

“You may be across the sea, so you only need to protect the British Isles with the Royal Navy no matter what happens on the European continent, but our situation is different. The seed you’ve supported could plunge Europe into war again.”

“That’s…”

He couldn’t deny it outright.

Although Britain was supporting communist Germany, they were aware that communist Germany was behaving suspiciously.

If Britain lacked even this level of awareness, they couldn’t have become an empire spanning the world.

But Baldwin couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

“Don’t you understand yet? Since you’ve supported communist Germany, the era of the great British Empire maintaining hegemony as Europe’s balancer is over. Until now, we’ve tolerated it because Britain helped a lot during our civil war, but now that we’ve ended the civil war and our country is finally reviving, we have to face communist Germany. If you think you’re safe on your island after betraying the Anti-Comintern countries, then just watch from your island until the end.”

In short, it was a cold, one-sided notification that if Britain wouldn’t accept the reconstruction of Austria-Hungary, they should stop caring about European affairs.

The Russian ambassador’s contemptuous gaze was an added bonus.

Just ten years ago, Russia had been a dying country, and now they dared to raise their heads against the British Empire? It was hard to say this because Britain had actually supported a communist country, which had become a shackle preventing them from taking action.

Above all, Russia’s confidence came from the fact that Britain was suffering from the Great Depression.

While Britain had to spend a lot on its colonies, Russia was the only non-communist country that was doing well during the Great Depression.

“Urgh.”

Stanley Baldwin couldn’t refute this.

It was all true.

If war broke out due to communist Germany, the best Britain could do in this war would be to defend itself.

With the nightmare of trench warfare still fresh, it might be better to focus on defending the homeland while securing the colonies.

But the situation on the European continent would change.

What if communist Germany, recovered with British support, tried to spread communism everywhere?

Countries like the fragmented and weakened Austrian Empire or Hungary would be in danger.

If Britain opposed the reconstruction and things escalated, Britain would lose its influence in Europe without any stake.

There was no choice.

“Alright. I approve the reconstruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.”

Stanley Baldwin bowed his head and finally gave the answer Russia wanted.

“That’s for Austria to decide for itself, not for your country to determine.”

The Russian ambassador snorted and turned his back.

Austria was neither a British puppet state nor a colony. What right did Britain have to approve or disapprove?

From the beginning, this was a notification.

It meant not to cause trouble later when Austria rebuilt the Dual Monarchy.

The Baldwin cabinet, which had shackled itself by supporting communist Germany, could only tremble.

Meanwhile, around this time, Beria approached Churchill under Anastasia’s orders.

“I see an unwelcome face again.”

“Our Empress wants the reconstruction of Austria-Hungary.”

The first thing he said upon meeting was about rebuilding Austria-Hungary.

Churchill, who had been busy pleasing Edward, fell into thought.

He had already received criticism from the cabinet for suggesting squeezing the colonies dry.

What would the cabinet say now?

The Russian Empress wanted to revive the Dual Monarchy, which had been an enemy during the Great War.

The meaning was obvious.

If the Dual Monarchy was formed, it would be sandwiched between the communist bloc and would have a population large enough to hold out.

‘Russia wants to use the Dual Monarchy as a meat shield.’

Strategically, it wasn’t bad.

Not just the Dual Monarchy, but Poland above it and the small Balkan countries would also support it, so from a defensive perspective, it wasn’t bad.

Churchill nodded and narrowed his eyes.

“You want to use it as a shield against communist German aggression.”

“Doesn’t Britain, under your leadership, need a country to buy time in Europe while you reorganize during the Great Depression?”

Churchill, who was uncomfortable with the idea of rebuilding Austria-Hungary, frowned.

Hadn’t the ambassador already received the Prime Minister’s approval?

The fact that he came today suggests that the Okhrana doesn’t have much to do.

“The cabinet has already approved it, so why come to see me?”

“Isn’t the dismantling of the Dual Monarchy one of Britain’s few remaining spoils of war? It’s evidence of victory.”

That’s right. The dismantling of the Dual Monarchy is one of Britain’s few remaining spoils of war.

Tearing apart the mighty Habsburgs was an achievement for Britain.

This Okhrana agent, the Tsar’s shadow, was smiling vilely and provoking him.

“Even if we have to realistically accept the reconstruction of the Dual Monarchy, it’s not for Russia to say, having proposed it while receiving British help. Didn’t you exploit the fact that we couldn’t refuse at a time when we’re supporting communist Germany?”

Russia had perfectly timed this moment when Britain had to be a pushover to recreate the Dual Monarchy as a meat shield.

“That’s exactly why. What if you publicize that after the cabinet knelt before the German Communist Party, Russia is now taking away Britain’s spoils of war?”

“I see.”

Churchill’s eyes widened as his mind raced.

If the Baldwin cabinet was overthrown that way, Churchill could realize his vision.

The King’s Party.

Establishing a cabinet with the support of Edward VIII.

Eradicating communism spreading in the colonies, instilling discipline, and then advancing to the European continent.

And then, the day when the Union Jack would be planted in Berlin, the capital of those communist Germans.

Churchill dreamed.