Chapter 579 Nicaraguan Civil War
With the implementation of various policies that benefit the disabled, various voices praising the royal family and Arthur, as well as the government, became popular in newspapers. The public loved Arthur and the royal family very much, and was quite satisfied with the work of the government.
This also made the whole country united, very concerned about the development of Australasia, full of enthusiasm for various constructions, and greatly improved the enthusiasm for work.
This also made the construction of Australasia in the second half of the year quite efficient, and at the same time, the development data in 1922 increased quite rapidly.
Several more important data, first of all, the population growth.
Throughout 1922, the total population of Australasia increased by more than 1.4 million, and the total population successfully exceeded 25 million. The exact number should be more than 25.27 million.
The increase in immigrants is one reason, and another important reason is that the life happiness index of Australasia has always been high, and the desire to have children is still very strong.
Of course, the strict implementation of the eight-hour work system is also a very important reason. Even if the people want to have children, they have to have enough time to have them, right?
At present, statistics from major cities in Australasia show that the average working time of urban residents is less than ten hours, which also allows them to have enough rest time to relieve fatigue after a day's work and contribute to the population of Australasia.
Speaking of the 8-hour work system, this is the most reasonable way of working at present. There are 24 hours in a day, and apart from the minimum rest time of 8 hours, there are 16 hours available for people to use.
Although the working time seems to be only 8 hours, the cost of commuting to and from work, as well as various preparations for work, at least 1 to 2 hours.
This actually means that after people implement the 8-hour work system, the time they can leave for themselves is less than 8 hours, and even generally around 6 hours.
Is 6 hours of disposable time really enough? For people in the early 20th century, when there were not many entertainment facilities and activities, it was actually enough.
After all, without the influence of mobile phones and the Internet, people's free time is mostly spent at home or going out for a walk. Only rich people will choose to travel around.
This is also the real reason for the increase in fertility rate. If you have time to stay at home, you must do something.
A population of more than 25 million is good news for Arthur. After all, this is half of the task of completing Arthur's second-step population strategy.
Arthur's population strategy is divided into three steps. The first step is to reach a population of 20 million to meet the requirements of becoming a regional hegemon.
The second step is to reach a population of 50 million to ensure its competitiveness among the great powers, while seeking a higher international status and creating a sphere of influence for the hegemon of the southern hemisphere.
The first two tasks are expected to be completed before and after World War II. Building a true hegemon of the southern hemisphere and the status of a top power is also Arthur's requirement and goal after World War II.
As for the third step of the population strategy, that is, to reach a population of 100 million, it is not something that can be completed within a few decades.
The goal of 100 million people is what Arthur wants to reach in this life. Australasia, with a population of 100 million, will definitely become one of the most powerful countries in the world at that time.
According to Arthur's prediction, such a goal may not be achieved until the 1960s and 1970s, or even longer.
Considering Arthur's age, he could only hold out until the country's population exceeded 100 million.
The next goal of 200 million to 300 million would depend on the efforts of future monarchs and the desire of Australasians to have children.
There is also good news, that is, the economic construction of Australasia is quite powerful.
In 1922, Australasia's GDP reached 61.5 billion Australian dollars, an increase of 8% compared with last year.
The large-scale construction plans, including railway construction, industrial base construction and various infrastructure construction, have created a large number of jobs for Australasia and have also promoted the economic development of Australasia to a considerable extent.
At any time, the improvement brought by infrastructure to the economy is huge. If this growth rate can be maintained, Australasia's economic situation will completely crush Italy, second only to the powers such as Britain, France and the United States, which have a much larger population than itself.
Thanks to such a rapid economic growth rate, the government's total fiscal revenue in 1922 also reached a new high, totaling 12.4 billion Australian dollars.
The competition for the fiscal budget in the new year is another key topic. After all, with the growth of fiscal revenue, the fiscal proportions of various departments will be newly divided.
Fortunately, Australasia can still obtain additional income from the defeated countries in World War I and the United States, so there is no need to worry about the fiscal situation. The annual fiscal surplus is as high as tens of millions of Australian dollars, and foreign debts have been basically repaid, and even the 100 million pounds owed to the royal family have been repaid for most of it.
Last year's total fiscal expenditure slightly exceeded the total budget by 10 million Australian dollars, resulting in a total fiscal expenditure of 0.5 billion Australian dollars.
It is expected that this year's total fiscal expenditure will not increase, and the budget will probably remain at around 0.5 billion Australian dollars, leaving a certain amount of space for emergency.
The growth of industrial scale is also quite rapid. At present, the total steel production in Australasia has reached nearly 10 million tons, which can be regarded as barely meeting the requirements of an industrial power in this era.
In fact, if Arthur is willing, the total scale of industry can still be increased wildly. However, the Great Depression in history is about to come. At this time, it is not a good thing to increase the scale of industry without limit. It is better to reduce it within a controllable range, so that we can respond to any crisis in the future at any time.
Grain production and meat production in animal husbandry are constantly increasing. These two industries will basically maintain continuous growth without general circumstances, so there is no need to say more.
Judging from various data, 1922 was a very peaceful year for Australasia.
The development of various data is very stable, and it is also a relatively special country in the world, which has not been affected by the chaotic situation at all.
Even Australasia has made a small profit in the arms trade by relying on the Philippine War that is close at hand.
At present, the number of Filipino students studying in Australasia has also exceeded three digits, which also means that Australasia's control over the Philippines has deepened. Even if the Philippines successfully becomes independent from the United States, it will not be out of Australasia's control.
And because the Philippines is relatively close to Australasia, it is impossible to get rid of Australasia's influence in decades.
In other words, Australasia's rule in the Philippines will be much more stable than that of the British colonies in the future.
And because of the brutal rule of the United States in the Philippines, the influence of Americans on the Filipinos will be greatly reduced, which will also increase the stability of the Philippines in disguise.
If 1922 was still a peaceful year, then just as 1923 began, a war broke out again around the world.
This war is still related to the United States. It can only be said that the United States was not very lucky after entering the 1920s.
This war took place in Nicaragua, a small country in Central America. It was a struggle between pro-American forces and anti-American forces in Nicaragua.
Speaking of Nicaragua, many people may not have an impression. Because this is a Central American country, this country has been controlled by the United States for most of the time since its independence. It is not very active in the international arena and is naturally not very famous.
But in fact, the importance of Nicaragua is still quite important, which is why Americans are trying their best to control Nicaragua.
First of all, let's look at Nicaragua's geographical location. As a Central American country, it is also very close to Panama. Nicaragua poses a considerable threat to the Panama Canal and is also an important means for the United States to ensure the safety of the Panama Canal.
If Nicaragua is controlled by other countries, the Panama Canal may be blocked by other countries at any time, which is a fatal blow to the communication between the two coasts of the United States.
In addition, let's look at Nicaragua's natural resources.
As a small country, it is one of the most important gold producers in the world, which has proved Nicaragua's status.
This is not over yet. Nicaragua also has a wealth of silver, copper, lead, zinc and oil and other mineral resources. The mineral resources are quite rich.
In addition to being close to the Panama Canal, Nicaragua is connected to Honduras in the north, Costa Rica in the south, and Guatemala and El Salvador in the northwest.
Such a region is very important for the entire Central America, equivalent to the transportation hub of Central America.
Whoever controls Nicaragua is equivalent to controlling the entire Central America. This is a geographical location that Americans will never let go of.
Moreover, there is the British Honduras colony in the north of Nicaragua. If the Americans do not pay attention to Nicaragua, the British will never give up this good opportunity.
Throughout the history of Nicaragua, this area was originally a Spanish colony. In 1821, it got rid of colonial rule and declared independence.
But this does not mean that Nicaragua has established a stable regime. In the next few decades, Nicaragua has experienced the rule of the Mexican Empire, the Central American Federation and the Republic, and the regime has changed frequently.
After that, it was the period when the United States ruled Nicaragua. The Americans established a military base in Nicaragua and controlled Nicaragua's internal affairs and military to a considerable extent.
But such rule by the Americans will naturally be dissatisfied with the Nicaraguans, and it is inevitable to set off rounds of resistance.
Arthur has an impression of the Nicaraguan Civil War. If Arthur remembers correctly, the Nicaraguan Civil War in history should have started in 1927, which is more than four years earlier than in history, perhaps because of the influence of the Philippine War of Independence.
After all, the US government has not had any effective response measures since the start of the Philippine War, which may give Nicaraguans hope and hope to completely drive the United States out of Nicaragua.
"Your Majesty, a large-scale military conflict broke out in Nicaragua yesterday, and a civil war has already started in this country!" Foreign Minister Dize hurriedly asked for an audience and brought this news that was completely good news for Arthur.
"Nicaragua? Isn't this a country controlled by Americans? The civil war is about Americans?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Minister Dize replied: "A guy named Augusto Cesar Santino started this war. They have publicly called on Americans to withdraw from Nicaragua and respect Nicaragua's sovereignty."
"What is the reaction of Americans to this? Is there a shadow of other countries in this matter?" Arthur then asked.
Arthur was curious about the American reaction to the civil war in Nicaragua. This was another provocation to the dignity of the United States after the Philippines. The former had seriously damaged the dignity of the former US President Wilson. Would the latter give the current US President Coolidge a big bag?
As for whether there were shadows of other countries, which Arthur asked, it was not surprising at all from the perspective of the country.
At present, almost all international events cannot escape the influence of the major powers.
Whether it was the various crises and conflicts that broke out before, or the Russian Civil War and the Philippine War of Independence that broke out before, there were influences from the behind-the-scenes manipulators.
When a civil war suddenly broke out in such an important region as Nicaragua, Arthur in his previous life might have thought that this was because the Nicaraguans were too dissatisfied with the rule of the Americans, but now, Arthur first thought of the influence of the major powers.
Although the world seems to be very calm on the surface, the storms under the sea are invisible to ordinary people, and the competition between the major powers has never stopped.
"It doesn't look like it at the moment, Your Majesty. However, the British are very interested in the Nicaraguan Civil War and have already asked about our attitude." Foreign Minister Dizer thought carefully for a while and gave his answer.
"Is there no influence from other countries?" Arthur was a little surprised.
This means that the Nicaraguan Civil War really broke out because Nicaraguans were dissatisfied with the rule of the Americans, not because of the influence and support of other countries, or even because of the destruction of relations.
As for the British's positive attitude, Arthur was not surprised at all.
The British already had many colonies in Central America, including the Honduras colony, which was relatively close to Nicaragua.
The outbreak of the civil war in Nicaragua is definitely of interest to the British, not to mention that it can weaken the strength of their rivals, the Americans.
If there was no evidence pointing to the UK for the time being, Arthur would even think that the UK was the murderer behind the Nicaraguan Civil War.
But even if there is no substantial evidence, the British can't get rid of their suspicion.
After all, it is good for the British to break away from the rule of the United States.
The British can easily control this small country, thus achieving their goal of being closer to the Panama Canal.
Not only Arthur thought so, but the Americans would also consider this.
But no matter what, the British Empire is currently the world's number one power, and the Americans have no way to deal with the British before there is any substantial evidence.
This is also the confidence of the major powers when they carry out their own diplomatic means. The gap in strength between the powers is generally not too large. If they really don't force people into a dead end, they generally won't tear their faces.
After all, tearing the faces between the powers is war, especially the current situation of the powers. Once a war breaks out, it will be a super war between multiple powers, which is something no country wants to see.
Especially after experiencing the relatively cruel First World War, European powers including Britain and France have already admitted to the war. If they are asked to start a world war in a short period of time, they will definitely retreat instead of fighting.
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