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Chapter 98: 1893
Chapter 98: 1893
Chapter 98: 1893
The year 1893 was a very turbulent one. On January 17, Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, attempted to amend the constitution. However, this led to a coup d'tat in which the Hawaiian Kingdom was finally collapsed.
It is worth mentioning that the coup was made possible by the rapid landing of American troops in Hawaii after the coup. After the coup, the Queen was placed under house arrest in the Iolani Palace. The monarchy was replaced by a rebel provisional government, leading to a republican period and eventually becoming part of the United States in 1898.
One hundred years after the coup, the U.S. Congress passed United States Public Law 103-105, also known as the "Apology Resolution," which officially issued an apology by the U.S. government for its role in supporting the coup in the Hawaiian Kingdom. U.S. President Bill Clinton signed this resolution on November 23, 1993.
The demise of the Hawaiian Kingdom signaled that the U.S. had become ungrateful and had set off a call for expansion into the Pacific, which also laid the seeds for future U.S.-Japanese conflicts.
In 1893, the British declared a 'Southern Nigeria Protectorate', and France occupied the adjacent area of Dahomey in the same year. The British 'Royal Niger Company' clashed with the French ~ on the western border of Nigeria. This Niger crisis led to an almost war between Britain and France. The conflict lasted until 1898 when the two countries signed an agreement to divide West Africa.
In the same year, the Anglo-German South African crisis broke out. In order to prevent Britain from acquiring the whole of South Africa and annexing the two Boer republics, German capitalists, with the government's support, built the railroad from Pretoria to present-day Maputo in 1893.
The Boer Republic was given access to the Indian Ocean and freed from port dependence on the British. In the end, Germany controlled most of the Boer trade, and tensions between the British and Germans in South Africa increased.
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These international events, which have little impact on Bulgaria in a short time, are very important for studying foreign relations. Ferdinand kept the good habit of gathering information and sending a copy to the military and political officials, which helped broaden their horizons.
The economic crisis broke out in 1893, and the United States, far away in the Pacific, suffered this time. Because the legacy of over-investment in railroads broke out, the railroad bubble was burst, causing a full-blown economic crisis.
As soon as the American railroad crisis was reported, it caused concern in all sectors of Bulgaria. Bulgaria's big railroad plan also caused widespread concern and anxiety in all sectors of society. In order to calm people's minds, Ferdinand sent copies of "factual" reports in the major Bulgarian newspapers.
The paper describes the causes and symptoms of the U.S. railroad crisis, focusing on "overlapping projects and unhealthy competition" as the core of the problem. It cites plenty of evidence that the Bulgarian railroad plan is feasible. It publicly announces that the government will not approve the construction of multiple railroads on the same line - to avoid unhealthy competition.
The year 1893 was a crucial year for Bulgaria. On August 15, the first Bulgarian steel mill, the Mercedes Volkswagen Steel Works, was put into operation, with a daily production capacity of 525 tons of steel, of which it produced 105 tons of steel and 420 tons of iron. (Remark: the maintenance of the 19th-century steel plant machinery took up a lot of time and could not ensure daily production)
The production of Mercedes Volkswagen marked the beginning of a new page in the Bulgarian heavy industry. Mercedes Volkswagen steel plant was the largest steel plant in Bulgaria at that time and ranked in the top 30 even in the world.
Thanks to the big railroad plan in Bulgaria, the Mercedes Volkswagen steel plant can produce to its fullest and not worry about sales in the short term.
Due to the lack of coking coal for steel production in Bulgaria, importing from the Ukrainian region is necessary, which raises the cost of steel plants. It is not competitive with the steel price on the global market now, but the Bulgarian government still chooses to support domestic production.
In fact, as soon as the Mercedes Volkswagen steel plant went into operation, Ferdinand called a halt to the import of steel from abroad, even though it was cheap in the midst of the economic crisis. (After the economic crisis, the price of world steel fell by a third)
Ferdinand is well aware of the importance of steel to a country. Even if the Mercedes Volkswagen steel plant is not competitive in the short term and will even incur losses, it must persist.
The founding of the Mercedes Volkswagen steel plant made Ferdinand another small profit. Although the product is not very profitable, but the future maintenance of the equipment is a big deal. It is only the only one in Bulgaria and even the entire Balkan region that has the technical strength.
The newly established Royal Bank welcomed its first business and found a sales outlet for its iron ore, albeit at a cabbage supply price, but it comes with some conditions attached. The Royal Bank insured the financial business of Mercedes Volkswagen, and it was a good deal any way one looked at it.
The benefits of completing the First Five-Year Plan are already starting to be felt in Bulgaria. It shows where there has been a spate of good news recently.
For example, better access to transportation led to a sharp decline in logistics costs in Bulgaria, sped up the trade of goods, and boosted the economy. The Ministry of Economic statistics showed there was 13% economic growth in Bulgaria in the first half of 1893 compared to 1892.
Another example is the spread of new agricultural technology that greatly increased farmers' income. In this era, there were not many leisure activities in the countryside, and a good life naturally came to create a family, and newborn babies were born one after another. Experts estimate that in 1893, the number of newborn babies in Bulgaria was up to 185,000-191,000. The birth rate remained at a high level, about 4.725%-4.775%.
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In the summer of 1893, it was extremely hot in Sofia. The sun was blazing, and the land was like a steamer. It was so hot that people could not breathe easily.
On August 18, Ferdinand hastily got into the carriage with the rising sun and hurried out in an attempt to escape the intense glare of the sun.
Today is a big day, the first Bulgarian university graduates. As the rector of the university, how can Ferdinand be absent?
Ferdinand is now in a bad mood, and God seems to intend to work against him. The weather today is unusually hot and can be said to be the hottest day since the beginning of summer.
Although the carriage was cooled by locally crafted ice inside, but Ferdinand was not a greedy man. He thought that the weather in the morning should not be hot and show the spirit of sharing the pain and suffering together. He told the soldiers to withdraw from the carriage before he left.
He now regrets that the summer day really can't be reasoned by normal sense and the weather before leaving home is still good, now suddenly becoming hot and humid. Ferdinand, who wanted to cry, was now unable to resist the urge to chew his teeth, just hoping to reach his destination earlier.
The trip did not come with Ferdinand's hopes. It had been going on for more than three hours before the convoy slowly entered the University of Bulgaria, at which point Ferdinand was already sweating.
When he got off the carriage, he looked at the university's staff and students who had been waiting for a long time under the hot sun. Ferdinand's mood was much better, and he was not alone in suffering. Compared with the usual training of soldiers, a few hours of driving in the hot sun is a child's play.
He receives a warm welcome from all the students and professors. Ferdinand stepped up to the podium and began his passionate speech under the intense sun.
"Good morning, students and professors. I am glad to meet you here today! You are all the elite of the country, the hope of the nation!
Today, we stand here! We stand on the land of the Bulgarians! We stand on Sofia, the land that our ancestors poured out with blood and dignity!
When you open our history books, we have so much glorious history that is worthy of being remembered!
What about now?
A small Balkan country!!!
One might say that one would find a whole lot of objective excuses!!!
Today I want to tell you that it's all bullshit!!!
Why did Bulgaria weaken in our time?
Simply put, more people are talking, and fewer people are doing!!! In essence, a big theorist who boasts about his contribution to this country is no better than an ordinary worker or a hardworking farmer!!!
Some educated people in recent times have sought the road to power from European powers. But I would like to say that they are all wrong!!!
The reason that Bulgaria is strong is simple. It's not the idea or the system! In fact, we all know that there are only two core issues: one is resources, and the other is population!
If you look at the world's great powers, all of them, without exception, have these two things! Most people are afraid to face up to this problem. Why?
Are they incompetent? Had not found these problems? Of course not!!!
'Empty talk misleads the country, and practical work prospers the nation', don't hold any hope for a bunch of bloviators!!! They are not the hope of this country. You are!!!
Behind us are the four million Bulgarian people whose hard work feeds us!!!
For what purpose?
Dignity! The dignity of being a human being!!!
To be recognized as one of the world's great nations, we can proudly say: Bulgaria has risen!
Identify the problem, confront it, and find a way to solve it! The country is not strong overnight. If we can't do it in ten years, so what about twenty years? Otherwise, it does not matter if we can continue to work hard after fifty years, after a hundred years, one day we can complete the great rejuvenation of the country, the nation..."