Chapter 512 The British Government’s Crisis

It has been nearly two years since the end of the First World War, but the economies of European countries have not shown any signs of recovery.

The situation is relatively good. The economy of the British Empire has grown slightly compared to before the war, but it does not mean that the economic situation of the British Empire is good.

On the contrary, as the ideas of the proletariat spread throughout the world, the impact on the British Empire can be imagined, which is why the British Empire wants to prevent the development of Soviet Russia.

The Soviet Union has an extremely huge impact on workers all over the world. Related parties have been established in various countries around the world, which has greatly affected the political environment of various countries.

As a large number of soldiers began to retire, and various countries took the initiative to reduce the scale of the military industry, there was a certain wave of unemployment in all the participating countries, among which Germany and France were the most serious.

However, the British Empire is no exception. Not to mention the situation of the British Empire's colonies, even the situation in the British Empire's native Ireland is enough to give the British government a headache.

The British Empire is not a whole, but a union of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Among them, the independence issues of Scotland and Ireland have always existed and have always troubled the British Empire and the British government.

If there is a more wise monarch who is deeply trusted by the British people, the problems in the UK can still be suppressed.

But unfortunately, Queen Victoria is one such monarch, Edward VII can barely be considered half, and the current George V is not.

This has also led to certain hidden dangers in the UK since George V came to power, but the British Empire, which is in its heyday, can suppress these hidden dangers.

But now, the British Empire, which has been devastated by war, coupled with the influence of the Soviet Union, has some uncontrollable trends.

In Ireland, a large number of unemployed workers began to march, and even evolved into a workers' movement.

In Egypt, Egyptians also began to be dissatisfied with the rule of the British Empire, and formed some large-scale guerrilla teams to attack the British garrisons.

Starting from March this year, starting with the students in Cairo, Egypt resisting the rule of the British Empire, students went on strike, workers went on strike, and merchants went on strike, and a wave quickly swept across Egypt.

Six months later, this trend has not disappeared at all, and has even gradually evolved into an armed uprising.

If the crisis faced by major Egyptian cities such as Cairo cannot be suppressed as soon as possible, the British Empire may have to start a war in Egypt.

More importantly, the Egyptians have consciously united together, which is a subversive crisis for the British Empire's rule in Egypt.

In addition to the crazy exploitation of the colonies by the British Empire during World War I, this crisis was caused by the disregard and forced retirement of soldiers after the war, which caused these soldiers who originally worked for the British Empire to not only lose their jobs instantly, but also have no compensation.

Some British troops are unwilling to work for the government anymore, and they are just stationed in the city for passive defense, without any decision to go out of the city to suppress the uprising.

If you understand the pension policy of the British Empire before and after World War I, you can know that it is natural for British soldiers to be disappointed with the government.

You know, these soldiers worked hard for the British government, but after returning home, they found that their family's property was levied a large amount of taxes by the government, and even many properties were forcibly bankrupted.

Because of this, many soldiers could not even find their families after returning home, and their families were broken up after joining the war, which was unacceptable to these soldiers.

The British Empire was far inferior to Australasia in this regard. Although Australasia was very strict with the indigenous people, it was still very gentle to the citizens of its own country.

Soldiers in Australasia could get their due subsidies and pensions, so they would naturally not be dissatisfied with the government.

The indigenous people in each colony were basically expelled, and there was no crisis in the colonies, nor was there any need to worry about the independence of the people in the colonies.

And the citizens of Australasia, under the influence of various cultures of the government, generally assumed that they were Australasia.

There may be various ethnic groups in Australasia now, but Australasia is gradually being accepted by more people.

It is until one day in the future that there will be no other ethnic groups in Australasia, but only a united and unified ethnic group, that is, the Australasia people.

It is crucial for the cohesion and unity of a country to condense all the population of a country into one ethnic group.

Fortunately, the skin color of Australasians is relatively similar, which is also the basis for uniting these populations into one nation.

After all, if everyone has a different skin color, in this era of serious racial discrimination, people are exclusive of each other, and it is very difficult or even impossible to forcibly integrate into one nation.

As for India, the most important colony for the British Empire, there is actually no need to say much. The movement against British rule in India has always existed, but it is nothing more serious or has a big impact.

The current British government may still be glad that India’s resistance is not strong. When the famous non-violent non-cooperation movement breaks out, it will be a headache for the British government.

Know that this is India, which is the foundation of the British Empire. If India is lost, Britain is just the United Kingdom, and the British king is just the king.

Even if we think about the worst, the British Empire that lost India would be worse than France at present, and global hegemony would be destined to fall into the hands of other countries.

For the British Empire, both Egypt and India are important. Egypt has the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, and India is the most important colony of the British Empire. Neither can be lost.

At the famous 10 Downing Street in the UK, a meeting on how to deal with the colonial and local crises is underway under the chairmanship of British Prime Ministers Law and George.

Speaking of 10 Downing Street, it is well-known in later generations. It is the residence of successive British prime ministers and the center of power of the British Empire government.

However, this house was not originally dedicated to the prime minister. Its history can even be traced back four hundred years ago.

The current 10 Downing Street is the merger of the Whitehall Palace annex and the original 10 Downing Street 200 years ago.

Whitehall Palace was the main residence of the British monarch from 1530 to 1698, and its annexes were once inhabited by Prince Charles, son of King James I of England, Princess Elizabeth, sister of Prince Charles, Protector of the Kingdom Oliver Cromwell, Duke of Albemarle George Monck, Prince of Orange and member of the Cabal Cabinet, Duke of Buckingham George Villiers and other prominent princes and nobles.

After that, the house was defined as the residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the official residence of every Chancellor of the Exchequer thereafter.

However, since the British Prime Minister also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, 10 Downing Street has also been considered the residence of the Prime Minister, which is the residence of the British Prime Minister recognized by people in later generations.

"Mr. Grey, how is the contact between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptians going?" In this famous house, British Prime Minister Lloyd George rubbed his brows and looked at Foreign Secretary Grey on the side.

"It's not going well, Mr. Prime Minister. The Egyptians are obviously unwilling to cooperate with us, and the Egyptian garrison does not have much desire to fight." Gray shook his head and shrugged at Prime Minister Lloyd George.

"Damn it!" Prime Minister Lloyd George cursed inwardly, but he could do nothing about the inaction of the Egyptian garrison.

"The Ministry of Finance will urgently allocate a sum of money to appease the morale of the Egyptian garrison. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do a good job of publicity. I hope that the Egyptian garrison will not happen to other armies." Prime Minister Lloyd George thought carefully for a long time before coming up with a more reliable solution.

There is no way to appease the Egyptian garrison. After all, only the Egyptian garrison can suppress the uprising and resistance in Egypt if it takes the initiative.

As for the cost of appeasing these garrisons, the wool comes from the sheep anyway. Later, the government will just increase taxes and squeeze from the colonies, and it will soon earn back.

"Get in touch with Australasia. Our actions need to be supported by Australasia so that we can be invincible in the World Alliance." Prime Minister Lloyd George continued to order.

The relationship between the British Empire and France after the war was not so good. Although the French were also miserable, the British Empire was facing such a situation, and the French attitude was definitely more gloating.

Let alone supporting the British, it was good for the French not to add insult to injury. Under this premise, Prime Ministers Law and George could only hope to win over their ally Australasia and gain an invincible position in the World Alliance first.

This was actually one of the reasons why Prime Ministers Law and George firmly supported Australasia to become one of the four permanent members of the World Alliance.

In any case, as long as there was the support of Australasia, the British would have obtained two votes among the permanent members of the World Alliance, and they would have been invincible.

"I understand!" Gray nodded, and he also understood the importance of gaining the support of Australasia.

If it was Britain that chose Australasia before World War I, then now it is the British who are winning over Australasia.

There were many powerful countries before World War I, and the British Empire actually had many choices.

But now, the two great powers of the Allied Powers are severely restricted. Russia suffers from the civil war, France suffers heavy losses in the war, and the United States is burdened with the reputation of influenza, and its international status and reputation have plummeted.

Under such circumstances, the only ones who can maintain their pre-World War I strength are the British Empire and Australasia, as well as Italy, which has never had a strong presence.

But the problem is that the strength of the Italian army amazed the British Empire, because they were surprised to find that there were still powers whose army strength was so much lower than theirs.

And the navy that Italy is proud of was also surpassed by Australasia. Compared with Italy, Australasia must be more valuable to win over.

"What are the French doing now? Logically speaking, the French should not be so quiet." Speaking of foreign policy, Prime Minister Lloyd George opened up the conversation and asked Minister Grey with a little doubt.

"The French should not be in the mood to care about foreign countries for the time being. Their economic situation is in big trouble. Like us, unemployment is their main crisis. At the same time, their colonies also have some problems, which should be enough for the French to worry about." Speaking of the French, Minister Grey instantly gloated, as if the close cooperation between Britain and France during the war did not exist.

In fact, it is true. Except for some special periods, the major powers gloated over each other's crises. After all, only when other countries are weak can they become stronger.

Besides, for the British Empire, which is now in crisis, a busy French government is reassuring.

If the French government is idle, the British government will probably have a headache.

However, although it has been confirmed that the French should not interfere with British actions, Prime Minister Law and George are still not at ease. He looked at Minister Grey and ordered: "Find a way to put some pressure on the French. I don't want the French to be too relaxed before we solve all the problems."

When it comes to the army, the British are not very proficient. But if the goal is limited to fanning the flames, this is the specialty of successive British governments.

Whether in continental Europe or in the world, the British Empire's balance policy and ability to fan the flames are definitely one of the best, and the means of creating crises are countless.

Minister Grey also nodded tacitly, and Law and George's instructions made no sense, and even a little excitement and expectation could be seen in his eyes.

"What about the islanders? This is our uncertainty and needs constant attention." Finally, Prime Minister Law and George turned their attention to the island countries, Britain's former allies.

"The islanders have been restless recently. Their request to obtain Germany's colonies in East Asia was rejected by us, which also brought them closer to the United States.

This Russian civil war has made the island countries' infiltration into the Far East more and more serious. Perhaps they want to take advantage of the fire to rob the Russians, or they may want to directly invade the Far East. We have to be on guard.

Especially when the Americans' diplomatic actions are restricted, the island countries supported by the Americans may have some crazy ideas." Minister Grey also knows a lot about the intelligence of the island countries, and blurted it out without any hesitation.

"Well, this is a problem." Prime Minister Law and George rubbed his brows again and couldn't help but sigh.

Although the British Empire cut off its support for the island countries before World War I, the Americans played the role of the receiver very well, almost seamlessly, and sent a large amount of material support to the island countries.

According to the current international situation, the island countries actually have the status of great powers.

However, due to the exclusion of the world alliance led by Britain, and the bad international reputation of the United States, the island country, the island country has not been recognized by the world and the European people.

But this will not hinder the ambitions of the island people. As the owner who once raised the island people, the British Empire is very aware of the ambitions of the island country and will naturally guard against this crazy country.

To be honest, although island countries like the island country are easy to target, the British Empire does not have the ability to completely destroy it.

We can only place our hopes on Australasia and hope that Australasia has a good way to check and balance the island country.

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