A window to souls (October-December, 1916).

Imperial Renovation: Transport and electricity]

The Treaty of Visegrad had been signed in 1916, and it was clear that all countries were already preparing for the next Great War (when it would be, from the perspective of that moment, was unknown).

Countries were preparing militarily and economically for changes, changes of government, changes in the international situation and in general, changes of time.

The war between modern powers had proven to have an important economic and mechanized component, added to this the Great Depression was drawing to a close. So it is not surprising that there were reforms in numerous countries.

In the beginning, the Third Duma led by Mikhail Skobelev, carried out reforms about the military and civil pensions of the Russian Empire (among other state services).

This to kick-start Russia's human resources into the labor market and civil economy once again. The times of war were over for the moment and it was time for an economy of peace.

But what were the first objectives of Tsar Nicholas II in this economy of peace?

Basically initiate major improvements in the transport, energy and communications of the Russian Empire.

All this 'body' created during the reign of Tsar Alexander III, received important reforms from Emperor Nicholas II.

In essence, giving this body of vital infrastructure even greater reinforcement (financial resources, major improvements such as continued expansion and modernization of various technologies).

Transportation (rail, vehicles of all kinds, subways, roads, etc.) are important veins of the Russian Empire. While communication and electricity are a logistical nervous system necessary for civil and military life.

On October 4 (early) many of these plans devised by the Third Duma and Tsar Nicholas II were presented exactly:

* Development of the first High Speed Rail (высокоскоростная железная дорога / Vysokoskorostnaya Zheleznaya Doroga or VZD in Russian, HSR for its acronym in English).

In Germany (1899-1903) is where the possibility of an HSR was investigated for the first time, through a high-speed electric transport. As a result, a railcar could be made to achieve a speed of 206.7 kilometers per hour (128.4 miles per hour) at 210.2 km / h (130.6 mph).

The problem of course was the regularity of the project and associated costs. These were the problems that the Russian Empire planned to solve.

Károly Zipernowsky (Carl Zipernowsky), an electrical engineer of Hungarian origin, and Nikola Tesla were two of the two main minds within the development of the first VZD of the Russian Empire.

This state investment in the development of the VZD would prove incredible for the public transport and logistics infrastructure of the Russian Empire, especially in its more developed areas.

Although of course, the Russian Empire could not abandon traditional transportation, and also made many efforts to expand railways, trams, roads and other methods of transportation of the Russian Empire.

These were especially useful for long distances, rural areas and areas simply not so industrial-urban as the great centers of the empire.

Technology would eventually reach these sites, but it would take time.

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Covers from the science magazine "Техника — молодёжи" (Technology for the Youth), representing important ideas and concepts for advance in transport for the Russian Empire in the years of 1952 and 1976. Technology for the Youth was first published in the year of 1933, and have been popular since then until modern times.​

* Mass electrification.

It is true that Tsar Alexander III oversaw the electrification of the Russian Empire. Achieving such impressive achievements as electrifying vital points of Central Asia (which at the time was a very peripheral region).

But that was considered the 'first phase' of the energy industry in the Russian Empire by Tsar Nicholas II.

Now there were many plans to further expand the electrification of the Russian Empire, increasing the electrical industry and power sources within the Russian Empire.

The second electrification spread over a huge part of the government of Nicholas II, and carried out numerous projects that allowed considerable progress.

Advances in energy production and the quality of life of Russian citizens.

Hydraulic energy was used, there were advances in technology and electrical production, etc. Russia was a huge country and this was massive, but necessary and successful at the end of the day.

For decades and even today, Russia remains an important country in the global energy sector.

Since it exports many energy resources (gas, oil, etc.) to various parts of the world (such as several countries in Europe or Asia).

* Expansion of radio in the Russian Empire.

It is true that Russia was one of the leading countries when it comes to the radiocommunication industry, but there was a lot of room for improvement.

This was precisely what the expansion promoted by the Third Duma and Nicholas II aspired to.

Radio was to become common and accessible throughout the Russian Empire.

And this achievement was closer to the reach of government than it appeared at this time, with enormous achievements between 1917 and 1919.

A curious example of the success of radio communications in Russia was the entertainment business of Frederick Bruce Thomas, an African-American with poor roots who had managed to secure a successful restaurant and theater business.

Thomas expanded into radio communications as entertainment, which proved to be a success.

With Thomas came the first steps of David Sarnoff, at first a humble worker, who became another giant of radio communications and entertainment in Russia.

* State investments in science and other important modernizations.

While electricity and communication is important, we must not forget other important matters of the Russian Empire.

As can be the important advances in medicine, agriculture, chemistry and diversity of scientific and economic fields.

Russia would found important advances in the educational field with the creation of universities and research centers, which were beneficial to the state and its agencies (such as the armed forces).

Taking advantage of not only the huge mass of the Russian population, educated through STEM fields since the educational reform of Alexander III, but also taking advantage of Russian policies to take advantage of the brain drain from abroad (educated people and students from the Russosphere leaving for the Empire). Russian proper).

As a result of this, some of the first and important advances in various technologies would be seen. Although that would be getting ahead of ourselves.

Also with modernization we speak of abandoning the old for something newer or more practical, technological advances in the world allowed constant modernizations in various fields.

One example was continual improvements in the mechanization of agriculture as the Russian Empire advanced in its development of vehicles (in part, the development of tractors and Medved).

* Expansion of the Moscow metro.

Very simple, continue the expansion seen under Alexander III and the governorship of Nicholas II of the governorate of Moscow.

The Moscow metro was not the only metro in Russia, true, but it was iconic.

*******

[Russian Colonial Empire: Autonomy]

November 3, Tsar Nicholas II makes an important decree (Ukaz), the creation of autonomy in the Russian Colonial Empire, which allows the representation of the African colonies in Moscow.

This is a revolutionary step in the Russian Empire and its colonial empire, a bit controversial at the time but carried out after all.

However, the most pressing issues are why and how Tsar Nicholas II carried out this important reform.

Well, first of all we can say that the native rebellions and revolutions in the old French colonial empire, the old Spanish empire and hundreds of other empires were a good warning.

And secondly, it was a good excuse for the Russian Empire to continue to have control.

True, locals could elect delegates to Moscow, which kept many natives happy. But at the end of the day it was the Tsar and the Moscow government who had control over most of the economic and political affairs.

The autonomy of colonies only ceded certain powers to the locals and allowed them representation in Moscow, many others were still under the central government of the Russian Empire proper.

The autonomous colonies of the Russian Colonial Empire could govern their judicial power, make laws that did not contradict the interests of the central government of Moscow and could make proposals or initiatives for various matters (planning and construction of cities, ports, roads, etc.).

Especially matters in civil industry or non-vital / secondary economic sectors.

In military affairs, there was a joint command of native members and delegates from the central government, which was an extension of autonomy.

This autonomy actually helped to form very useful collaborators for the interests of the Russian Empire in the colonies. Since the new collaborators undermined the interests of small local tribal leaders and opponents.

An obvious example is that currently Madagaskar's collaborating bureaucrats completely undermined the authority of the local Malagasy monarchy, favoring the Russian Empire and its system over the native local system.

Regarding HOW, well, there was already the Namibian example. The locals simply had to elect a delegate (be it a popular leader, a military man or a merchant, etc.) and that he would arrive in Moscow to actively discuss with the central government of Moscow.

Now all this was made official, with official positions and a bureaucracy that helped the colonial autonomies under the central government of the Russian Empire.

This autonomy currently created a kind of hierarchy, since it was not granted to everyone equally for various reasons. Sagallo, Somaliland, Kenya, Katanga, Namibia, Kameroon and Madagaskar received autonomy.

But the territories recently obtained in the Treaty of Visegrad, such as Tanzania, Uganda and the German Congo, were too young and unloyal.

Autonomy for these latter territories was more dangerous than beneficial for Russian control.

So the Russian Empire maintained a mixed system, on one side was the Russian Empire itself, with a centralized and unitary government.

Under this were the autonomous colonies or autonomous colonies of the Russian Colonial Empire, such as Novaya Gvineya, Sagallo, Somaliland, Kenya, Katanga, Madagaskar and Kameroon.

And the autonomous colonies of Slavic Africa helped Russia to rule the non-autonomous colonies.

It was not a perfect system of course, it brought advantages and disadvantages in the administration of the new territories.

But it was what was necessary at the time, since Russia had to ensure that the territories were properly integrated before granting them autonomy.

Of course there were natives dissatisfied with this system who formed more or less active oppositions, but in any case the Russian Empire went straight ahead with its plans.

Plans that included socio-economic reforms (educational reform, economic advances and modernization, etc.) and important infrastructure planning to integrate these colonies and allow them autonomy, over time.

Crushing the opposition formed was easy thanks to the military domination of Russia in the region, while settlers arrived, Russia established its law in the region and important projects in the region were being carried out.

Projects such as the large roads, railways and other logistical connections from Katanga to Keniya, and from Keniya to Sagallo.

*******

[TV]

October 14, at the Ekaterinodar State University an important technological advance was made.

The inventor Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin, a student of Boris Lvovich Rosing, presented his first design for a "Television System" (as he called it).

This was an improvement on the work of Rosing, who had talked about the 'electric telescope'.

In essence, the Zworykin Television System was a television transmitting and receiving system technology, based on Rosing's cathode ray tubes.

It was an important advance of a mechanical television, heading towards the first fully electronic televisions.

Zworykin's demonstration was a success, although it did not impress everyone, it was clear that television technology had potential and Tsar Nicholas II invested heavily in it.

There were improvements to be made, so this was a wise step towards the first modern televisions.

Zworykin and Rosing reworked together for various improvements to this 'television', which would lead to major developments for television in the 1920s.

An example was the addition of a Paget-type RGB raster screen, allowing color transmission and reception.

With this work as a basis, in the early 1920s (1921) Boris Pavlovich Grabovsky (a military volunteer and son of a poet, of Ukrainian descent, although he lived in Central Asia for a long time) joined this group.

Under the advice of Rosing and Zworykin, Grabovsky would invent the 'Telefot' (Telephotom / Телефотом).

The Telefot, invented in 1923, was the world's first fully electronic television, and it was a huge advance in the field.

Expanding enormously in the following years within the Russian Empire.

The history of television runs through Petrograd / Saint Petersburg, Saratov and Ekaterinodar.

*******

[Circle of Trust]

At the end of 1916, the circle of trust of Tsar Nicholas II and Iosiv V. Stalin considerably expanded its actions and assets within the Baltic, with the integration of the military Jukums Vācietis within the group.

Vācietis was a prominent and important member for various reasons, which favored both Nicholas II and other members of the group.

Among them, that Vācietis was not an active part of politics. He was not in any political party, but he supported the ideas of the group and was loyal in fighting against the antagonistic elements of the group.

Vācietis was also good at local organization, his units and followers became the Latvian Rifles, which would later be integrated into the Russian army.

This is for future events.

The important thing is how Nicholas II solidified the position of his group in the Baltic, through another new military-organizational asset in the region.

Especially useful due to the proximity of Latvia with the rest of the Baltic (Lithuania and Estonia), which made them vital in the protection of vital positions near Saint Petersburg.

Under Commander Jukums Vācietis, was Colonel Sergey Sergeyevich Kamenev (not related to Lev Kamenev by the way), who assisted in Baltic operations.

*******

[Gangut Circle: Trade and Politics]

December 29, Admiral Alexander V. Kolchak had a prominent meeting with an economic and political clique, concerned about the huge elephants of Russian politics.

The meeting was between Kolchak, leader of the Gangut circle, with various political and commercial personalities of the Russian Empire of the time.

We speak of great capitalist nobles, politicians of the left and politicians of the right concerned about the situation of the Russian Empire. More specifically by certain individuals and their tendencies.

These concerns were rooted in the rise to power of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party and its leader, Iosif V. Stalin.

A socialist with tendencies that concerned both the nationalist-conservative right (because of Stalin's supposed threat to the fatherland and the monarchy), and the left (those more libertarian leftists, or simply opponents of Stalin, who saw him as too authoritarian ).

With this meeting, Kolchak had the objective of obtaining support and contacts of a political and economic nature. This would allow the Gangut circle to rise within the internal policies of Russia, to more efficiently fulfill its objectives.

On the other hand, there were those who believed that THEY could manipulate Kolchak, to finally have the reins of the policy of the Russian Empire once the Gangut circle could take over the government.

Kolchak would be victorious in this struggle for domination, securing the economic and political assets he needed in the process.

With concessions, but we can say that the Gangut circle was effectively a military faction with commercial-political arms (and not a clique of corporate-politicians with a military arm).

Who joined Kolchak?

Well, it was a strange mix.

* Pyotr Vasilievich Vologodsky, Russian statesman, public figure and mason.

Vologodsky was Kolchak's first asset in politics, and it was one of the ladders that enabled the admiral's promotions on various matters. Vologodsky was actually a leftist, but he strongly opposed the leadership of Nicholas II, Iosif V. Stalin, Savinkov, Kerensky and associates.

However, despite being an important member of the regional leftist movements, the support of Vologodsky (who operated mainly in Tomsk, Siberia) and associates were mainly in the center-right (who also supported Kolchak).

** Nikolai Vasilyevich Tchaikovsky, a follower of Vologosky.

Tchaikovsky was strange, because he was an agrarian populist (like the old Narodniks) and a socialist believing in communists, but very religious (he considered that communist life was meaningless without a constant feeling of the presence of God in the case of each member of the group). community).

Like Vologodsky, he was openly opposed to Stalin's RSDLP socialism. He mainly acted in Vyatka and northern regions of Russia (Arkhangelsk).

* Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich, one of the factional leaders of the Pan-Russian National Union, a 'loose cannon' of ultra-nationalist, anti-Semitic and anti-communist opinions.

Not surprisingly, he joined Kolchak, recounting the party's internal troubles, his opposition to socialism, and Purishkevich's ambitions for power in his competition against enemies and old allies.

* Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston.

The heir to the wealthy Yusupov family, Felix Yusupov was one of the wealthiest men in Russia. He entered the Kolchak circle because of his meetings with Purishkevich.

Felix Yusupov was seriously concerned about the influence of the RSDLP in the government of Tsar Nicholas II, although he did not fully support Kolchak or Purishkevich.

He was simply opposed to the current directions of the government of Tsar Nicholas II and the socialism preached by Iosif V. Stalin.

*[Perspective]

Yusupov was drinking tea, while Kolchak was giving a speech in front of other members of the Gangut circle.

"Stupidity ... or treason." Kolchak exclaims. "Those are the circumstances of an important part of the Third Duma right now." That's the admiral's warning.

"It is true sir." Purishkevich insists.

"What do you mean?". Some like Yusupov ask curiously, Purishkevich has some strange smile on his face.

"You don't know because you are not in the VNS, but President Skobelev's health is deteriorating." Purishkevich responds. "Skobelev is not dead yet, and vultures like Balashov are already dividing the corpse."

"The stupidity of socialism and traitors, it is clear that the Duma is in a ... problematic situation. It has survived its usefulness" Kolchak indicates, and those present agree, in part at least.

Some like Purishkevich no longer believed in the Duma, and others like Vologodsky believed more in the need for a CLEANING of the Duma.

That is, simply eliminate certain elements and once again allow free elections ...

Obviously Kolchak did not share this last idea, but the opposition to Stalin and his socialism overcame the ideological differences between Vologodsky and associates with Kolchak.

*******

[International]

October 1, major expansions in the London Underground, in the capital city of the Imperial Federation.

October 2, problems in San Diego.

The latest national shows in California have left several exotic animals stranded in the country, the populations of which were strongly established by 1922.

The doctor, Doctor Harry M. Wegeforth, would manage to form a zoo (the San Diego Zoo) for animals such as the African lion, bears, ducks, lynxes, golden eagles, rails, badgers, gray foxes, coyotes, snakes, geese, buffalo, deer and elk. But others got away.

An example of abandoned animals that escaped and settled outside zoos are the lemur, hailing from Madagaskar (a gift from the Russian Colonial Empire). Where they somehow managed to survive in rural California and become a backyard problem.

October 7, General Felix Diaz of the United Mexican States (United States marionette, in short) becomes a little wasteful with his position.

While the dictator lives in luxury, the country lives in poverty and economic problems since the destruction of much important infrastructure.

In all this, Felix Diaz, who is incompetent, brings several camels (Bactrians and dromedaries) to the country. And these camels escape, making northern Mexico and the southern United States their home.

Camels are mostly not dangerous, except in times of reproduction or when defending their territory.

October 8, an Italian column is defeated by rebel guerrillas in eastern Libya (part of the Kingdom of Italy in exile).

October 10, multitude of labor strikes throughout the United States in the post-Second Great War period, as a result of the end of the war and the economic problems that the country was currently experiencing.

As a result, there are several economic problems in various areas of the USA, such as the refineries in the Northwest.

There are also various cases of violence between the police and the strikers.

October 11, several police stations are besieged by strikers as a result of the previous day's strikes and violence between the parties in conflict.

We are talking about some of the most important cases of civil violence in the post-civil war United States, although it is not yet the largest ...

October 12, major improvements in the British air force occur in this post-New Great War period.

Hipólito Yrigoyen of the Unión Civica Radical wins the 1916 elections in Argentina, the first victory of the UCR and the end of the conservative period in Argentina.

But due to the assassination of the former president just before these results, there is significant political instability in the country, which weakens the Argentine state in the period after the victory of the UCR.

As a result of this, the tentacles of Chile and the Imperial Federation begin to slowly but surely spread in the country.

October 13, finally the United States government sends federal troops to end strikes in various parts of the United States.

This is only achieved on October 20, that is, ten days after the strikes began.

The formation of several rebellious Islamic-Arab columns begins in the territory of Sudan, occupied by the French military junta led by Petain.

These columns want the separation of Sudan and unification with the Emirate of Ha'il, which is basically the leader of the pan-Arab dream.

The strategy of the rebel columns is basically similar to that of the Libyan rebels, a guerrilla war against European positions and forces.

As a result, Russia and Ethiopia make plans to expand their influence in Eritrea.

October 16, American Margaret Sanger opens America's first family planning clinic in Brooklyn, helping educate about birth control (a term that Sanger herself helps popularize).

October 19, the Standard Oil company begins to have important economic recoveries in the United States of America, which marks the approach of the end of the Great Depression.

October 20, occurs on Black Friday, a perfect storm in the Great Lakes between the USA and Canada (Imperial Federation), which results in several ships destroyed and a few people dead.

Of course in modern terms, Black Friday means something else.

October 21, fights in South Carolina between lynchmen and Americans against lynching, the reason for the conflict was that a mob of 200 people wanted to lynch the African-American landowner Anthony Crawford.

Crawfodr had had an argument with a local merchant over the price of cotton, which resulted in Crawford, in the custody of the local sheriff, being attacked for a period of 24 hours.

Finally, the anti-lynching mob (made up of local trade unionists and socialists) was the winner, marking the beginning of the decline of lynchings in South Carolina and it was a symptom of the democrat descent in the Solid South.

The United States Congress issued a formal apology to the Crawford family for the lynching attempt and other legal problems only in 2005.

October 25, Margaret Sanger was arrested for breaking a New York state law prohibiting distribution of contraceptives following the opening of her birth control clinic in Brooklyn.

Similar to the arrest of Emma Goldman after her lecture on sex education and contraceptive methods.

October 28, minor reforms in the compulsory military service of Australia (Imperial Federation), opposition to conscription suffers from local government measures.

October 30, numerous political problems in the Republic of China, caused by the instability of the current civil war and its stalemate between the right wing of the Kuomintang (led by Chiang Kai-shek) and the left wing of the Kuomintang.

Recently the left wing has made some important advances against the Nanking-Shanghai right wing, but it is not the end of the war yet.

October 3-5, major victories for native-Islamic separatist rebels in Al Fashir (الفاشر), regional capital of the former Darfur region.

The French military junta faces certain problems in maintaining its Sudanese areas due to the new rebels, supported by the Emirate of Ha'il.

The junta is simply in a terrible economic, political and military state.

The same November 5 occurs the 'Everett Massacre', in Washington, United States.

The conflict is between the "local authorities" actually the local Sheriff's forces plus 200 'vigilantes' (local organized and armed by the sheriff), against 300 local strikers, belonging to the Industrial Workers of the World (demanding better wages and labor rights ).

As a result there are 5 dead and 20 injured.

November 7, the results of the presidential elections of the United States of the year 1916 are given.

We obtain the first victory of the National Republican Party, with Henry Ford being elected over the Democrat Champ Clark (president from 1912 to 1916) and the socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs.

The margin between Democrats and Socialists vying for second place is getting progressively narrower from 1916 onwards. But for the moment the Democrats are still winning.

With this, the Ford administration begins.

November 13, various attempts by Australian labor movements to re-initiate political activity are defeated by the intelligence services of the Imperial Federation.

November 21, Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico (in quotes, currently in 1916 the only thing left of the empire is Cuba) begins to delegate more powers to his heir, Agustín de Iturbide y Green (prince of Iturbide).

During 1916 to 1918, the health of Maximilian I weakened, until he finally died on November 21, 1918.

November 22, death of King Albert Victor I of the United Kingdom, head of state of the Imperial Federation.

November 27, the two German states (Free Republic of Germany and the Prussian Republic of Germany) begin rebuilding their military forces for the next great war.

November 28, the government of the United Boer States begins a generational change, product of the death of old politicians due to age and the natural transition of the country.

Now a much more pro-British government emerges than before, and de-facto the Imperial Federation begins to dominate the country.

December 2, the 'Sydney Twelve' are caught and convicted by the British authorities due to the burning of several properties in the city of Sydney.

The Sydney Twelve were twelve members of the Industrial Workers of the World who carried out terrorist activities in Sydney, Australia, Imperial Federation.

The fact that they managed to escape British services for a time is remarkable, but they failed to do much for the Labor movements in the Imperial Federation.

December 5, Henry Ford gives his first presidential address after the November elections.

He speaking especially about his plans for the reconstruction and economy of the United States of America.

For this plan, the Ford administration used not only the state, but several of the large American companies.

The president trusted someone in particular to rebuild New England, Prescott Sheldon Bush (a Wall Street capitalist executive).

Prescott Sheldon Bush would become one of the most important members of the Bush dynasty within the National Republican Party.

December 9, Russian-born Jewish author Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (known as S. Ansky or An-sky) premieres the drama The Dybbuk (sometimes translated as Between Two Worlds) at the Elizeum Theater in Warsaw.

The work is first in Russian, although later it is translated into Yiddish. It is about a Yiddish woman being possessed by a malicious spirit.

December 13, King-Emperor Edward VIII makes several tours with the veterans of the army and promises various reforms for the situation of the soldiers.

This to guarantee the loyalty of the rest of the troops of the British armed forces, and improve the performance of the Imperial Federation in the next Great War.

December 16, under the new government of Edward VIII several crimes began against the native population of territories under British administration or occupation.

An example is the beginning of the creation of many internment camps (prison camps, forced labor and concretion camps), a systematic work to deal with dangerous or inferior elements.

Several men, women and children from India, Iceland and Northern Ireland become targets of the new monarch.

Although initially, information on much of this was quite inaccurate abroad.

December 25, major administrative reforms in the Imperial Federation under Louis Alexander Mountbatten and Edward VIII.

December 27, British reforms and plans began in their new African territories, to turn these areas into useful areas for the British colonial empire.

December 30, British influence in Gran Colombia expands while American influence weakens.

This is the result of certain changes in foreign policy (the new Ford administration) and successful actions of various British assets.

*******

* [Perspective: A death in the family]

As many times before, King Albert Victor I and the Prince of Wales were preparing for a hunting trip.

They could range from the territories of the royal family in the Home Islands or the rest of the Imperial Federation, to many of the colonies of the British colonial empire.

The last trip would be to the lands of William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland.

One of the loaders fell down. This resulted in both barrels of one of the guns carried to be discharged.

"Hehehe ... oh boy." The Prince of Wales laughed for a moment.

Albert Victor had fallen on a supply crate after being shot, his suit now had a new hole.

"It's not funny." The king mentions annoyed and obviously hurt, his voice somewhat broken. "... You know, actually it is!"

The king admitted shortly before he died, even with medical attention.

The king is dead, long live King Edward VIII.

The death of Albert Victor I was considered an accident, but in reality many suggest that it was actually a premeditated murder by Edward VIII.

Regardless of the truth, it no longer matters.