Chapter 1026: Steel industry plan completed ahead of schedule

Time flies to 1905. At that time, the Russo-Japanese War has not yet ended, and the African region is not stable. In addition to the South German Kingdom, which is busy with its western expedition, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are also busy stepping up their penetration into West and North Africa. Spain and Portugal The two countries also continued to strengthen their military power in the African colonies to protect their few colonies in Africa. The entire West and North Africa fell into chaos.

On the other hand, the overall situation around East Africa is good. Although Italy has some thoughts about the Abyssinian Empire, the security of the Abyssinian Empire, which has been reduced to an economic colony in East Africa, is naturally guaranteed by the big brother of East Africa, so a possible The regional disputes that occurred were quietly resolved under the mediation of East Africa.

For the neighboring countries or colonies in East Africa, East Africa has unknowingly become a well-deserved giant in the region. After the South African War, it has digested Angola, Mozambique and other regions. Even the United Kingdom can no longer be what it was before the South African War. Disparaging attitude toward East Africa.

Because Britain is already the most powerful force around East Africa, the British Somaliland and Egyptian (Sudan) colonies it controls are the most powerful, and it is difficult to pose any threat to East Africa.

Among other countries or colonies bordering East Africa, the French colonies of Gabon and Madagascar are too backward to be included in the discussion.

The Belgian Congo, the Italian Red Sea Colony, and the Kingdom of South Germany are actually political forces supported by East Africa. The Abyssinian Empire, the only traditional native African country, has completely become a follower of East Africa.

Under this favorable geographical situation, the First Five-Year Plan for East Africa has been implemented safely, and the East African government can devote all its energy to industrial and agricultural construction.

Geography is very important to the development of a country. The East African government has always focused on maintaining political stability in its own country and surrounding areas.

In previous lives, Americans liked to use geopolitical conflicts to interfere with the normal development of some countries. For example, they encouraged small countries to make small moves around the Far Eastern Empire, used Pakistan or Bangladesh to restrict India's development, used NATO to suppress Russia's living space, and used Israel to prevent Arab countries from becoming bigger.

Therefore, East Africa’s positive attitude towards the security situation around its own country cannot be underestimated. If East Africa imitates Tsarist Russia or the United States, I am afraid that the entire African region will be in chaos.

With this kind of effort, East Africa has naturally also gained a lot of results. On the one hand, its domestic industry has developed steadily, and on the other hand, trade with neighboring powers has continued to expand, strengthening East Africa's economic and political influence in the region.

The first point is easy to explain. Without a solid foundation for national security, it will inevitably affect the implementation of the First Five-Year Plan for East Africa. The former Soviet Union’s Third Five-Year Plan was affected by war and was forced to interrupt it.

As for the second point, East Africa provides more stable governance conditions for neighboring countries or colonies and accelerates the development of neighboring countries or colonies, which is also beneficial to East Africa.

After all, the resource development of these countries or colonies must be realized in the end. With the existence of the suzerain country, it can naturally be digested internally, but it is more advantageous to sell the developed minerals and other products to East Africa nearby.

After all, these outputs have to bear the freight when transported back to the country, and some resources may not be digested by the home country, such as Belgium and Italy.

Although the economy is relatively developed, it is too small and the industrial chain is incomplete. In this case, some colonial products are worthless, but if you change your thinking and choose East Africa, you may be able to turn waste into treasure.

Moreover, East Africa is right next to its colonies. Through shipping or railway, East Africa can digest these outputs nearby, which has a greater cost advantage.

This has actually formed the prototype of an economic region similar to the German Customs Union around East Africa to a certain extent.

Not to mention the Abyssinian Empire and the South German Empire, they have been fully integrated into the East African economic circle and are affiliated forces in East Africa.

…

Rhine city.

As the First Five-Year Plan comes to an end, the East African industrial sector has begun to evaluate some industrial data during the First Five-Year Plan. The steel industry, as one of the most basic industrial sectors, was the first to update the results.

“At the end of 1904, with the commissioning of the steel plant in Letania Province (southern Angola, northern Namibia), the tasks of the steel industry during my country’s First Five-Year Plan were completed ahead of schedule. Last year, my country’s steel production reached 5.3 million tons. This year Steel companies such as Letania Steel should be able to increase production by hundreds of thousands of tons on this basis, which means that my country's steel production capacity is likely to be close to, or even exceed, six million tons in 1905."

The steel production target in East Africa's First Five-Year Plan was to exceed five million tons. In 1904, East African companies had already completed the task ahead of schedule. This was very exciting news for the East African government.

"Our country's steel industry has not only achieved superior results in terms of quantity. According to the predictions of the Ministry of Industry, in 1904, our country's steel industry further widened the gap with Russia and France, and was also very close to the British steel output. By the end of 1905, it may even be The British steel industry overtook the industry and ranked third in the world, second only to the United States and Germany.”

Last year, the British steel output was more than 5 million tons. The specific data has to be known, but the statistics department estimates that it should be between 5.4 million tons and 5.8 million tons. In terms of scale alone, East Africa has unlimited Close to UK levels.

Russia is still the fifth in the world, and France is the sixth in the world. Both countries are at the level of more than two million tons. Compared with Russia, the French steel industry is developing very fast.

In 1900, France's steel production was only more than one million tons, while Russia had already reached more than two million tons at that time, so Russia basically did not make any progress. After all, Russia had suffered a severe economic crisis since the first year of the 20th century.

At present, the Russian steel industry has recovered after the economic crisis. In addition, as a result of the Russo-Japanese War, in fact, from 1900 to 1902, Russia's steel industry was affected by the economic crisis and declined instead of increasing. Therefore, the lack of a large increase in Russian steel production was completely expected by the East African government.

As for the accelerated development of the French steel industry, it can be described as bitter and sweet. Since the Franco-Prussian War, until the 1990s, the French economy was first hit hard, and then it has been in a state of slow growth, which is in sharp contrast to Germany's rapid progress.

In the late 1990s, the French economy finally emerged from the long-term depression. First, as time went by, France emerged from the influence of the war, and secondly, France's overseas colonies began to feed back to France's domestic industry.

During the First Five-Year Plan in East Africa, it can be said that the French economy had its best period in decades. In the case of a lack of local energy and mineral resources, the rapid expansion of steel production capacity and its pace with Russia are very telling. According to the East African government's estimates, between 1906 and 1907, France's steel production was likely to surpass Russia again.

Because of its early industrialization, France's steel production was actually higher than Russia's in the past. Russia's steel production has surpassed France only in recent years.

As for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is currently competing with Belgium for the seventh place in the world. Although Belgium has a small land area, it is indeed a real power in the field of steel, and is often on par with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Belgium is rich in local coal and iron ore resources, and is a type of God-given food. Whether Germany or France eats Belgium, it can make its own industry go further.

In 1900, Belgium's steel production was more than 500,000 tons, which is more than many major countries in the world. According to the East African government's forecast, last year, that is, in 1904, Belgium's steel production may have exceeded one million tons, which is a level that beats most countries in the world.