Father of France

Chapter 247 Powder Kegs Everywhere

It's not unreasonable to apply this to the Berbers; the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was a Berber, so basing the framework on Mediterranean civilization is quite fitting.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Berbers were under the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire for a period of time. However, in the seventh century, Arab armies swept across North Africa. Although the Berbers resisted fiercely, such as the legendary female warrior Kashina, they were eventually conquered.

Despite adopting Arabic and becoming Muslim, they tenaciously preserved their language and unique cultural customs.

“The early stages of civilization must begin with the nomadic era,” Fernand Braudel nodded after hearing this, clearly considering the feasibility of having Berbers as the indigenous people.

"Which nation didn't start out as nomadic?" Koman smiled and said, "If it weren't for nomadism, humanity wouldn't have traveled all over the world. Of course, if modern people are still proud of that nomadic lifestyle, then I can't understand how they can become a powerful nation."

In the agricultural era, what could people do when they lived in places where they could only move around?
Anyone who goes to a nomadic area can only be a nomad. Conversely, if the conditions are right, nomadic people can also farm, and that's fine.

But in this era, if one still thinks nomadism is a lifestyle to be proud of, it's almost the same as being content with poverty, unless a major power is there to bail them out.

Or, like Australia, where the mineral resources are so abundant that some people choose to herd sheep and still live well, that would be fine.

“That’s right, early civilizations didn’t have many choices, that’s not a problem,” George Dubi agreed. “Then our historical analysis should try to extend the content of the Roman Empire’s prosperity, shorten the period of Arab civilization’s invasion and emphasize the bloodshed.”

Robert Mandrou agreed, saying, “From the perspective of the realities of Europe and the Middle East today, projected onto the historical timeline, this is not a problem, but rather more acceptable.”

“That’s the basic framework. It centers on Mediterranean civilization, with the main sections set during the Roman Empire, when France and Algeria were both part of the Roman Empire,” Koeman explained. “Therefore, exchanges are perfectly normal. After all, cultural exchange doesn’t require any concrete evidence. We need to focus on the future and seek common ground while respecting differences…”

Culture is similar to religion; few cultures lean towards darkness and misery. Most mainstream cultures promote truth, goodness, and beauty. Therefore, even different civilizations share commonalities.

This batch of court writers were obviously much easier to talk to. I don't know if it's because historians and educators are different, or if historians themselves have seen too much cruelty and therefore have their own set of perceptions.

In short, Koeman and the historians were all quite satisfied with each other during this conversation.

The Turks can recognize the Turks, the Hungarians can recognize the Huns, and Corman believes that if France aligns with the Mediterranean strategy, promoting a Mediterranean historical perspective is more justifiable than either of those two.

At least France and the overseas provinces of North Africa were truly one family in the Roman Empire, so they didn't have to go to the Mongolian Plateau to find relatives in the 20th century.

As Koeman sought common ground for France on both sides of the Mediterranean, France's biggest problem at the moment was not its overseas departments, but the future of Germany.

In early 1947, the British and American occupation zones were merged. France strongly opposed the establishment of a strong central German government and hoped to seize its Saar region. In exchange for France's agreement to merge the occupation zones, the United States and Britain made key concessions.

The three major parties in France, which are now practically defunct, are still arguing over whether France should join the Anglo-American occupation zone. Even within the People's Republican Movement, there is no consensus.

Not only was there the issue of merging occupied territories, but there was also a huge problem with Germany's currency. Germany was still using the Reichsmark as its currency, but after two years the United States realized that continuing to use the Reichsmark was tantamount to being exploited by the Soviet Union, because the Soviets controlled the printing plants for the Reichsmark.

The United States' efforts to stabilize its occupied territories over the past two years have been largely due to the fact that the Soviet Union controlled the issuance of the Reichsmark, which was then transferred to the Soviet-occupied zones. It was unacceptable for the US to pay for its own currency and then give a share to the Soviet Union, so the US began considering abolishing the Reichsmark and issuing a new currency.

Aside from the currency issue, while the US, Britain, and France occupied western Germany, the Soviet Union controlled eastern Germany. The four superpowers divided and governed German territory, with Berlin as the capital, jointly administered by all four. The Soviet-occupied zone was a traditional food supply base for Germany, and daily life in East Germany was relatively comfortable.

As the United States pressed closer and closer, the shadow of the Cold War gradually loomed over Germany. In order to counter the United States’ aggressive actions, the Soviet Union began to tighten grain exports from East Germany to West Germany, which plunged the western region into a difficult predicament.

“Germany’s recovery is a threat to us and will also affect our control of the Saar region.” George Pidul strongly opposed the views of Britain and the United States, even reminding him of the time after World War I when having Britain and the United States as allies was worse than not having them at all. “But Monnet really wants to see unity with Britain and the United States,” Schumann advised somewhat reluctantly after hearing this. The People’s Republican Movement wasn’t all of one mind; for example, Monnet and George Pidul’s views differed. Monnet wanted to join the Anglo-American circle to maintain unity, while George Pidul was full of doubts.

“Of course I know what he’s thinking,” George Pidul said coldly. “Britain and the United States are one family, but France is not a cultural entity.”

“If the rollout of currency continues to be delayed, things will be very difficult in the West.” Schumann hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “Moreover, the United States has made up its mind not to let the Soviet Union take advantage of it.”

In Germany, food was undoubtedly the scarcest commodity; compared to hunger, all wealth was meaningless. Farmers less affected by the war, with surplus grain at home, naturally became the big winners in the black market trade.

The wealthy and middle class from the city flocked to the area, exchanging their gold, silver, oil paintings, and even furniture and clothing for flour, eggs, meat, and butter. Farmers suddenly began to use precious porcelain and high-end furniture in a luxurious manner.

Schumann even learned that the situation in western Germany now included the involvement of the French army, as if it had been prepared in advance specifically to deal with this situation.

In the earliest days, there was even opium poppy, which was only removed from the black market trade after the Americans discovered and cracked down on it. However, this also created millions of addicts. The United States began to specifically crack down on the opium poppy trade in its occupied territories.

Koman seemed to sense a causal force at some point, but he didn't know where it came from. Even if he did know, it was just a suggestion, and what was wrong with a suggestion?

To be fair, the Germans weren't necessarily innocent in this area. Poppies are still considered an agricultural product, and if they were really locked up and forced to quit, it would be possible due to the intimidation of the occupying forces.

The early spread of this substance was certainly related to the British, which allowed it to spread throughout the world, and the great Eastern power was also a victim.

But who could rival the mighty Eastern power in agriculture? After failing to hold out, the Qing Dynasty quickly rose to prominence, even forcing the British to begin banning opium. By the late 19th century, overseas Chinese had become opium traffickers in various countries. Who broke the cycle of fate that had brought the Qing Dynasty to Britain? The Germans.

The Germans defeated the Qing Dynasty by using their powerful chemical industry to create even more potent products, which directly defeated the poppy, which was still considered an agricultural product.

Compared to the contributions of the Germans in this field, the Syrian Maronites like Martin, who are still living in a small-scale peasant economy, are really nothing. The Germans are the main base, and the poppies have just gone home.

However, after returning home, he did speak to Admiral Dragon about the abolition of the Reichsmark and the merging of occupied territories, expressing concern that "this could trigger an armed standoff."

"It can't be that serious," Admiral Dragon said, frowning slightly. "Just because of currency reform and the consolidation of occupied territories? There's no reason for that."

“Moscow probably sees this as a division of Germany,” Koeman answered directly. “We can hear that Moscow has always opposed the division of Germany because once Germany is divided, it signifies that this confrontation is inevitable. In Stalin’s view, this confrontation puts the Soviet Union at a disadvantage. After all, among the major belligerent nations, the most intense and longest war has been fought on Soviet soil. Britain has also suffered significant losses, mainly in terms of industry and money. As for manpower…”

"Based on the duration and intensity of the war, even if the Soviet Union didn't release casualty figures, we could estimate that the death toll was in the tens of millions." General Dragon didn't need Koeman to finish speaking; he could naturally apply the situation of France in World War I to the Soviet Union.

“We should express our concerns to the government,” Koeman reminded his general father. This was a role they should try to cultivate. After all, that’s what the General Staff does. If nothing goes wrong, no one will blame them. But if an armed standoff does occur, it will be attributed to the General Staff’s foresight. “Just say that Berlin’s location could make it the front line of the confrontation.”

Thinking about it this way, there have been an extraordinary number of events this year. Not to mention the Greek civil war, which is not a high-profile affair, there are three major flashpoints: the Berlin Crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian War, and the civil war in a major Eastern power.

These fires broke out simultaneously within a year, and the United States simply couldn't handle them all.

It is wrong to assume that the power of a superpower is limitless. At its most confident moment after the Cold War, the United States only claimed to have won two and a half wars. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, fought against enemies in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Angola at the same time, and its national power declined sharply.

Of these hot topics, Chiang Kai-shek is indeed the easiest to abandon. He has the highest investment cost and the lowest success rate. If he had to choose one to abandon, Truman would definitely abandon Chiang Kai-shek.

(End of this chapter)