Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 294 The US Presidential Election Process
The year 1860 had officially arrived, and if there was anything to look forward to in this year, it would naturally be the US presidential election.

This year's presidential election can be described as a decisive one for the United States, which is currently on the verge of division. The economies of the Southern states are heavily reliant on slavery, especially cotton farming, while the Northern states are gradually moving towards industrialization and a free labor system. The issue of slavery has become a central political issue, and the contradictions between the North and the South are becoming increasingly acute.

The Missouri Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 were both attempts to temporarily de-escalate the division. But from the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin to last year's John Brown Rebellion, relations between the two sides have become increasingly tense.

By 1860, the political landscape of the United States was highly divided. The Democratic Party was split into the North and the South over the issue of slavery, while the emerging Republican Party explicitly opposed the expansion of slavery.

This year, 33 states participated in the presidential election. Of these, 18 free states supported the abolition of slavery, while the other 15 slave states supported the full legalization of slavery. Although the original U.S. Constitution legalized slavery, the division on whether to retain it has only increased since the United States gained independence and is now irreconcilable.

This year's election is noteworthy because it showcases the dominance of the relatively new Republican Party in the free northern states. Most Republicans believe slavery will be abolished, and therefore strongly oppose the excessive power exercised by the slave-owning southern states.

The U.S. Constitution stipulated that slave states could include slaves in the total population as three-fifths of the free population when allocating seats in Congress. This allowed the South to expand its political power beyond what was originally based solely on the number of free people.

The total population of the Northern Free States was 1880 million, while the Southern Slave States had only 830 million free people. However, based on the statistics of approximately three-fifths of the Southern slave population of about 350 million, the number of people in the South who enjoyed political rights increased to 1040 million.

In theory, a presidential candidate could win an election with an overwhelming majority of Northern voters, without needing any electoral votes from Southern voters. Therefore, the Republicans made a promise exclusively to Northern voters that they would protect the Republic from slavery.

"Looks like this is going to be interesting," Nasser al-Din said, looking at the message from the United States. He also told Abdullah about it.

"I think the Republicans have a great chance of winning. The United States elects its president through the Electoral College system. But a large percentage of states support the abolition of slavery. Unless the Republicans cause trouble, they are sure to succeed."

This election, which ignited the American Civil War, was naturally a good opportunity to manipulate divisions, since a divided America would be beneficial to Iran.

However, directly influencing elections with money would be ineffective, and with civil war already a foregone conclusion, it would be better to simply support a southern ally. And Mexico would naturally fill that role.

After Lawrence became President of Mexico, the 1857 Constitution was adopted through joint discussions between liberals and conservatives. This established the fundamental laws of the constitution. In the 1858 congressional elections, Lawrence's party won 55% of the seats, gaining complete control of the legislative process.

Economically, Mexico has also gradually developed. With the elimination of domestic barriers and the encouragement of railways and immigration, Mexico is experiencing its best period since independence. Lawrence's so-called "scientific" cabinet, composed not of scientists but of financiers, technocrats, and intellectuals, adhered to the principles of positivism. They established their new ideal: "progress through science," and their primary belief was in material development, measuring national progress by the output of mines and factories.

Lawrence's major policies after taking office were threefold: to grant preferential treatment to foreign interests, especially those of Britain and France; to maintain good relations with Europe in order to balance American influence; and to maintain domestic stability at all costs.

When he first came to power, domestic stability was his top priority. To effectively stabilize Mexico, he adopted a "bread and stick" policy: if the local bullies cooperated, he would feed them with public funds; if they did not cooperate, he would eliminate them.

Lawrence employed a divide-and-rule strategy against various political interest groups. He instigated hostility and infighting among the different groups involved in his government, preventing them from uniting to carry out internal government conspiracies or coups. At the same time, he blamed his subordinates, subjecting them to condemnation of tyranny and injustice, thereby maintaining Mexicans' adoration of the president.

He placed great importance on maintaining control over the military. On the one hand, he increased the military budget, purchased new European weapons, and placed many military leaders in important political positions. He also established a modern military academy in an attempt to train an elite officer corps.

His experience in Iran taught him that to succeed, the military must be firmly in his own hands. Therefore, in recent years, military spending has accounted for 40% of fiscal expenditure, largely achieved by cutting back on other areas.

In the economic sphere, Lawrence adhered to liberal principles. At the beginning of his term, Mexico was still an agricultural country, with a lack of domestic transportation and communication links, numerous commercial checkpoints between states, and many unreasonable fiscal and legal regulations, all of which hindered the establishment of a unified domestic market.

In eliminating domestic trade barriers, Lawrence created conditions for a unified domestic market by eradicating local separatist forces, restoring social order, and building railways and improving transportation. Under these circumstances, the Mexican economy began to develop rapidly.

The Iranian oil company also began exploring for oil in Mexico, while Lion Corporation invested 168 million riyals in Mexico to build railways and telegraph lines. In addition, French capital poured in, directly stimulating local development in Mexico.

It's fair to say that Mexico is the main force against the United States in the future. After all, they also want to wash away the shame of the Mexican-American War, so they naturally harbor hatred towards the United States. With a little more incitement from Lawrence, that hatred could be easily aroused.

With such an ally, it would be a problem for the United States. Moreover, through Lawrence's influence, many Southern congressmen and senators also leaned towards independence. Eight U.S. congressmen from Louisiana formed a Southern Association to promote their ideas. It wasn't that they didn't want to abolish slavery, but rather that they needed more time.

Moreover, directly liberating Black people would inevitably lead to a series of security problems, threatening the survival of white people. Therefore, it would require a long period of indoctrination by white people to bring them into civilized society. This argument gained considerable support in the South, but it was unshakeable in the North.

(End of this chapter)