African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1373: Chapter 366: The Battle of Public Opinion

The large-scale lobbying activities of the East African Government received different feedback in various countries. Apart from France, which was relatively easier to deal with, Austria-Hungary and many small European countries also responded positively.

The reason for Austria-Hungary’s stance is understandable. If the war continues to expand and prolong, Austria-Hungary will no longer be able to generate profits. In essence, after severely damaging Russia, Austria-Hungary has basically achieved its overall goal.

Before World War I, Austria-Hungary actually did not have very grand ambitions. Its political demand was essentially to annex Serbia, expand its influence on the Balkan Peninsula, and push Russia out of the Balkans.

After the self-collapse of Tsarist Russia, Austria-Hungary’s strategic goals were basically achieved, even exceeded, as Austria-Hungary didn’t expect their old rival, Russia, to disarm itself.

Besides the realization of its political objectives, Austria-Hungary’s system also determined that it couldn’t expand indefinitely. How to digest newly acquired territories is an important issue for Austria-Hungary, as it hasn’t even resolved its own national issues, and newly annexed lands will only exacerbate Austria-Hungary’s national divisions in the future.

So, now Emperor Franz, Crown Prince Rudolph, and the upper echelons in Vienna believe that ending the war at this point is actually the best solution for Austria-Hungary.

Apart from France and Austria-Hungary, many small European countries are in the same situation. Most European small countries, besides those involved in the war, naturally wish for the war to end, as they can neither benefit from the Allies nor the Allies, and may even get caught in the crossfire. Therefore, when East Africa proposed a peace initiative, it garnered the support of these small countries.

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Rhein City.

The East African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frier, reported on the recent work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ”In Europe now, only Germany and the United Kingdom are unwilling to end the war. Germany because its ambitions are too great, dissatisfied with the current results, and the United Kingdom because its losses are too small, unwilling to gain nothing.”

”For Germany, they are very clear that what cannot be obtained on the battlefield cannot be obtained at the negotiating table. However, Germany’s gains on the battlefield are limited to parts of Eastern Europe, which cannot change Germany’s pre-war geopolitical disadvantages.”

”And Britain needs not much explanation; it has suffered the smallest losses in the war, and does not have the severe population issues like France, so the British government has obviously not deeply felt the pain of war.”

Ultimately, whether the war can end still depends on the decisions of the two leaders of the Allies and the Allies, namely Germany and the United Kingdom.

Ernst asked: ”So do you think the German government and the British government will change their minds?”

Frier said: ”From my personal point of view, even if the German government and the British government do not want to easily end the war, they have to make relevant compromises.”

”The most important thing is that we have won over the number two of both the Allies and the Allies, Austria-Hungary and France. If both countries lean toward an armistice, then Germany and the United Kingdom will naturally find themselves alone.”

”This is on the diplomatic front, and on the European public opinion front, we are also strengthening our offensive. Now, anti-war opinion has begun to rise in France and Austria-Hungary, with some effect in the United Kingdom and Germany as well.”

”Under the vast public opinion, the probability of Europe returning to peace is very high, unless the governments of all countries act arbitrarily, ignoring the most basic wishes of the European populace.”

”If they completely ignore public opinion, that will only serve the European Labor Party, and it is possible for Europe to form a ’Red Tide’. In this backdrop, if the governments of all countries do not wish to lose their authority, they must sit at the negotiating table.”

Rallying public opinion to coerce European governments is indeed a very effective method, though if not handled well, it might backfire.

So Ernst said: ”The departments responsible for European public opinion propaganda must grasp the key points; we absolutely cannot allow a large-scale ’Red Tide’ to appear in Europe.”

”So in anti-war propaganda in Europe, special emphasis should be placed on the role of the Labor Party and Jews. In our descriptions of Jews, we should lean as much as possible towards conspiracy theories, pegging them as the instigators of European wars, claiming Jewish merchants manipulate European national politics, and using capital, media, and other means to provoke cross-national relationships, sell materials, engage in illegal lending, etc., pin any blame on Jews first.”

”As for the Labor Party, pin them down as traitors to the nation, skew people’s understanding and perception of the Labor Party as much as possible.”

”In summary, we cannot direct the blame at the current governments of various European countries, especially the political forces on the mainland of Europe. We need them to continue maintaining the stability of European society. Only in this way can we prevent the Labor Party from taking advantage of the situation.”

Both Jews and the Labor Party are not seen as anything good in the eyes of East Africa. Both are essentially infiltrating Europe: the former through financial and media means to buy off European bureaucrats and nobility, the latter through violence or inciting the masses to develop organizations, striking at the prestige of Europe’s old forces.

It can be said that financial capital represented by Jews is a chronic poison, and the social change demands represented by the Labor Party are a machete. Whether it’s poison or machete, the goal of both is to take the lives of old European nobility and bureaucracy.

After instructing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how to set the direction of European diplomatic operations, Ernst also held meetings at the National Defense Security Bureau and the Military Intelligence Department, two key agencies responsible for external espionage activities.