The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 847 -634: Things Remain the Same, But People Change

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Although the combat effectiveness of the military cannot be entirely measured by the awe it demonstrates during a parade, the military’s combat prowess can nonetheless be clearly showcased at such events—at least to a rough extent.

If Australasians felt only pride while watching their own army, witnessing the subsequent review of other countries’ militaries would have allowed them to deeply appreciate the strength of the Australasia Army.

This is no self-praise; the vast difference in power was simply reflected in the differing displays of army reviews among several nations.

Not counting Australasia, there were quite a few nations participating in the review, totaling about ten.

Aside from Britain’s military, which was still reasonably organized and whose equipment was not much different from Australasia’s, the other nations couldn’t compare with Australasia in terms of weapons and equipment, the neatness of the soldiers during review, and the solemnity and awe they conveyed.

Post-parade news reports also reflected this, with domestic and international media offering high praises to the Australasia Army, while the militaries of most other participating nations went unmentioned.

Fortunately, both Australasian and foreign media were willing to give the British their dues, including them in the lavish praise of the forces.

However, many media outlets only praised the British for their weaponry, which indirectly acknowledged their belief in the superior combat capabilities of the Australasia Army over Britain’s forces.

After the parade ceremony, the National Day celebration had nearly come to an end. However, the representatives and militaries of various nations were in no rush to leave. After all, everyone was part of the British and Australasian system, and it was an excellent opportunity for many countries to foster closer relations.

The negotiations that Arthur considered important, of course, revolved around cooperation with Britain. No matter how critical other countries were, they couldn’t match the benefits that Britain offered to Australasia.

The mere fact that the majority of Australasians were British descendants already determined that Britain had the most considerable influence among many nations, and Arthur couldn’t ignore the opinions of British immigrants.

Thankfully, the current amicable relationship with the British also ensured that cooperation with them would face no troubles.

Arthur and King George V signed a treaty in the presence of numerous media outlets, symbolizing a new chapter in the relationship between Britain and Australasia.

Of course, the specific contents of the treaty were not disclosed to the public, not even the areas in which cooperation was agreed.

What Arthur valued most was population cooperation with the British. The number of unemployed in Britain was growing continuously, and although the British Government had introduced corresponding welfare policies to ensure a certain income and supplies for the unemployed, it had not improved Britain’s overall situation.

For this reason, Australasia became the biggest beneficiary. According to the cooperation agreement signed by Arthur and George V, Britain would actively promote immigration to Australasia, with an estimated maximum of about 500,000 people migrating there each year.

One should not think that 500,000 is a small number. If 500,000 immigrants could come from Britain alone, it meant that Australasia’s total number of immigrants could exceed 1 million.

Combined with the population of native newborns, Australasia could still maintain a majority of British immigrant population while rapidly increasing its population scale by more than 1.5 million each year.

Even though this population growth rate couldn’t compare with that of more populous countries, an annual increase of 1.5 million was certainly not slow and would bring Australasia’s population close to 40 million before World War II.

Such population cooperation was naturally the outcome Arthur was most pleased to see and was the most attractive condition offered by George V.

Clearly, both parties were happy with such immigration. It would not only help resolve the social problem of a large unemployed population in Britain but also address Australasia’s development issue of lacking a substantial population size.

In fact, it wasn’t just Britain; many European nations were experiencing a significant exodus. The constant increase in unemployed populations was an unavoidable issue for European Nations, and difficult to resolve satisfactorily. Encouraging these unemployed people to emigrate seemed a better alternative, not only reducing the number of unemployed but also strengthening the influence on foreign nations.

Currently, Russia contributes the highest number of immigrants each year, with a yearly loss of over 1.3 million people to emigration.

Of these, between 300,000 to 400,000 people moved to Australasia, hundreds of thousands to the Balkan Peninsula, and a considerable number to Poland, the Baltic Sea, and other regions in Europe.

Despite an annual loss of over 1.3 million people to emigration, Russia’s total population continued to rise following the cessation of the civil war.

This was an unavoidable phenomenon. Most of Russia’s population were involved in Agriculture with consistently high growth rates.

During the most dramatic year of population growth in Tsarist Russia, the number of new citizens exceeded 6 million.

Bear in mind, this was the increase in population after accounting for emigration and deaths. If only births were considered, the figure would have approached 7 million.

Consider that the total populations of second and third-tier European countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway hover around 7 million.

Russia’s population increase at its peak was equivalent to the entire population of these countries, demonstrating just how staggering Russia’s population growth rate was.

Based on the current situation and data of various nations, as of the beginning of 1926, the population rankings of the Powers in their native lands were as follows:

First Place, Russia Nation, 115 million people.

Second Place, United States, 112 million people.

Third Place, Britain, 60.13 million people.

Fourth Place, Germany, 58.14 million people.

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Fifth place, United Kingdom, 44.77 million people.

Sixth place, Italy, 38.42 million people.

Seventh place, France, 37.59 million people.

Eighth place, Australasia, 29.76 million people.

It can be clearly seen that there have been significant changes in the population rankings and gaps of various countries before and after World War I.

Before World War I, Russia’s population was far ahead, but now it is almost on par with that of the United States.

If it weren’t for Australasia attracting a part of the American immigrants, the American population would have already surpassed that of Russia by this time.

In addition to the impact of the civil war, World War I, including emigration, also caused Russia’s population to decrease by more than ten million compared to its historical numbers.

Besides, the Island Nation’s population has surpassed that of Germany, becoming the third among the Powers.

Compared to other Powers, the Island Nation did not suffer the impact of World War I. Although this also meant the Island Nation garnered less benefit from the war, its population did not decrease at all. It even broke through the 60 million mark, becoming the third most populous country among the Powers.

Although Germany’s population decreased significantly, the population of Germany’s old rival, France, also did not recover by much.

This situation is consistent with history, and Arthur even wonders whether France can raise its population to close to 50 million before the outbreak of World War II, as it did historically.

After all, if Germany were to provoke World War II, France would undoubtedly be the foremost fortress of resistance against Germany.

It remains to be seen whether France will now, as in history, create a record of surrendering in a month’s time.

Although there have been considerable changes in population rankings, overall, this is still good news for Australasia.

Before World War I, Australasia did not even qualify to be on the population ranking list, with its population not even matching that of Italy, the last on the list, let alone far behind.

But now, the difference between Australasia’s population and that of the previous nation, France, is not too significant. There is even hope of surpassing it within 15 years if a goal is set.

However, the current population ranking still proves the inadequacy of Australasia’s population.

The importance of population in this era is beyond any doubt. Only with sufficient population can one seek a higher international status.

From the current population rankings, it can be seen that the United States taking over from Britain as the world’s superpower after World War II was no accident. It was the result of an accumulation of national strength over decades or even centuries.

Not to mention anything else, just looking at the American population having already exceeded 100 million, it is a goal that other nations cannot hope to reach.

And within these 100 million, many are immigrants from European nations, so the rise of the United States is indirectly weakening other European countries.

If it wasn’t for Australasia attracting a portion of the immigrants, by now the gap between the United States and European countries might have been even greater, and the United States wouldn’t have such a low level of influence.

At least now, Australasia is the first choice for British immigrants, with Russian immigrants also primarily choosing Australasia.

This is why the population of Australasia has grown rapidly after World War I and is even gradually replacing the United States as the favored destination for immigrants.

If we say there’s still competition from Russia and the United States in terms of population, then in economic terms, no country can measure up to the prosperity of the United States.

Of course, this is referring to the native land. If the United Kingdom were to include all its colonies, the economic total and industrial output might just compete with the United States.

But the problem is, while the United States mainland is a whole, the British colonies are a dispersed collection.

In other words, by their own efforts alone, Americans are already seen as having a potential that causes apprehension.

And the British, even with all their colonies and even counting on the demographic dividend of the Indian population, along with vast land and resources, can barely reach the current economic scale and industrial size of the United States mainland.

What terrifying data is this? Even the peak of Germany’s glory did not achieve such an overwhelming lead, which is why the British are so wary of the American people.

If it hadn’t been for the Naval Limitation Treaty back then, there wouldn’t have been a comprehensive investigation into the industrial and economic sizes of various nations.

It was precisely because the British Government conducted a detailed investigation of the United States’ industrial and economic situation that it began to view the United States as a first-rate threat, far surpassing any current country.

In other words, even knowing that facing off against the United States would benefit Australasia, as long as Australasia cannot match the population scale, economy, and industrial production of the United States, the British consider this a worthwhile endeavor.

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