The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 743 - 557: The End of the Ireland War

In all honesty, while Arthur anticipated improvements in air conditioning and refrigerators, his expectations were far from the advancements of the future.

Although 100 years may not seem like a long time, the progress human beings have made in technology during this period is quite dramatic. Explore more stories at empire

However, if the improved air conditioners and washing machines could facilitate the lives of people in Australasia, this would surely be good news.

Aside from household appliances, Australasia has been at the forefront of the world in terms of vehicles, tanks, airplanes, and engines. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it is one of the greatest beneficiaries of electrification.

Although Australasia was established much later than the electrical revolution, it turned out to be one of the best performing countries during the revolution.

Although it received considerable assistance from the United Kingdom and Germany, Australasia undoubtedly represents a typical success story of a nation seizing opportunities to catch up rapidly.

Looking at automobile sales data, the worldwide car ownership is hovering around 19 million, out of which over 14.5 million vehicles are Australasia’s Benz Automobiles.

How incredible is that? At least 76% of all vehicles worldwide are produced by the Benz factory.

Although many national car companies are trying to catch up, there are not many that pose a real threat to Benz. Most of them are merely challengers, and Benz’s position is still very firm.

Even after the release of the next generation of Benz cars, it is expected that Benz’s sales will see a significant increase.

Despite the overall decline in worldwide car sales, Benz remains a huge moneymaker for Arthur, generating annual profits that are among the highest of all his businesses.

Even though the global economy is growing, a decrease in car sales is inevitable.

If it weren’t for the fact that famous car companies are backed by their respective countries, car sales may decrease even further.

For instance, the United States has been vigorously supporting its local car companies, Ford and General Motors. This has caused a surge in sales for these companies in a short period of time.

Of course, even with the support of the United States, these companies still cannot pose a significant threat to Benz in the short term.

After all, Benz Automobiles have been on the market for over a decade, creating record-breaking sales figures and becoming well-known to most people worldwide.

Such recognition and prevalence are something that other car companies cannot match, and this is a major challenge they still need to overcome, besides technological research and development.

As time moved into August 1921, the long-lasting Irish civil war finally came to an end.

Ever since the entire Ireland came under military control on May 17, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had been in a state of chaos and tension, but could do nothing about it.

Because of the successful propaganda campaign, no country openly supported Irish independence, which gave the British confidence to implement military control in Ireland.

The British first established a parliament in Northern Ireland, won over the Republicans there, and undermined the unity of the IRA.

Then, they undertook a full-scale cleanup of the IRA in southern Ireland. Rewards were given to those who provided information, and severe punishment was meted out to any Irish person found harboring the IRA.

This approach forced a separation between the neutral Irish and the IRA. After all, under the current circumstances controlled by the British Empire, nobody wanted to get involved with the IRA.

After two and a half months of sweeping operations, the higher-ups from the IRA were successively arrested by the British. The remaining IRA naturally fell into disarray without leaders, each looking out for itself.

It’s clear that the scattered IRA was no match for the well-organized British military. Crushed by superior weaponry, the broken remnants of the IRA were crushed and the British quickly regained control of the entire Ireland.

During this period, many IRA members fled and went into hiding in the Irish countryside, but it was clear that they could no longer influence the overall situation in Ireland.

To peacefully resolve this dispute and to get more Irish people to submit to British rule, King George V decided to hold talks with Ireland to determine the status of Irish people in Britain. The goal was to integrate Ireland back into the British Empire in a fair and unified manner.

The meeting wasconvened at the end of July and reached a conclusion in early August.

On August 5, 1921, the peace treaty mutually signed by King George V and the Irish Parliament was officially published. According to it, Ireland would remain part of the British Empire, under the rule of King George V.

However, the new Ireland still retains significant autonomy. To satisfy the Irish, the southern part of Ireland would form the Irish Free State, a state with autonomous rights, and form a united kingdom with Britain.

Northern Ireland, on the other hand, would continue to be under British rule, remaining part of the Irish county in Britain.

Although it becomes an autonomous territory with governing rights, Southern Ireland must still comply with the policies of the British Empire, and all senior officials must swear allegiance to the British monarch.

What’s more, the scale of the military of the Irish Free State is strictly limited, and the entire army must swear allegiance to the royal family.

The weaponry and equipment of the Irish military are entirely provided by Britain, and during a period of war, it must obey the command and deployment of Britain.

Apart from these, the British King could also appoint a Viceroy for Ireland, to nominally manage everything in Ireland, including the administration and the military.

Although the Viceroy of Ireland was the actual leader of Ireland, the Irish Parliament could also elect its own chairman and was effectively in a state of rivalry with the Irish Viceroy.

Furthermore, this treaty stipulated that in times of emergency or war, the British Empire had the right to establish military bases in Ireland until the end of the emergency or war.

Overall, although Ireland was granted administrative power, the British Empire still held control over Ireland’s foreign affairs and military matters, without losing this crucial territory.

The Irish, on the other hand, gained the autonomy they yearned for, and could control their own administration and finance, leaving a substantial number of Irish people relatively satisfied.

Although there were some who sought greater autonomy or even full military rights, the British Empire clearly could not agree to these demands.

This situation intensified the conflict between the Irish neutralists and the Irish radicals, which was a piece of good news for the British Empire.

The end of the Irish Civil War was a relief for both the British government and Arthur.

Not that Arthur was concerned about the security of Britain, the United Kingdom was still the most powerful country even if it lost Ireland.

However, if Britain were so preoccupied with the crisis in Ireland that it couldn’t spare any effort, it would be impossible for Australasia to end the civil war in the Philippines.

Although the United States could not currently pose a significant threat to Australasia, Australasia could similarly not force the Americans to surrender.

If the Americans become desperate and launch a full-scale war in the Philippines, without the support of the British, Arthur would truly be unsure whether to join this all-out war.

Engaging in a fight could lead to a war of attrition with no clear borders or obvious victory; but not fighting would mean the gratuitous loss of the Philippines, a potential sphere of influence, posing a minor setback to the development of Australasia.

The strategic position of the Philippines is quite important, as it not only has the capability to eradicate American bases on the west coast of the Pacific, but it also serves as a frontline base against the Island Nation.

If World War II unfolds as it did historically, Australasia, as a part of the forces against Germany, will inevitably have to contend with the Island Nation.

Despite the various disadvantages faced by the Island Nation, its military strength is something that deserves attention.

If the Philippines can defend against the Island Nation’s advances from within its own borders, it would certainly be advantageous for Australasia.

Even if the Filipinos were a little more forceful, the war between Australasia and the Island Nation could potentially transform into a war between the Island Nation and the Filipinos themselves, and Australasia would only need to supply the Philippines with arms to keep the Island Nation at bay.

Without the Philippines, Australasia would surely suffer heavy casualties in the face of the Island Nation’s attack.

Powerful countries always nurture their own allies and usually let these allies do their bidding rather than getting directly involved themselves.

Arthur naturally had such a notion. The present Philippines and the current Dutch East Indies were all within the ambit of his plans.

As countries neighboring Australasia, these two regions with a large number of indigenous people were too troublesome to occupy, requiring the expulsion of all natives.

Compared to occupation, assisting an ally who has friendly relations with oneself is a more suitable choice.

Moreover, due to the proximity to Australasia, these regions are naturally within its sphere of influence, and the influence of other countries is far less than that of Australasia.

As long as it can fully control the economy and military of these regions, it is equivalent to fully controlling these regions.

Training them into loyal henchmen, fighting battles north and south for Australasia, is much more preferable than deploying large-scale Australasian troops.

Although these indigenous armies may not be strong, they benefit from their large population.

The current population of the Dutch East Indies should exceed 32 million, and that of the Philippines should exceed 10 million, which means they should be able to field at least 4 million troops.

The data from later generations is even more exaggerated. With populations in the hundreds of millions, these two countries could jointly provide a human force at least in the tens of millions.

The exact number of tens of millions of soldiers is not important. After all, any war that would cause Australasia to deploy tens of millions of soldiers would undoubtedly be a super-war on par with a world war.

In the event of a super-war following World War II, several countries could control nuclear weapons at any time, potentially turning the war into a battle to exterminate humanity.

Such wars are taken very seriously by all countries, and unless there is no other option, they generally do not occur.

Regardless, Australasia’s control over the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines would be like gaining two junior partners who could provide millions of troops and also serve as a dumping ground for goods during peacetime, a deal that would be profitable however one looks at it.

Moreover, the geographical locations of these two regions could help defend the northern part of Australasia, guarding against possible attacks from the north by the United States and the Island Nation.