World Government #3
Wilson really wanted a lot. Disarmament and colonial liberation were just the major issues. He was deeply interested in women's liberation, child education, the abolition of secret diplomacy, and more besides. He even pushed to engrave them into the treaty itself. Of course, everyone shook their heads no. Korea saw no real point in treaty-izing them either. What's the use of a minimum wage law if nobody follows it? But even so, the current of the times was unmistakably demanding change from the world. Enough with the colonial bullshit already.
Germany was ultimately cornered—die in the full war or pick one of these options—and with that, negotiations accelerated, leading to the armistice treaty. Once Poland's liberation and the armistice were signed, it was only natural to push straight into the naval disarmament treaty. Italy was snubbed from attending again, but nobody really cared about Italy's naval ambitions at this point. France was about to snap them in half anyway. Just shove the treaty in their face then. Everyone at the table harbored ill feelings toward Italy. If Germany plunged into total war, Italy's position would skyrocket, but in this reversal, Italy was little more than a squirrel in the dog's dinner. Korea and Britain had no qualms tossing Italy to France, who was in extreme rage. France, barely scraping by with Alsace-Lorraine as their only gain and teetering on bankruptcy, demanded to squeeze Italy dry to offset even a fraction of their massive debts. France was ready to occupy that plump, overstuffed Italy and resurrect Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire or something. But that France was about to get clocked from behind.
While rejecting the permanent seat on Wilson's proposed League of Nations, Korea instead insisted on multinational international shipping lanes and vessels, with duty-free trade on their cargoes—and pushed it through. Britain, who had opposed and rejected it to the bitter end, ended up signing this ridiculous pact. Atlantic-Pacific Economic Community.
Right after the disarmament treaty and the end of the Anglo-Korean Alliance, Korea converted all of Britain's massive Korean-denominated pound bonds—those government bonds—into gold. In other words, redeemed them for gold. At this point, Korea and Britain held enormous amounts of each other's sovereign debt, so Korea didn't have to do it. But they did it unilaterally. Korea kept holding Britain's bonds as-is, while only Britain's Korean bonds got swapped for gold. Having sold off all its gold reserves to Britain in exchange, Korea secured a stake in Britain's colonies—no, now the British Commonwealth. Britain said they could just pick one or two colonies with that gold, but Korea replied, "Then I'll take the British Isles." And so, amid America's and France's shock and Britain's acquiescence, Korea boldly switched to the silver standard. Up to now, the only currency reform had been Britain's forced one, and this restored it. To access British colonies as markets while shielding somewhat from British influence, the silver standard was the only option. From Britain's view, letting Britain and Korea set the gold-silver exchange rate at will was pretty tantalizing too. And so, amid America's and France's protests and denial of reality, the Korean pound finally became the Korean won. Why won of all things? Probably only the Supreme Leader knew.
But handing gold to Britain didn't just mean they got richer by that amount. Sure, the nominal gold became actual gold—that was it, right? Of course not. Credit doesn't work that way. The British trusted gold from that far-eastern land more than its bonds. That was the end of it. The pound, devalued and devalued throughout the war, started soaring. And that meant Britain's debts to America were shrinking fast. A rising pound meant a falling dollar. Britons rushed to exchange their dollars for pounds at the government. That was the conclusion.
In short, Korea cooperated with America's pressure on Britain for decolonization by liberating Japan and Taiwan, but slammed a stake into the ground making it impossible for America to economically subjugate Britain. Wilson's shock had reasons. But America and Wilson just stopped at shock. France and Clemenceau? Not even close. 'Britain's getting its vitality back!' France was like, postwar reconstruction? They hadn't even finished with Italy yet! Their future was set. France had a high chance of becoming Britain's massive... massive farm. So why the hell was Korea giving Britain tens of billions in gold? This deal made no sense. From Korea's view, considering the colonial crap the British Empire pulled worldwide, it was a bargain. But to France, it looked like Korea had lost its mind. The West had no saying like "take the power, leave the money."
So France went to America—Wilson. 'HELP!'
"No need for English."
America accepted France's claim that they might become Britain's economic colony. They disliked France, sure, but not enough to shove them into Britain's maw. America was applying the pressure, but Britain reaping the benefits? No good. In the end, America deferred France's debt payments in exchange for France promising to abandon colonies including Algeria and a grand compromise with Italy. If France became Britain's slave, wouldn't all its ex-colonies just slide into Britain's gullet too? America didn't fully trust Britain to actually decolonize. Sure, they'd liberate, but in some other controlling way. But it was something, so they accepted.
But Britain's swift recovery set off alarms not just in America and France. Germany too.
"Debt, debt, debt, debt. The whole world is buried in debt."
The Kaiser gazed at the debt mountain that was the German Empire. Those folks in the Reichstag loved this debt-laden empire, which was something, but the Kaiser couldn't hide his sorrow. The problem? France kept demanding gold from Germany. He kept saying he could pay marks but not gold, but France wouldn't budge. Using the massive debt as pretext to demand gold. Which they didn't have.
"Britain's a problem, France is a problem, so we reach out to Britain."
The Kaiser had been through too much. He knew what Germany needed now. Before, colonial Germany turned to Britain. Now, for economic rise, Germany turns to Britain again.
'If Britain refuses, straight to America.' That alone kept Britain from kicking Germany out. Germany knew it.
"Germany?"
"Is that a problem?"
'Why would it be okay?' Fewer at the table is better. Especially postwar recovering Germany? Sure, Germany checked the colonial empires well, but with colonies crumbling, that utility was fading.
"How about expanding Anglo-German regular shipping via international vessels instead?"
"That seems insufficient."
Britain seemed intent on gripping Germany tight this time. Controlling Germany and Poland at will was Britain's best play. Britain wouldn't trust Poland, regardless of liberating it. Britain's trust wasn't given that way. I knew too well. You only got a sliver when sitting at their table.
"What did you promise Germany, Lord Arthur?"
"Some patents, and third-country neutrality toward Poland."
"You see the Soviets invading Poland."
"Germany and Russia swallowing Poland again would be trouble, right? Plenty of Germans in Poland; it's essential."
'Got it, your thinking.' Britain, focused on the present, eyed the Soviets more than America. Hence telling me. As Labour, even more wary of communists. Britain was saying: use Germany as gendarme on the anti-Soviet front. So to me, the pro-Soviet one, Korea and Britain agree not to fight over this.
'Give America the top spot, but for ideological foe Soviets, no. Respect Britain's stance here.' Too bad. Germany promised total revolt with me and Poland. Poland's about to half-vanish from the map soon. Or fully. And above all.
'That anti-Soviet pretext birthed the Nazis, right?'
History does repeat. Or tries to.
'Pisses me off.' So I'll break that cycle.
'Britain backing off changes nothing, Kaiser's there changes nothing, Soviets not wartime communism changes nothing, Balkans didn't learn wrong lessons changes nothing. Now Korea has to step up.'
"If you promised that much, I can't object."
"Thank you. Oh, and Qing wants in? We'll approve on a grand scale. Unilateral concessions from Korea would make us both uneasy."
Truth is, I'd eyed isolationism before. Great Depression's coming sometime. The economic bloc with Britain was for that. The era's shifting to America's, so locking in now means Korea's safer behind Britain's shield in the Depression. Just help Britain from behind later. But yeah. Looks like the world's repeating bad choices. Nazis popping up somewhere. Then war on communism—which is just worker suppression. Blaming laborers for the Depression. Hilarious. WWII? Tons blame tons of causes, but it's just the Depression. Britain and America triggered it, so they deny it caused WWII—makes them feel guilty. Without America pulling money from Germany, Weimar wouldn't suicide. Without Depression-weakened America, Japan wouldn't dare hit them.
And Depression causes? Plenty, but one biggie: economic imbalance. Everyone thought boom, but not everyone boomed. Dominoes fell from weak spots till the biggest crashed—that's the Depression. Ways to stop it? Ditch gold standard early, print money; nationalize production means communist-style; options galore. But world dithered to the worst inductive conclusion: world war. Depression ended via world war. New Deal or whatever—Depression birthed the war, war ended Depression. Hitler, blamed as WWII cause? Voters' Führer, demanded by Depression-era Germany. Defeated Germans wanted to pin it all on Adolf. Britain and America didn't want their Depression sparking that horror. So everyone agreed to hate loser Adolf. By my count, all were complicit, causal. True victims? Soviets who trusted Germans and lost tens of millions; puny China pound-for-pound. World War? Laughable—it's German-Soviet and Sino-Japanese wars.
Hating colonialism, Depression, world war—I'm out of answers. Colonialism's fading a bit, but intervening now? Remaining fires and coming infernos are hell-mode. But whatever.
'If I diligently stamp out sparks now, maybe it'll work?' Korea as firefighter, not hegemon? Possible, I think. Unsure. But extinguishing sparks blocks the inferno ahead. I've ignored it so far.
'Like giving Germany some sunlight stopped WWI, giving sunlight—homes, families, livelihoods—to oppressed women, kids, elderly, proletarians, foreigners, youth, villagers stops or delays the Depression.' As a future-dweller, no exceptions there.