January 29, 1926.
Hungary.
In the years since the end of the First World War, Budapest, Hungary's capital, had developed at a breakneck pace. Before the war, Budapest had already been an important city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and after the war, its growth had only accelerated.
By now, Budapest had successfully risen into the ranks of world-class metropolises with populations exceeding one million. Before the First World War, its population had already approached one million, making it one of Europe's top ten cities at the time.
In recent years, Budapest's industry had advanced by leaps and bounds, especially in steel, textiles, and machinery manufacturing. This had drawn huge numbers of people from Hungary's countryside into Budapest, while Hungary's rural population had once likewise been one of East Africa's main Immigration Sources.
The reason for this was simple: the lives of Hungary's lower classes were far from ideal. This was only natural, since Hungary, as the agricultural region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had always possessed a relatively backward economy.
Moreover, Hungary was more reactionary and backward than any other region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Hungarian government was basically monopolized by the aristocracy—or rather, by the great landowning class.
Given this characteristic, the development of the bourgeoisie in Hungary was undoubtedly bound to be restricted. Yet thanks to Europe's overall environment, even in a "backward" country like Hungary, industrial growth remained quite impressive.
This had also led to one result: in recent years, the Hungarian Labor Party in Budapest had developed by leaps and bounds.
Dragosel Café.
Café culture was extremely popular in Budapest. Just as Germans liked to hold forth in beer halls, Hungarians liked to plot great affairs in cafés.
Dragosel Café stood near the Danube River in Budapest. However, unlike ordinary cafés, Dragosel's location was not particularly