Different data standards produced different conclusions, but no matter how they were ranked, East Africa held firmly to a position in the top five. Although Tsarist Russia's total was higher than East Africa's, Ernst believed that, in comparison, Tsarist Russia was already far inferior to East Africa. Especially with East Africa's population growing at a breakneck pace, Tsarist Russia's population advantage would also be replaced by East Africa's.
After all, Tsarist Russia had a large population, but territories such as Poland, Ukraine, and Central Asia were unstable. Its many domestic ethnic groups had sharp conflicts, and these populations might even have a negative effect during wartime.
Tsarist Russia's million "gray livestock" looked immensely intimidating, but with East Africa's current total population, it too could raise an army of over a million with relative ease. At the same time, East Africa lacked Tsarist Russia's harsh geopolitical environment and acute internal conflicts. That was why East Africa could vigorously develop its economy and confidently surpass Tsarist Russia across the board in the next decade.
In fact, East African government's key task in the future would be to make up the gap with the early-developing nations in science, technology, and culture. Once this short plank was reinforced, East Africa would be virtually invincible.
This did not mean East Africa's current scientific, technological, and cultural development was poor. Quite the contrary, East Africa was rapidly catching up with Europe and America in these fields.
By the end of the nineteenth century, breakthroughs in East Africa's scientific and technological fields were no longer inferior to those elsewhere. It was only because of institutional and political reasons that the talents cultivated by East Africa were not active in international society, making it easy for others to overlook the development of East African education and science.
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