Their stay in Vienna would not last long. Ernst and his party had to return to East Africa for the next round, bringing this European trip to a satisfactory close.
Ernst had reaped a rich harvest from this trip to Europe. The Hohenzollern Conglomerate had absorbed 240 German enterprises, including numerous banks and major companies. At the same time, East Africa planned to introduce forty-three large factories, chiefly in steel, coal, copper ore smelting and processing, non-ferrous metal smelting, and shipbuilding.
They had also purchased vast quantities of equipment, preparing to technologically upgrade East Africa's existing enterprises and factories and raise productivity. Beyond that, East Africa and Germany and Austria had finalized nearly one million tons of steel orders to support construction of the East African railway. East Africa's orders had practically saved the steel industries of Germany and Austria single-handedly.
In truth, the economic crisis had never been as severe in Germany and Austria—at least in Southern Germany and Austria—as it had been in his previous life. Both regions were the most industrially developed areas in their respective countries, and their main problem remained an excess agricultural population.
As for solving the problem of surplus agricultural population, East Africa was naturally taking action alongside them, so the problem effectively ceased to exist. Unemployment in both regions had remained low. Although the economic crisis had caused overcapacity, the outward migration of people meant it had not affected ordinary people too badly. If they lost their jobs, they could simply go to East Africa! There was always a way out.
The East African railway project would require more than eight million tons of steel. Of that, nearly two million tons would come from Europe, while East Africa could produce and purchase the rest later.
Taking advantage of this economic crisis, Ernst