Chapter Summaries

Soviet urban designers Belogorye and Shapovalov assessed Dar es Salaam’s urban planning and transportation infrastructure, debating the value of its public spaces while agreeing that East Africa’s transport network had helped drive its rapid rise. The chapter left Shapovalov arguing that the Soviet Union needed far more railways and highways, especially to develop West Siberia and strengthen the country.

• Belogorye praised Dar es Salaam’s spacious planning and public facilities, while criticizing East Africa’s weak enforcement of its eight-hour workday.
• Shapovalov dismissed some public facilities as wasteful but praised East Africa’s railways, highways, and renovated ports as models for the Soviet Union.
• Shapovalov compared East Africa’s rise with Imperial Russia’s history, and Belogorye redirected him to focus on East Africa’s development.
• Shapovalov attributed East Africa’s economic growth to its extensive transportation network, well-planned roads, and unified traffic rules.
• Shapovalov argued that Soviet transport lagged far behind East Africa’s and urged expanded railways and highways to develop West Siberia and other regions.

The Soviet delegation debated whether the USSR should prioritize transportation or national defense industry, then continued studying East Africa’s development for guidance on Soviet industrial planning. In Dar es Salaam, Belogorye interviewed retired worker Hertas about his time at a state-owned machinery factory, but misread Hertas’s nostalgia for youth as evidence that East Africa’s planned economy had been better.

• Troitsa argued that the USSR had to put national defense industry first because its weak industrial base and hostile external environment left it vulnerable.
• Belogorye and Shapovalov encouraged the delegation to keep faith in Soviet industrialization, citing the USSR’s resources and the advantages of planned development.
• The Soviet delegation resumed its study of East Africa’s development experience, including how both East Africa and the USSR had prioritized defense industry in their early development.
• In a Dar es Salaam park, Belogorye introduced himself to retired machinery-factory worker Hertas and asked about East Africa’s economic history.
• Hertas recalled his immigration, education, and work at No. 8 Machinery Factory, and praised his time in the state-owned enterprise.
• Belogorye concluded that Hertas’s fond memories showed East Africa’s planned economy had been superior, though Hertas had mainly been remembering his youth.

Belogorye questioned Hertas about East Africa’s planned economy and learned about its strengths and bureaucratic failures, while East African officials investigated a Soviet inspection delegation. The delegation’s research tour continued across the country, giving the Soviet Union information for its industrial plans.

• Belogorye asked Hertas to compare East Africa’s past planned economy with its present system, and Hertas described its rapid development and social warmth alongside bureaucracy, unequal treatment, and rural hardship.
• Belogorye took notes on Hertas’s account and explained that he wanted East African experience to help the Soviet Union avoid similar problems.
• Hertas asked Belogorye about Greece, and Belogorye answered with an account of Greek history and its place in East African textbooks.
• An East African agent suspected the visiting Greek commercial inspection group was a Soviet delegation, but Kade ordered surveillance rather than immediate arrests.
• After three days, Kade’s team identified many of the visitors as Soviet experts, scholars, and officials studying East African industry and state-owned enterprises.
• The Soviet delegation left Dar es Salaam and spent nearly half a year inspecting regions across East Africa, gathering information on transportation, industry, agriculture, and economic organization for Soviet development plans.

The Soviet inspection delegation changed trains in Mombasa and marveled at the city’s futuristic skyscrapers and distinctive urban design. Karimov and Kalyagin discussed the dangers and benefits of high-rise construction, while Mombasa’s rise as a financial center was described as giving East Africa a strong position in the Indian Ocean.

• Members of the Soviet inspection delegation arrived in Mombasa and were astonished by its prosperity and skyscrapers.
• Karimov compared Mombasa Island favorably with Manhattan, praising its greenery, architecture, and careful design.
• Kalyagin criticized the human cost of skyscraper construction in Manhattan and questioned whether Mombasa’s buildings had also caused worker deaths.
• Karimov argued that the Soviet Union could build high-rises safely and provide apartment buildings for ordinary people.
• Mombasa’s growth as a financial hub and its strategic location were described as strengthening its reach across the Indian Ocean and Pacific.

Soviet officials visiting Mombasa compared East Africa’s advanced automobile industry with the Soviet Union’s severe industrial weakness. In Istanbul, after the Ottoman Empire sold its Persian Gulf coast territory to East Africa to repay debt, Kemal and his supporters began planning to overthrow the government.

• Karimov and Sheldar discussed the Soviet Union’s low vehicle production and its wide industrial gap with East Africa.
• Karimov and Sheldar worried that the Soviet Union lagged behind imperialist countries in automobiles, aircraft, and railway development, while Kalyagin argued that their rivalries could be exploited.
• On October 4, 1926, the Ottoman government sold its eastern Persian Gulf territory to East Africa to reduce its debt and fiscal pressure.
• Kemal and Ataturk condemned the government for surrendering Ottoman territory and called for its overthrow.
• Kemal’s supporters pledged their loyalty, and Mustafa argued that European powers were unlikely to intervene if they carefully managed relations with them.

After General Kemal seized power in the Ottoman Empire while retaining the monarchy, Ernst and Friedrich assessed how his government might affect East Africa’s interests. Ernst ordered the Persian Gulf territories formally incorporated as North Bay Province, leaving East Africa with forty-five provinces in 1927.

• Friedrich reported that Kemal’s coup had made the future of Ottoman–East African trade uncertain, though Kemal himself did not seem hostile to East Africa.
• Ernst explained that East Africa’s bloody expansion around the Indian Ocean had made it feared in the region and said Kemal would likely pursue pragmatic reforms rather than provoke East Africa.
• Ernst predicted that Kemal might restore Ottoman independence and eventually challenge foreign control over territories including Lebanon and Kuwait.
• Ernst ordered Friedrich to strengthen East Africa’s military presence along the eastern Persian Gulf coast and incorporate nearly 300,000 square kilometers into the Empire’s homeland administration.
• Ernst named the new imperial province North Bay Province and ordered East Africans to call the Persian Gulf North Bay.

Arabian tribal chiefs gathered in Hasa to decide how to respond after the Ottoman Empire abandoned their land to East Africa. Imam Faisal proposed protecting some of their people, negotiating with East Africa, and seeking outside support while preparing to resist.

• Chieftain Bani and the other chiefs discussed the Ottoman Empire’s withdrawal and considered whether to seek help from the House of Saud or Britain.
• Abdullah argued that the tribes should appeal to Britain, but Bani warned that Britain would not risk a conflict with East Africa for their sake.
• Bani presented the chiefs with the choice of defending their homeland or becoming exiles, and the gathered chiefs asked Imam Faisal to decide their course.
• Imam Faisal proposed sending some younger people and families to safety in the Ottoman Empire, the Internal Governance Kingdom, or overseas.
• Imam Faisal urged the tribes to negotiate with East Africa while also contacting the Internal Governance Kingdom, Britain, the Kingdom of Hejaz, and Persia for support.

East African intelligence officers intercepted the Hasa tribal chiefs’ plans to resist the Empire, negotiate for autonomy, and seek foreign support. Governor Solair and General Cleveland moved up the invasion timetable, and East African troops entered Hasa, surrounded the Khalid Tribe, and cut the tribes off from outside contact.

• Wenlai explained the Hasa chiefs’ three plans to Mars: move family members and wealth abroad, negotiate to retain local rule, and seek help from the Ottoman Empire, the Internal Governance Kingdom, and Britain.
• Mars reported the intercepted intelligence to Governor Solair, who shared it with General Cleveland at the Northern Bay Territory Governor’s Mansion.
• General Cleveland recommended taking control of Hasa before the tribes could contact foreign powers, and Solair approved the plan.
• In early 1927, Cleveland led Northern Bay Territory troops into Hasa and the surrounding northern oases, surrounding the Khalid Tribe and blocking the tribes’ outside communications.
• Some tribes fought the East African forces, but their limited weapons could not match the Empire’s heavy weapons and armored vehicles.

East African forces captured Hasa and its tribal leaders, while General Cleveland justified the takeover by claiming the territory had been legally transferred to East Africa. In Vienna, Austrian leaders used Hungary’s upheaval to end the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s dualist system and planned to eliminate the Hungarian Labor Party.

• Imam Faisal awoke to news that East African troops had entered Hasa, and the army surrounded and captured him at Ibrahim Palace.
• General Cleveland told Imam Faisal that Hasa belonged to East Africa through its transfer from the Ottoman Empire, and he ordered Faisal imprisoned.
• Three days later, Cleveland confronted the captured Hasa tribal leaders and revealed that their plan to seek help from the House of Saud and Britain had been uncovered.
• Bani and Imam Faisal suspected that absent tribal leaders had leaked their plans, unaware that East Africa had obtained the information through technology.
• Austrian Prime Minister Klavier persuaded Hungarian dignitaries in Vienna to accept the end of the dualist system in exchange for a role in Hungary’s future administration.
• Klavier planned to use the German army to help eradicate the Hungarian Labor Party and restore centralized imperial rule.

After Hungary’s former ruling class failed to resist Austria’s demands, Clavel proposed securing postwar control by changing Hungary’s demographics. The chapter ended with Rudolf considering Clavel’s plan to resettle Dalmatia’s Mixed-blood Germans in Hungary.

• Metz condemned the Hungarian representatives for accepting Clavel’s resolution, while Klar argued they had little power to resist Austria.
• Clavel told Emperor Franz and Rudolf that Austria should use the German Army to defeat the Hungarian Labor Party, and Franz entrusted Rudolf with Hungary’s recapture.
• Clavel urged Rudolf to plan Hungary’s postwar settlement so the region could not again escape imperial control.
• Clavel argued that Austria needed to increase the German population in Hungary, but Europe, the Americas, and East Africa offered few suitable immigrants.
• Clavel proposed moving Mixed-blood Germans from Dalmatia into Hungary, citing their growing population and high birth rate.

Rudolf approved Clavel’s plans to integrate Hungary, while the Soviet Union concluded that the Hungarian Labor Party regime could not be saved from the German-backed offensive. Yosef ordered the Soviets to evacuate Hungarian personnel, wealth, and industrial materials, leaving the Soviet Union with resources that aided—but did not solve—its industrial shortcomings.

• Rudolf told Clavel to proceed with his recommendations for Hungary while taking Hungarian national sentiment into account.
• At the end of January 1927, the German Army entered Hungary through Austro-Hungarian Bohemia to help suppress the rebellion.
• Yagoda told Yosef that the Soviet Union could provide only limited smuggled aid because Hungary was surrounded and blockaded.
• Yosef judged the Hungarian Labor Party regime’s position beyond saving and ordered the Cheka to transfer its personnel and important supplies to the Soviet Union.
• The Hungarian Labor Party cooperated with the Soviet Union in secretly moving Budapest’s treasury and industrial materials, including technical resources from Hungarian factories.
• The resources from Hungary supplemented Soviet industry, but the Soviet Union still lacked a complete industrial system and enough trained technical personnel.

On March 2, 1927, Crown Prince Friedrich inspected Bella, East Africa’s leading chemical industry center, and heard how its transport links and factories supported the Empire’s industrial growth. The chapter left East Africa aiming to close the gap with Germany and compete with the United States in petrochemicals.

• Friedrich arrived at Beira Station, where Pierre and other provincial officials welcomed him and discussed the station’s crowded passenger facilities and plans for a new Bella City East Station.
• Friedrich outlined Bella’s importance as an East Coast transport hub and asked local officials to prioritize their regular work while he inspected the city’s industries.
• Mayor Kyar showed Friedrich the Pungwe River industrial zone and explained how imported crude oil was refined and processed into chemical products for domestic markets.
• Kyar described Germany’s advantages in chemical research and technology, along with German firms’ investments and technical cooperation in Bella.
• Kyar told Friedrich that East African universities and enterprises were expanding research and training, and that Mbeya University of Technology had developed a new synthetic fiber for commercial use.

Friedrich inspected Bella’s Rosen Chemical Plant as East Africa’s economy continued shifting from state ownership toward a larger private market. He urged the factory’s manager to keep investing in technology, treat talent well, and protect workers, while the story left Rosen Chemical facing growing competition in a recovering international arms market.

• The chapter described Bella’s rapid growth and East Africa’s shrinking but still influential state-owned sector.
• Manager Matthiesen introduced Friedrich to Rosen Chemical Plant’s products, production, and rising domestic and international orders.
• Matthiesen explained that East African chemical production had mastered German technology and now exported goods to Germany.
• Friedrich warned Matthiesen that the factory needed technological innovation and wider market channels to compete with European and American firms.
• Friedrich urged Rosen Chemical to improve its treatment of talent and meet national minimum standards for worker benefits.

In Banjarmasin, Li Hui met Lin Yaozu after the East Kalimantan Colonial Army returned from a months-long rainforest operation. Lin described the brutal march and discussed East Kalimantan’s future, while he and Li reflected on the improved lives and growing confidence of local residents under East African rule.

• Li Hui prepared fish at his popular fresh-food stall in Banjarmasin and greeted Lin Yaozu, a soldier returning from the inland operation.
• Lin Yaozu explained that his unit had encountered no indigenous fighters but had endured months of exhausting marches through wet, insect-filled rainforest.
• Lin said his unit expected the campaign to be East Africa’s last major purge in the colony and that future attention would shift to the northern border near British territory.
• Lin described the army’s supplies and two-month leave, and he and Li praised the improved living conditions and treatment residents experienced under East African rule.
• Lin noted that immigrants from the Far East Empire were arriving in Banjarmasin and could eventually gain Imperial citizenship after meeting the residency requirement.

Japanese captain Ruan Pingtaro and shipping executive Sayo Sanshita discussed Borneo’s resources and Japan’s ambitions to expand across Nanyang. The chapter revealed that Ernst intended to exploit Japan’s expansionism to disrupt the Pacific order and give East Africa an opportunity to intervene, while the United States remained East Africa’s chief concern.

• At Macin Port, Sayo Sanshita envied Borneo’s mineral and agricultural wealth, and Ruan Pingtaro agreed that Japan could benefit greatly from controlling the island.
• Ruan Pingtaro and Sayo Sanshita discussed Japan’s plans to dominate Nanyang and identified the United States, East Africa, and the Soviet Union as major threats.
• Sayo Sanshita argued that Japan would need to control the Far East and Nanyang, and perhaps Australia, to become a true world empire.
• Ernst planned to use Japan’s ambitions to destabilize Nanyang and Oceania, then have East Africa intervene and claim the gains.
• East Africa viewed the United States as its main obstacle because American Pacific strength and colonies could challenge East African influence.

As German-Austrian forces advanced toward Budapest, Prem urged citizens to defend the Hungarian Labor Party regime while Kun’s committee fractured over his peasant-focused policies and relations with the Soviet Union. Kun accepted responsibility for Hungary’s worsening position and said he would resign after the crisis, but would remain to oversee preparations for war.

• German-Austrian forces captured Komárom Fortress after advancing through Győr, bringing the Battle of Budapest closer.
• Prem rallied Budapest’s citizens to resist the invaders and argued that the city’s defenses and popular support could secure victory.
• At a Hungarian People's Committee meeting, pro-Soviet members blamed Kun’s land policies for Hungary’s defeats, while his supporters defended his efforts to win over peasants.
• Kun quieted the infighting, accepted primary responsibility for Hungary’s deteriorating situation, and urged the committee to focus on defeating the enemy.
• Kun said he would resign after the crisis but would stay in office for the time being to complete Hungary’s war preparations.

Ernst and Friedrich discussed Hungary’s impending defeat and the risks of restoring Habsburg rule, then planned how East Africa could contain Labor Party ideas and prepare for a looming global economic crisis. The chapter left East Africa readying its economy and seeking cooperation with Germany and the United States to challenge Britain and France’s colonial market monopolies.

• Ernst told Friedrich that Hungary’s Labor Party government was nearing collapse, and warned that restoring the old order could fuel renewed class unrest.
• Ernst said East Africa would distort Labor Party ideas through its own controlled Labor Party rather than simply ban them.
• Friedrich described East Africa’s efforts to expand overseas markets and colonies as industrial overcapacity and tariff wars grew.
• Ernst ordered preparations for a possible economic crisis, including increasing immigration, selling non-core assets, protecting capable firms, and steering investment toward the real economy.
• Friedrich said East Africa was building reserves, improving its investment environment, and streamlining state-owned and royal enterprises.
• Ernst proposed working with Germany and the United States to widen access to world markets and break the colonial monopolies of Britain and France.

In Rhine City’s Hölderlin Bookstore, students browsed books and comics while adults argued over whether popular entertainment was ruining East Africa’s youth. The chapter revealed that Ernst’s government deliberately encouraged commercial culture to weaken traditional intellectuals and distract the public, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Li Jun studied a mathematics reference book at Hölderlin Bookstore, and Hans urged him to enjoy his vacation instead.
• Hans went to look for the latest issue of King of Dinosaurs and praised its fearsome dinosaurs, while Li Jun asked how dinosaurs had gone extinct.
• An elderly man and a stern middle-aged man condemned comics and popular novels, warning that the post-1910 generation was becoming ruined.
• Other customers defended young people’s entertainment and argued that urban life had simply changed how they spent their free time.
• The chapter explained that Ernst’s government tolerated lowbrow cultural products to diminish traditional literati’s influence, distract ordinary people, and counter rival political ideas.

In Edo, Yoshino Ai read the Oriental Evening News and discussed Japan’s ambitions to seize the resource-rich Philippines and expand into Nanyang and Australia. The chapter revealed that East African capital was using the newspaper to inflame Japanese greed and provoke conflict with Britain and the United States.

• Yoshino Ai bought the Oriental Evening News from Sakata Genji and read its report on the American Philippines.
• Yoshino studied the newspaper’s maps of Luzon’s minerals and American military bases, then argued that Japan could seize the islands from their isolated garrison.
• Yoshino described the Philippines, Dawan Island, and Sakhalin Island as future battlefields and urged Japan to prepare for conflict with the United States, East Africa, and the Soviet Union.
• Yoshino argued that Japan should dominate Northeast Asia, advance into Nanyang, and take Australia for its vast resources.
• The chapter explained that East African backers had funded the Oriental Evening News to intensify Japanese interest in Australia and encourage conflict with Britain and the United States.

At Japan’s Naval Academy, Nan'un Chūichi and Senior Oda discussed the navy’s weakness under the London Naval Treaty and Japan’s dependence on foreign resources. Nan'un argued that Japan should expand south to seize the Nanyang region and Australia, leaving the story with his plan to build the strength needed to challenge the great powers.

• Nan'un Chūichi clipped Oriental Evening News articles about Luzon and added them to his collection of illustrated geographical albums.
• Senior Oda praised Nan'un’s interest in geography and condemned the Imperial Japanese Army for supporting naval disarmament at the London Naval Conference.
• Oda argued that Japan was vulnerable to maritime threats and could not sustain a prolonged war against East Africa or the United States.
• Nan'un said Japan needed to leave the London Naval Treaty and secure independence from imported resources.
• Nan'un advocated seizing the Nanyang region and Australia, especially Australia, northern Borneo, and the Strait of Malacca, to strengthen Japan and the navy.
• Nan'un regarded Britain’s colonies as easier targets than East Africa or the United States and believed Japan should first acquire those resources before challenging the greater powers.