The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 350

Chapter 350: Chapter 302: The Entente Powers Conference and Central Powers Conference (Asking for monthly votes!)

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After the end of the Australasian government cabinet election, domestic peace was restored and the environment returned to its previous state of development and construction.

However, Europe was far from calm at this time. The Italo-Turkish War was in full swing, and the powder keg of the Balkan region also seemed about to explode, casting several dark clouds over Europe’s originally clear sky as if a storm was approaching.

On October 27, 1911, Arthur had just held a cabinet meeting with the new cabinet government when he received an invitation to a large gathering in London.

The British had invited more than ten countries to this gathering, mostly countries that had good relations with Britain, including countries like France and Russia that had directly signed treaties with Britain.

Of course, this meant that countries like Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which stood against Britain, were not on the list of invitations. Therefore, this meeting can also be seen as a large gathering of the Entente Powers and countries leaning towards the Entente Powers.

This also represented that Australasia received favorable views from Britain, France, and Russia. After all, Australasia, located in Oceania, could participate in such an Entente Powers conference, representing that the strength of Australasia was recognized by the Entente Powers.

But such an invitation made Arthur very troubled. If he participated directly, he would inevitably be seen as joining the camp of the Entente Powers.

This was significantly different from Arthur’s ideation of neutrality for armaments sales in the early stage and later joining the advantaged side.

However, after all, it was a request from the British ‘big brother’. If he did not go, it would inevitably be offensive, hurting the feelings of the British government and the British people.

After careful consideration, Arthur chose to let Prime Minister Kent go. Prime Minister Kent was Arthur’s confidant and, to a certain extent, could represent Arthur. In addition, Kent was Australasia’s newly appointed Prime Minister, who could represent the current Australasian government.

Therefore, Prime Minister Kent was a suitable candidate besides Arthur.

Before Kent departed, Arthur specifically instructed him to observe more, ask less, and participate less in the conference.

It is necessary to understand the current support for the Entente Powers among European countries, but there is no need to directly join the Entente Powers.

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After all, World War I consumed the Entente Powers massively. Joining the war one day earlier represented consuming Australasia’s foundation one day earlier.

If this meeting posed a tough choice for Arthur, it was, for the Central Powers represented by William II, a straightforward target.

Unfortunately, although the timing and participants of this meeting were public, the content of the conference was highly confidential.

Even though the German intelligence organization expended a great deal of effort for this, it only understood that this meeting targeted the Central Powers, as for what the meeting discussed and what purpose it achieved, Germany knew nothing.

However, that does not mean that Germany had no means of opposition.

Shortly after Butler Kent arrived in London and on the second day of the Entente Powers Conference, that is, November 30, 1911, Germany also counteractively stated that it hosted a conference in Berlin, and the participating countries were also members of the Central Powers and European countries leaning towards the Central Powers.

What troubled Arthur was, even though Germany knew Arthur had sent Kent to participate in the Entente Powers Conference, the German government still unabashedly invited Australasia to participate in the Central Powers Conference.

Although Australasia does indeed maintain good relations with both sides, such a blatant fence-sitting behavior before the war will not only undermine Australasia’s image, but also displease both sides.

Therefore, on December 1, 1911, Arthur, on behalf of the Australasian government, publicly stated that Australasia is a peaceful and friendly country and is not willing to join the European dispute for the time being.

However, for world peace and all humanity, Australasia is willing to provide necessary medical and material support to Europe at any time to ensure that European citizens are not affected by European disputes.

Also, Arthur emphasized that Australasia would not directly join the Entente Powers or the Central Powers for the time being, unless the interests of the country and its citizens were harmed.

Given the good relationship between Britain, Germany, and Australasia, as well as the blood relationship between the two sides, Arthur sincerely advised, hoping that the two parties could remain rational and resolve disputes at the negotiation table.

Anyway, first set up the facade of neutrality. Otherwise, there will be many such dilemmas, and a slight carelessness will brand Australasia with the reputation of fence-sitting.

To express his genuine intention to remain neutral, from December onward, Arthur asked the government to keep a low profile internationally as much as possible to avoid attracting more attention to Australasia.

In mid-December 1911, the Central Powers Conference was officially held in Berlin, with the participation of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Italy, three members of the Central Powers, and several small European countries friendly to Germany.

Although the content of the conferences on both sides was strictly confidential, Europeans could see that the gunpowder smell in Europe was extremely strong, seeming to explode at any small spark.

In January 1912, with Kent returning to Australasia, Arthur finally understood the content of the Entente Powers Conference.

In fact, Kent had only heard some rumors. The real core Entente Powers meeting was only attended by Britain, France, and Russia.

And other small countries could only catch wind of some gossip, only hearing what the British wished for them to hear.

After this conference, it is predictable that the Triple Entente will become even more tightly bound together.

Previously, the Triple Entente was established on the basis of the Franco-Russian Alliance, with the addition of the Anglo-French Agreement and the Anglo-Russian Agreement.

But the main commitment of such an agreement was for France and Russia to oppose Germany, with Britain assisting both France and Russia.

However, following this conference, such a situation will no longer exist, and Britain will also have to bear military responsibility.

This is, of course, inevitable. If Britain does not bear a certain military responsibility, the Russians’ attitude towards the agreement might become somewhat unclear.

It cannot be that France alone resists Germany, an outcome that was already apparent many decades ago when the Germans stepped over the French to reach the pinnacle of the continent.

If the British do not undertake a certain military responsibility, it would likely result in the termination of the Anglo-French agreement, and the Anglo-Russian agreement, the two agreements that resulted in the formation of the Entente Powers.

Without the existence of the Entente Powers, no power can truly stop the rise of the German Empire.

According to Kent’s information, Britain, France, and Russia have re-signed a Triple Entente, which replaces the previous loose Anglo-French, Anglo-Russian, Franco-Russian agreements, truly uniting the three contracting countries together.

Although it is not clear what changes this new agreement will bring to the Entente Powers, what can be clearly felt is that the attitude of the French and Russians towards the agreement has taken a significant turn, and their determination to resist Germany has also strengthened.

In addition to this new agreement, the three countries also signed a new naval treaty. This naval treaty is also open to the small countries participating in the conference, but they are asked not to disclose it to outsiders.

According to this naval treaty, the British will protect French interests and regions along the Atlantic coast, and the French will protect British interests in Mediterranean colonies.

Meanwhile, if a war breaks out, the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the French Mediterranean Fleet should immediately blockade the Otranto Strait, preventing the Central Powers’ navies from converging.

The Otranto Strait is located between Italy and Albania and is the sole passage for the Austro-Hungarian Navy to enter the open sea.

Once the Otranto Strait is blockaded, the Austro-Hungarian naval forces lose their effectiveness and can only remain trapped in nearby waters.

Looking closely at the three nations of the Central Powers – Germany’s High Seas Fleet, Italy’s navy, and Austro-Hungarian navy – they all share one characteristic: all three countries’ navies are limited to a certain sea, and the sea’s exits are readily blockaded.

There’s no need to mention Austro-Hungary, the Otranto Strait is enough for the Austro-Hungarian Navy to be trapped in their own backyard.

The Italian navy, although located in the massive Mediterranean Sea, is bordered by British-controlled zones at the Strait of Gibraltar to the west and the Suez Canal to the east.

This also implies that if Italy’s fleet cannot defeat the British fleet, their navy can only swagger in the Mediterranean and can’t reach out to the Atlantic or Indian Ocean.

Lastly, there is Germany’s navy. Before the construction of the Kiel Canal, passage back and forth between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea required circling around Denmark, not only significantly increasing the distance travelled but also giving up control of vital sea routes to Denmark.

After the Germans built the Kiel Canal, connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, they not only greatly reduced the distance of east-west sea travel but also brought the vital sea route connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea into their hands.

But this doesn’t mean the problem has vanished. There are only two options out of the Baltic Sea, apart from through Denmark: the Kiel Canal, which connects the Baltic Sea to the open sea.

However, the problem is that beyond the Baltic Sea is the North Sea, and the two paths from the North Sea to the Atlantic are the Strait of Dover, bordering England and France, and Denmark Strait, bordering England and Norway.

Both regions are also under the control of the Royal British Navy, which means that if the Central Powers’ navies want to converge, they must break through French and British naval defenses.

Yet, the problem lies just here. The Royal British Navy is currently the undisputed world’s most powerful navy such that the navy of any single Central Powers’ country simply can’t compete with it.

if the navies of the three nations of Central Powers don’t converge, the threat toward the British navy won’t be so great.

However, without the strength to challenge the British navy, it is virtually impossible for the Central Powers’ navies to unite.

It seems like a catch-22 situation, even though the Central Powers’ nations are vigorously developing their navies, they are still not catching up with the Royal British Navy.

More importantly, the British Empire has broad colonies and large populations; its foundation is more well-established than Germany’s.

The naval rivalry indeed puts Germany at a further disadvantage, which also greatly reduces the possibility of Central Powers’ navies surpassing the navies of the Contracting Powers.