The Rise Of Australasia

Indeed, apart from the fifth-generation military aircraft, the passenger airplane industry in the Kingdom of Australasia had also made some progress.

The latest model of the so-called Big-belly series could accommodate over 20 passengers and had far surpassed airships in terms of safety.

However, at present, airplanes are essentially toys for the wealthy; the poor and common people can't afford them, hence there's no need to spend too much ink describing them.

Still, some cities had constructed airports to facilitate domestic communication within Australasia and to establish faster channels for international communication.

Riding the currently fastest warship to Europe required half a month, but if one were to take the latest passenger aircraft, the time could be reduced to less than one week.

Despite the significant saving in time cost, Arthur generally would not choose to take an airplane under normal circumstances.

Time flew by, and before one knew it, it was April 1922.

The war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, which had lasted for over a year, was finally drawing towards a conclusion.

Greece had the support of the British Empire behind it, while the Ottoman Empire faced various crises domestically, so the outcome of this war had essentially been determined before it even started.

It is worth mentioning that, compared to the consistently maintained situation of the Philippine independence war, the Greco-Turkish War seemed fraught with problems.

In the early stages, due to being prepared, the Greek Army had forced the Ottoman troops to retreat successively, capturing a significant number of cities.

However, this did not last long. With the internal revolutionary forces in the Ottoman Empire, especially after Kemal established the Grand National Assembly and took control, the situation saw considerable changes.

The morale of the forces led by the Ottoman Empire and those led by Kemal were completely different, and this caught the complacent Greek Army by surprise and at a severe disadvantage.

Since mid-1921, the war within the Ottoman Empire had turned into an all-out contest between Kemal and the Greeks, with no involvement from the Ottoman government.

At this time, the imperial government existed in name only, but theoretically, the Ottoman Empire still existed.

As time moved into 1922, after Kemal's forces had driven the Greek army out of the Anatolian peninsula, he immediately abolished the Ottoman Empire and established the Republic of Turkey, bringing an empire that had existed for hundreds of years to an abrupt end.

The fall of the Ottoman Empire was not good news for Greece, as the newly established state of Turkey united all Turkish people, making them far more formidable than the old Ottoman Empire.

The establishment of Turkey essentially marked the failure of this war. The British Empire, having just gone through the Irish War of Independence, had no intention of helping Greece win this conflict.

As for Greece, relying on its own strength alone, it could not contend with Turkey – its previous victories over the Ottoman Empire hinged upon advance preparations and the empire's internal decay.

After numerous changes, the war that had persisted for over a year finally reached its conclusion, although the outcome was not so easily accepted by Britain and Greece.

Although a portion of its land was lost, the Republic of Turkey that Kemal founded still inherited most of the Ottoman Empire's territory. Unifying the nation to maintain a second-tier status was still unquestionably manageable.

Even though being labeled as second-tier power might seem absurd, it was actually an accurate reflection of the current global situation.

Borrowing from a well-known game's setting of eight great powers and eight secondary powers, the countries that could be considered as major powers were only Britain, the US, France, Australia, Italy, and Japan – a total of six.

Germany had enough comprehensive power, but as a defeated country in World War I, it faced severe restrictions.

Setting aside its greatly limited naval and military size, the prohibition on researching heavy weapons, tanks, and the aircraft industry alone determined that Germany could not be considered a great power, as it had virtually no diplomatic standing or international influence.

Can a country without diplomatic standing and international influence be labeled as a great power?

Russia barely counted as a great power, but due to prolonged internal conflicts, its industry and economy had suffered tremendous damage, and its international influence had significantly waned.

Of course, Russia still had sufficient military strength, but the civil war left Russia without an external threat, meaning its global impact might even be less than Italy's.

Beyond these two countries, which once counted among the great powers but couldn't be considered such due to various reasons, there weren't even any contenders for the position.

Countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and Sweden, which are rather well-known in Europe, held very stable secondary-power statuses – quite sufficient when compared to lower-tier countries, but absolutely not enough against the top-tier ones.

This was also a characteristic of the era, where the great powers occupied most of the world's resources and interests, making it extremely difficult for non-great powers to advance because the chasm between them and the great powers was vast and insurmountable.

Although it lost a substantial amount of territory compared to the previous Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey that Kemal ruled managed to retain the central region of Anatolia, ensuring that this newly formed nation could join the ranks of the secondary powers.

Of course, as the theoretical successor of the Ottoman Empire, Kemal's Republic of Turkey naturally inherited the debts of the Ottoman Empire, and they still had a substantial amount of compensation to pay.

This was also the bottom line for the British, the Ottoman Empire could disappear, but the compensation owed by the Ottoman Empire could not.

The cost of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey was the inheritance of the war reparations previously owed by the Ottoman Empire.

However, for all Turkish people, this was also good news. After all, compared to the reviled Ottoman government, the newly born Turkish government represented a beacon of hope for them, and so living a little harder was worth it.

Although the war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire had ended, if one looked at the situation of the entire world, there was no inclination towards stability.

Although there were no major wars capable of influencing the global situation as a whole, the contradictions and conflicts between various regions ensured that the world situation would never be peaceful at any time.

In such a relatively chaotic international background, some events that occurred in various countries were indeed worth pondering.

On February 8, 1919, Doctor Herrick in Chicago, United States, published the first recorded electrocardiogram (ECG), which was a crucial step for the medical community.

In future medical treatment, the ECG would be an essential tool and would improve the level of healthcare considerably.

Arthur, of course, understood the significance of the ECG and, after its discovery, immediately ordered the Ministry of Health to keep pace and research and perfect the relevant technology.

Advances in medical care were crucial for a country, not only lowering the death rate and increasing the average lifespan but also improving the happiness index of its people.

In the long run, advances in medical technology were also beneficial for the Australasian Royal Family and Arthur since, after all, they were the ones who truly enjoyed the highest level of healthcare in Australasia.

Improvements in healthcare not only substantially increased the lifespans of Arthur and his family but also stabilized the country's rule.

A long-lived and prestigious monarch had an intangible effect on enhancing a country's stability, even without doing much.

This was reflected in the late Queen Victoria and the later Queen Elizabeth.

If the British Empire had such a revered monarch during the division of its colonies, the colonies would not have been so easily parted.

Had Queen Victoria been alive, most Irish people would not have joined the ranks against the government, which demonstrates the influence of a revered monarch.

To encourage the development of the domestic healthcare level, Arthur established a dedicated medical funds to recognize individuals and enterprises that made significant contributions to medical technology.

Although the fund was not large, exceeding 1 million Australian dollars annually, it served as encouragement for individuals and enterprises investing in the research of medical technology.

In addition, tax rates in Australasia for the medical technology research industry were comparatively low, but this was limited to the medical research field.

While not expecting the level of medical care to catch up to future standards too quickly, the more advanced it became, the more beneficial it was for Arthur.

In the end, Arthur was just an ordinary man, the more advanced the medical care, the longer he would live.

As an ordinary person, who wouldn't want to live longer?

Arthur wasn't greedy, witnessing the entire World War II and the subsequent Cold War unfold, and seeing the Kingdom of Australasia he founded ascend to the pinnacle of the world, at least as one of the superpowers, would be enough for him to feel content.

As for the question of whether to create an empire, it would depend on the future international situation and the support of the people.

Actually, for Arthur, the titles of Emperor and King were only a matter of nomenclature. With real power at hand, even as a king, Arthur's status and prestige among the European royal families were considerable. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

Especially after the British Royal Family changed their surname but Arthur retained the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha name, he had won considerable favor with many German families, securing him a respectable position within the entirety of the European royal family.

After all, Arthur was no longer the green youth who had just been named Duke.

Back then, Australasia needed Queen Victoria's care, and Arthur received respect in the European royal family because of his status as a member of the British Royal Family.

But now, the status of King of Australasia alone was sufficient for Arthur to secure an adequate position amongst the European royal families.

As for his former status as a member of the British Royal Family, it had become unimportant for Arthur; since he expressed disapproval of the British Royal Family's name change, it also meant that Arthur no longer clung to the identity of a British Royal Family member.