LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 79
Thinking about it, even if the fleeing Bolsheviks stir things up, Germany has successfully undergone a communist revolution.
What if a Communist German party member rallies for a communist revolution just like they did?
In Austria, at least, public sentiment towards the monarchy had already dropped after the war.
Thanks to Britain, the monarchy has been sustained, and now General Gaida is stepping in to take charge of Austria’s defense.
The tricky part is this: the monarchy has lost the public’s favor, while the military is forcefully maintaining the current situation. This creates an environment conducive to a communist revolution.
It might be a bit better if Adolf Hitler is involved.
Or, wait, isn’t the monarchy actually being maintained thanks to Adolf Hitler right now?
Because he’s fervently pushing anti-communist propaganda!
“Right, first off, what’s the situation in Austria?”
Adolf Hitler returned, bringing the Okhrana with him too.
Some from the Volga Germans followed him, so they had to be sent safely.
I heard about that later from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As for his subsequent actions, I only know that Adolf is working hard.
“Adolf Hitler of the National Liberal Austrian Workers’ Party is diligently conducting anti-communist propaganda.”
Looks like Adolf Hitler is really putting in a lot of effort.
Even if that guy isn’t the embodiment of evil, he must be quite an annoyance to communist countries.
But…
“Has he gotten well-known enough to be in the Ministry of Internal Affairs?”
I unconsciously asked in surprise. Has Hitler grown that much already?
Seems unexpectedly competent as an anti-communist.
I doubt he would write about my struggles though.
“Yes, they don’t need our anti-communist propagandist at this point.”
“Is that so? They sure got that party off the ground quickly.”
They indeed established it quickly.
Good thing he’s one of our scoundrels; if he were one of the enemy scoundrels, we’d be in deep trouble.
Imagine the disaster if he were to be captivated by the German revolution and start promoting communism in Austria.
That could lead to a significant mess.
They’re already dealing with the aftermath of a lost war; the situation couldn’t get any worse, and a communist revolution might just easily gain success.
“It’s likely due to the support from German Junkers and capitalists who joined Austria.”
“Then there’s no need to send an anti-communist propagandist to Austria.”
“Yes. Okhrana, having followed Hitler, is cooperating with General Gaida to hunt down the communists in Austria.”
Is the Okhrana surprisingly capable?
“Then we can send anti-communist propagandists with the help of the countries in the Anti-air Pact. What about Turkey?”
Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, and Hungary are already covered.
“Atatürk is coming to Moscow in person.”
“That’s fortunate.”
It would still be better if Russians are the ones doing the anti-communist propaganda directly.
We’ll send figures to conduct anti-communist propaganda in Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria.
“How do you plan to recruit these anti-communist propagandists?”
Are you thinking of doing it like hiring part-timers or something?
Russia may now be a country that despises communism, but,
“I’m thinking of using the Okhrana.”
“The Okhrana really is active in many places.”
How many people does the Okhrana have?
Isn’t that too many for a national security organization?
Did their numbers swell during the Civil War?
It really feels like they’ve transformed into a secret organization safeguarding the monarchy, but well…
No, asking about this is a losing proposition.
“Yes, your Majesty. How about sending them to the communist nations?”
Communist nations? No, that seems a bit risky.
“The sending of agents to communist nations is something we should reconsider. If they get entangled in communist propaganda, that would be a troublesome matter, wouldn’t it?”
Like some kind of labor indoctrination or something.
“Well, as a matter of fact, most of the Okhrana members are not likely to fall prey to that. They are veterans of the Civil War.”
Ah, I see.
Considering, if they would fall easily to communism, they would have joined the Cheka by now.
Well, while there are different factions within communism, it’s merely a play on words.
The root of it all remains just an idealistic ideology spoken with mere words.
However…
The contrary situation holds true as well.
To hide the drawbacks of communism, the communists will aim to kill our Okhrana members.
That absolutely must not happen.
“Excluding that, there are still many issues. Won’t the communists attempt to kill our agents if they find them?”
Okhrana agents are valuable.
We can’t just send them on a one-way ticket to die in a red country.
“Ah, I get it.”
“Good reds are only dead reds. We simply need to send our anti-communist propagandists to countries where communism is thriving in the shadows.”
Sending them directly to face reds seems problematic.
Sure, infiltrating to gather intel internally is all well and good, but aside from Mussolini in Italy, also in Germany, we just need to prepare diligently on our side.
Just look at how the German reds are rampaging in the shadows. We need to concentrate on dealing with that.
Germany’s frantic effort to create more roach-like nations means that, for it to survive in isolation, it seems they have to convert neighboring nations into communist states.
“Understood, your Majesty.”
I think the anti-communist propaganda initiative is quite beneficial.
We need to do our utmost to prevent individuals possibly starting to fall for communism from getting sucked in.
“As I always say, communism is dangerous. It’s a failed ideology destined to disappear, yet it creeps into people’s lives like a devil.”
“Why wouldn’t we know that? Thanks to the current National Duma and you, it’s getting hard to find any traces of communism in Russia now.”
Right. That’s a relief.
“If I recall what you said earlier, isn’t the Great Depression the issue?”
That’s right.
Post-Great Depression, communism might be considered a valid alternative again.
Historically, the USSR’s communist regime didn’t suffer during the Great Depression. What about Germany?
If that happens, it’s not far-fetched to think that France, which is currently troubled by the commune inside, might solidify its path toward communism.
Though, they say the impact of the Great Depression isn’t massive in France due to the extensive damage from the World War, ultimately, communism seems viable.
This scenario might unfold.
“To prepare for this, the anti-communist propagandist project that the Minister of Internal Affairs just mentioned would be a great idea.”
Communism should be eradicated.
It’s quite clear that my modified capitalism is better than communism.
In fact, communism is merely a philosophy for stable dictatorship. Nothing more, nothing less.
Claiming communism is great, saying it could be ideally executed, are things that really deserve to be torn apart.
Unless there were some perfectly altruistic AI that could govern equitably for all in the name of communism.
At least in human society, communism cannot be realized.
Ultimately, someone will become a dictator and rot away, creating stagnant waters.
Therefore, that German communism absolutely must not happen.
To that end, it’s best for us to utilize anti-communist propagandists.
“Then we should send anti-communist propagandists to the countries in the Anti-air Pact. Hmm.”
England should be fine.
Wasn’t Churchill an anti-communist?
Even if he isn’t, he must want to eliminate any threats to Britain.
That guy would likely detest a Germany turned into communism. That takes care of that worry.
What might he think if we send anti-communist propagandists over there?
He would probably mention how they had dealt major blows with the communists not long ago.
“Your Majesty, while sending anti-communist propagandists is good, we should also actively support individuals who have fled from communist nations.”
This time, it was the Executive Office Minister Sergey Dmitrievich Tverskoy.
Aren’t we already doing that?
I didn’t expect that to come from the Executive Office.
“Are we already doing that?”
“Oh, I misspoke. More precisely, ‘persecuted’ individuals.”
Persecuted individuals, huh?
That’s somewhat amusing. In Communist Germany, wouldn’t that mean the Junkers?
If those Junkers aren’t dead, they would’ve crossed over to East Prussia or Austria. The persecuted individuals currently being referred to probably aren’t them.
So, who could they be?
“Persecuted individuals?”
“They say many artists from Germany and Italy have fled.”
“That’s the first I’m hearing of it.”
Ah, artists.
Why are they being persecuted?
“It seems the surrendering Bolsheviks have executed the policies Lenin proposed earlier, leading to a decline in public support for the Bolsheviks.”
“So now, we’re suggesting that Russia take in those fleeing persecution from Germany and Italy and provide them support, correct?”
“Exactly. Since Germany and Italy have artists being persecuted, it’s prime time to take advantage of this situation.”
Oh, right. Under Nazi Germany, artists faced severe restrictions — was it called decadent art?
Such figures are now being persecuted in Communist Germany?
“Why are they being persecuted?”
“Isn’t it due to the communist regime?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem that they would suppress freedom of expression.”
Still, could Germany truly suppress them all?
“Who typically supports artists, and who appreciates their work? Right now, the isolated figures are in urgent need of promotion from artists.”
Ah, I see.
Those with riches mostly offered support and enjoyed admiring the artworks.
Does this really make sense?
If right now German artists, who are reluctant to follow communist orders, start acting counter to that, it seems plausible.
I didn’t think this through properly. There are also Russian artists who fled abroad to escape the Soviet regime.
For regime maintenance, any individuals with anti-communist potential must be purged.
If we can draw them in, we can undoubtedly elevate the cultural and artistic standards higher than those in historic Russia when it was the USSR.
“Well then, that’s something to ponder. By doing so, the level of Russian cultural arts will rise. But is that feasible?”
“They are already making their way to East Prussia or Russia.”
I had overlooked that.
If the Executive Office Minister is advocating this, perhaps he’s got a favorite author or painter he favors.
That’s why the Executive Minister is so animated about this.
“Please, continue.”
“In the spirit of actively promoting abroad, how about we establish a cultural department? For paintings, novels, poetry, to aid the development of Russian art and literature, while also promoting Russian culture internationally.”
So you’re suggesting we create a department?
Korea has the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism—something like that, right?
“Hmm. Are you suggesting we formalize the creation of a department?”
“Yes. Many artists were scattered during the Civil War. To reunite them, why not establish a department directly in the United States Duma? A Ministry of Culture and Arts.”
Ministry of Culture and Arts.
Yes, that doesn’t sound bad.
It’s a department aimed at reviving Russian culture and arts.
That’s fine, but then the next issue arises.
If we create a department, we ultimately need to appoint a Minister and a Vice Minister. Is there a suitable candidate for that??
The Executive Office Minister wouldn’t mean to do it personally, would he?
“How should the Minister be appointed?”
I’m sorry, but I really don’t know anyone this time.
Isn’t it necessary to have someone related to that field as Minister?
Especially in Russian culture and arts, that seems particularly important.
“Wouldn’t it be good to appoint someone from the arts? Most Ministers in the United States are from backgrounds of the Civil War, so it would be best to appoint a somewhat renowned figure to the Minister position.”
“Do you have a candidate in mind?”
“Ivan Bunin of the Russian Republic Writers’ Association.”
The Writers’ Association of the Russian Republic, huh.
Has that already been established?
“Ivan Bunin, you say?”
“He’s a novelist known as the successor to Tolstoy and Chekhov.”
At that level, he must be quite a remarkable figure.
I may not have read Tolstoy’s works, but I know he’s a globally recognized literary giant.
If someone’s considered their successor, they must be of good stature.
“I’m aware of Ivan Bunin from the Russian Republic. He’s quite an outstanding novelist and holds a fair reputation abroad.”
Other Ministers seemed to agree on that oversight.
If even the Executive Office Minister and the other Ministers are aware of him…
He must truly be a literary giant.
A figure of that caliber seems suitable to nominate.
“Hmm, given he’s already leading the Writers’ Association, he’s probably well-known in Russia as well.”
I paused to think for a moment.
But is it okay to place a novelist into the position of Minister of Culture?
Since we’ve appointed all these figures from Southern Russia into Ministerial roles, is it really necessary to worry?
But most of them, whether from before the revolution or before the Bolsheviks took power, have held prominent positions in the Duma.
Hmm, well, if Tsarina herself were to invite him to the Ministerial position, then perhaps others wouldn’t have any particular suspicions.
“Do the other Ministers share the same view?”
“In the end, it will depend on your decision, your Majesty.”
Oh, so why should it rely on my decision then?
Don’t pass off your responsibilities onto me. This isn’t a group project!