Russia in '97 was expected to achieve a remarkable 10% growth despite its heavy economic weight.
Of course, this wasn't unique to Russia - all of Europe was enjoying development in peacetime. Western European countries were growing between 2% to 5%.
It was a remarkable world where development was visible every year in Europe, where major power conflicts had disappeared since the Franco-Prussian War.
Peace and development may sound natural in the 21st century, but such continuous prosperity was rare in the 19th century.
The Belle Époque in French.
This era, later called the Second Renaissance, was centered around growth in Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.
And watching this, Nikolai felt jealous despite leading in growth rate.
More precisely.
"We only have until this year, but they have 17 more years of this growth ahead?"
The fact that their growth rate was destined to fall behind Italy, even if not as much as Western Europe, made Nikolai uncomfortable.
"The cause is too clear, almost simple. The empire will fall just because of food price collapse."
When the Serbian-Bulgarian War broke out in '85, tensions arose between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire.
Because of this, Germany refused to renew its reinsurance treaty with Russia.
As a result, Germany also tried to diversify its food import sources, which had been dependent on Russia.
Naturally, Russia lost an export destination.
"Tch, if only we could have ridden along with them just by selling food."
Russia's economy naturally declined as its biggest customer Germany reduced imports, food prices fell, and agricultural production increased.
Since they couldn't just let it rot in warehouses, they were looking for new customers.
The target was the British Empire, the world's largest food importer.
"Minister Nicholas Giers. How are the results?"
"They still don't seem to trust us. Though they like the prices, they keep evading by suggesting gradual negotiation of import volumes year by year."
"How suspicious."
One might think Russia and the British Empire had bad relations due to the Great Game. And that's true.
There had been invisible friction between Russia and the British Empire.
'Though I'm different.'
Both domestically and internationally, Nikolai wasn't a hardline leader like his father.
He neither obsessed over the navy nor sought absolute power.
Nikolai showed this externally by completely abandoning the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.
Essentially giving up the Black Sea passage - reducing influence over the Ottoman Empire - abandoning southward expansion policy - naturally leading to British victory in the Great Game.
'It was just a conflict wasting money on something we couldn't take anyway.'
While moderates like Witte might approve, hardliners led by the military regretted giving up too easily, but Nikolai ignored both.
"It's not a bad deal for them either. Along with the satisfaction of winning, cheap food imports are good for price stability."
"I'll try to increase it as much as possible."
"Good."
He was truly a moderate Tsar completely opposite to the previous two Tsars.
Completely overturning expectations of those who shouted 'Russia will advance east since southward expansion wasn't enough!', Nikolai was not only focusing on internal consolidation but also reducing external friction.
Even if internal conflicts existed, they were just fights between subordinates, not with imperial authority.
Forfeiting the Great Game.
Abolishing Polish suppression policies.
Abandoning southward expansion.
Temporary halt on naval power expansion.
Reducing 6-year mandatory service period.
In 1897, contrary to peak national power, the empire was clearly contracting.
Yet still.
"The land reform bill didn't pass again today. Count Dashkov, how many votes is this?"
"We've held nineteen votes this year alone, all failing to reach majority and falling short of Your Majesty's conditions."
No reform bill gaining majority support and Senate approval had appeared on Nikolai's desk.
"Our Duma representatives are so excited about introducing land tax that they won't think about reform bills."
"I believe the land tax introduction has actually made it harder to get majority support for reform."
The State Duma, having gotten a taste of pulling down the eternally reigning nobles with taxes once, became addicted to legislative proposals without properly fulfilling their given role.
Looks like it's time for a balance patch.
==
The rampaging Duma. Who created this disgusting decision-making body that nobles despise?
"At this point, isn't the Tsar going beyond neglect to cooperation!"
"How can the empire function without nobles! The country will surely collapse at this rate!"
"If laws are decided by public opinion, what use is university education? The State Duma is a system that can only work if all imperial citizens become experts capable of making decisions!"
Most soldiers and officials were of noble birth, and even educated intellectuals were overwhelmingly from noble families.
To touch the estates (farmland) that formed the foundation of noble society.
The nobles' resentment, angry at having to helplessly submit to the mere advisory State Duma, gradually turned toward the Tsar.
"The Moscow Noble Assembly wants to come to St. Petersburg to see Your Majesty directly."
"With taxes increasing every year when nobles haven't even been paying them for 30 years, it wouldn't be strange for complaints to explode anytime."
"They say they'd rather pay the soul tax from Peter the Great's time! They're requesting to abolish the land tax, saying they'll even pay head tax and soul tax for their dead ancestors!"
In fact, clergy and nobles had only paid regular taxes for 26 years, during Alexander II's time of chronic deficit finances.
Back then nobles purely paid taxes since even great noble families could be wiped out overnight by the Tsar's order.
However, this newly introduced land tax wasn't a one-time thing but created endless losses just for owning land. This seemed too much even for nobles to accept.
My solution to this was simple.
"Count Dashkov, tell the Senate members interpreting the law code. Tell them to guarantee nobles paying land tax the same voting rights as the bourgeoisie."
"You mean..."
"Traditional nobles should fight in the Duma too, why come to me?"
If they contribute to development through taxes, it's natural Russian electoral tradition to guarantee voting rights for a certain period.
Wasn't it because traditional nobles were brought into the Duma that Pyotr Stolypin's agricultural reforms that failed in 1905 gained momentum in 1907?
So you fight in the Duma too. Don't come to me just because you heard some harsh words in the Duma.
I don't have time to deal with you now.
==
"This year the Peasant Land Bank can loan out a maximum of 1.08 billion rubles. This is essentially mobilizing all capabilities except minimal reserves."
The Peasant Land Bank, befitting the empire's largest bank, held enormous cash.
"Not nearly enough money to overturn land across the empire. Next."
"Shamefully, many regions are under-urbanized. This means there aren't even places where people can gather to seek work. Therefore, it's expected there will be a sharp increase in those who must leave their hometowns far behind to become urban workers."
"You mean population distribution will collapse?"
"We anticipate security concerns, worker rights violations, rising urban housing prices and job shortages."
That's how it is without planned cities. It's no coincidence historically that larger cities developed more shanty towns.
"That's to be expected. Next."
"From the Land Survey Committee. Of 140 million desiatinas of land, 115 million were communally owned."
"Direct surveying will take long, but confirming mir information is quick. The remaining land?"
"Owned by some independent farmers and great nobles."
"The noble proportion is small but the lack of independent farmers makes it more noticeable."
"Independent farmers are mostly concentrated in the empire's western regions. And uniquely, these regions had high yields and-"
"They even avoided the famine of '91. They could endure with the strength from their land property."
"Yes. Only loan amounts increased, there were practically no starvation deaths."
The mir dies together if it dies. It doesn't collapse easily, but when it does, tens of thousands die.
In contrast, independent farmers uniquely survived well even in self-reliant situations. Probably due to the power from yields over twice as high.
"Including small rural units there are 1.5 million collective farms, and about 20,000 major mirs. These 20,000 mirs can be considered the core of imperial agriculture."
"20,000, 20,000..."
The numbers coming up in documents are so large the units alone are difficult to grasp.
As opinions are exchanged in continuing reports, it becomes clear the work won't be easy.
Probably not just me thinking this - the officials attending the meeting also had dark expressions.
"Witte. What do you think? Do you think independent farmer development is possible in this country?"
"Even the barbaric Ottoman Empire did this work 30 years ago. I think this is the price of long delegating local government responsibilities to the mir."
"Sounds fatalistic."
"It's just inevitable."
At least no one here was ignorant of the necessity. However, Witte carefully added words of concern.
"Your Majesty, peace with foreign countries is complete but internal preparations are insufficient. With land surveying not even finished, don't we need more time?"
"This year is the last chance. There won't be another opportunity."
"Local officials are still lacking and corruption is rampant. We can't even control, let alone contain, the chaos when dismantling the mir. What about the Duma Your Majesty created? The State Duma will unconditionally oppose if they can't be the protagonist of reform."
"I well understand your concerns."
That administrative capacity. I know too well. That we have only a third of Britain's officials per capita, and it's even worse in rural areas.
I know the Peasant Land Bank has lots of money but even ten times that wouldn't be enough to overturn all imperial land.
Independent farmer development means mir dissolution. We claim we're removing peasants' shackles of decades, but peasants might think their fence is disappearing.
And the State Duma will blame all responsibility on me.
Witte fears premature reform implementation will hand initiative to the Duma.
But there won't be another chance after this year when imperial strength has peaked.
So, despite inadequate preparation, I planned to start land reform this year.
"But we can't overturn the whole country. We lack the money and administrative capacity."
"Then please wait a bit longer. Let the Duma curse nobles who don't even own 5% of land, and we'll prepare on our own."
"That's why we'll do it by region."
Now we really must act but still aren't prepared. My conclusion was sequential mir dissolution by region.
"Half-measures risk failing to properly dissolve the mir. But what if we thoroughly smash the mir by province? Then it's a somewhat different story."
Must start land redistribution right after autumn harvest. Probably need to overturn everything here and there in advance.
"Don't mind the Duma still fighting over free distribution or partial confiscation. If we frame it as a pilot implementation, they can't firmly oppose or support."
Likely they'll wait and see if it's effective. Meanwhile we can advance surely smashing one region each year.
And though unsaid:
'Areas where the mir is dissolved will become my support base by region.'
'Didn't you say this wasn't about strengthening imperial power?'
'Witte, this is like a byproduct. Not particularly intended.'
Humans' instinctive obsession with land ownership. The emperor who fulfills that desire. Regardless of farming success, they'll have no choice but to support me.
Can't watch this damn communist agricultural production method anymore.
Now when the empire has accumulated the most money. This year with somewhat less discontent is the opportunity.
I thought this was the only way since establishing the Land Survey Committee and starting sequential regional surveys.
Officials who started calculating feasibility in their heads at the words "sequential by region" didn't readily voice opposition.
"If we see effects, we can push further based on those results. Even without immediate effects, the burden is less since it's only implemented in specific regions."
"...Did Your Majesty really have no expectations for the Duma from the start?"
"Isn't waiting two years enough?"
"This must have been planned from two years ago, no, even before-"
"Oh my, a misunderstanding. Whatever you're thinking is all a misunderstanding."
His softened voice from before proves he's already half convinced.
"As you all know, the Duma produced no solutions even today. Inevitably, I'm thinking of trying some pilot reforms led by Finance Minister Witte here."
"..."
Seems no one believes it but anyway know that's the official implementation justification.
"Please work together to thoroughly smash the mir."
Not even leaving a trace.