Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Since I can't decide who will lead the next military with just a few words here, I'll need to watch longer, but.

"...You've got one direction right."

"Does it please you?"

"The title of expert isn't wasted on you. I like your vision that isn't confined by engineering's limitations."

Having the world's largest military means spending that much on military expenses.

The budget is always tight and insufficient regardless of the Empire's economic growth or tax revenue.

"Particularly, not a few people both internally and externally think this Empire rose through war. This too is something to be wary of."

"It's not wrong, is it? The Empire has always shown great growth after wars."

"We could end up with those advocating military statehood or militarism spreading."

Why did Sparta, which swept the Greek world in the past, fall?

Though they raised their state through the military and even subjugated Athens, after Messenia's independence, they fell due to excessive control and dictatorship leading to extreme economic polarization.

The military has ranks divided more strictly than water temperature. What if these are released into the civilian realm?

'With Tsarism already prevalent, adding militarism would be hard to handle.'

So the Imperial Army must remain limited to roles like internal political ethnic unity and patriotism promotion.

Nevertheless.

"Kokovtsov, it's undeniable that Roman is too valuable a talent to just send home like this. He will surely strengthen the Imperial Army by learning from the Great War."

Sharing just a bit of insight makes it impossible not to acknowledge.

Roman, whatever his intentions for becoming Chief of Staff, is a born genius.

"Have you judged the benefits gained through him outweigh the harmful effects?"

"Why, are you worried?"

"Not at all. As long as Your Majesty lives, the military cannot become an interest group."

"...I must not take my eyes off him."

Is it my imagination that Kokovtsov's face seems somewhat pleased now that I've acknowledged Roman?

Kokovtsov expressed no further objections or questions about military personnel.

Instead, he began bringing up another topic.

"Your Majesty, I have only about half a year left in my term. Please tell me now."

"...Has it come so soon already."

"Who should be the next Prime Minister?"

Kokovtsov's era was coming to an end.

==

In 1924, the Coolidge administration passed an immigration law called the Johnson-Reed Act, marking a decisive turning point in American immigration policy. This legislation would reshape the demographic future of the United States with consequences that would echo for generations.

Since the great immigration era of the 17th century, that country had enormously vast territory compared to population, which was essentially a factor that infinitely increased population capacity. The American continent seemed to promise endless opportunity - vast prairies, rich soil, and endless forests waiting to be transformed into farms and cities.

Immigrants might cause social disorder and fail to adapt, remaining as refugees or vagrants, but times are times. The growing pains of integration were seen as a necessary price for national growth. Each wave of newcomers faced initial hardships but gradually found their place in the expanding American tapestry.

Industrialization grows by feeding on workers' blood and sweat, and population is national power. The factories, mines, and railroads demanded an ever-growing workforce, and immigration provided the human fuel that powered America's rise to industrial supremacy. Every new citizen represented potential strength for the nation.

Just as our country gives farmland, support funds, and citizenship to settle immigrants in the Far East, America is the same. Both nations recognized that settling new territories required incentives and support.

With numerous bait items like pensions, guaranteed autonomy, designated protection areas, supplies, etc., the American government accepted 7 million immigrants from Britain and Ireland alone over nearly a century. These enticements transformed America into a beacon for the ambitious and desperate alike, drawing millions across the Atlantic with promises of a better life.

However, even such an era of great immigration has its end.

More precisely, the emergence of this <eugenics> as a field narrowed America's immigration gates.

'Aren't ethnic tendencies and intelligence predetermined?'

'Haven't we confirmed how inferior colored races are just by looking at blacks who were slaves?'

'Aren't all these immigrants' initial social costs burdens that existing taxpayers must bear!'

Eugenics justifies ethnic conflict, precisely the hierarchization between ethnicities.

Moreover, imperialism and wars lasting nearly 40 years from the 1880s to 1920 made 20 million immigrants head to America.

American workers disliked these immigrants who lowered their wages.

Eugenicists were irritated that those inferior ethnicities exercised the same one vote as citizens.

The U.S. Census Bureau and police criticized with immigrants' violence and crime rates.

Simply put, America now disliked anyone who wasn't WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant).

What all these emotions and socio-culture gave birth to was this Johnson-Reed Act.

This law restricts visa issuance and citizenship by region, race, and country, which directly leads to population growth restrictions.

Possible backlash from existing immigrants?@@novelbin@@

[Remember the Indians!]

[Indian Citizenship Act, Passed.]

[Comprehensive Citizenship is Acceptance, Not Discrimination.]

They can offset that backlash by embracing the fewer native Indians.

Eventually, America's population growth in the 1920s began staying within 2%.

Though Mexican refugees are crossing over ignoring laws due to civil war, statistically combining natural increase and immigration won't exceed this 2%.

Meanwhile, our Empire was different.

"Though Finland's population of 3 million broke away, it's not decreasing."

"The Population Survey Committee is conducting surveys annually instead of every two years so we're getting more accurate figures, but... the graph's rising slope is ominous."

I'm reminded of when the Empire first conducted a population census in '98.

A book reaching 120 volumes in final length.

Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Detailed data processing took 3 more years, and after classifying into tribes, principalities, kingdoms, khanates, and empires, plus organizing by religion, age, occupation, gender, and household, it was truly vast information beyond measure.

What I felt then was that this country was very young. Russia had its historically largest population of teens and twenties at that time.

More than 25 years have passed since then.

The Empire is still young, territory has increased, and after Poland's annexation, population has grown even more.

According to nationwide censuses that America and Russia conducted simultaneously in 1920.

America's population was about 106 million.

Russia's population was 210 million.

"Since Poland's population is nearly 30 million, they should be calculated separately in growth rates."

"Prime Minister, even so, Imperial citizens exceed 180 million."

Of course, though population is national power, economically speaking there's need to look from various perspectives like per capita labor productivity, household income, household asset holdings.