The Rise of Australasia

Now that it was confirmed that William would be the next king, Arthur naturally had no hesitation regarding his identity as the Crown Prince.

What was most proper at the moment was to bestow upon William the titles and honours he deserved, lest the competition for the throne cause disharmony among the members of the royal family.

Arthur was not speculating out of thin air, but rather drawing on results and experience given by a lengthy history.

The royal children seemed harmonious for now, but who could guarantee that no one would be tempted by the throne?

Only by quickly determining the heir to the throne and addressing this issue before the little ones started their own struggles could stability be brought to the royal family.

Only when the royal family was stable would the government and country be stable. For a monarchical country, what could kill it was not necessarily an external enemy but often those seemingly insignificant internal issues.

On April 30, 1928, after a brief preparation, Arthur held an investiture ceremony at Saint Arthur Castle and officially announced several new titles of nobility.

First was William, the heir to the throne, who was created Prince of New Zealand and Duke of Auckland by Arthur.

Auckland is the second-largest urban city in the State of North New Zealand and an important seaport city for the New Zealand Region.

The title of Duke of Auckland is definitely one of the higher titles in the entire Australasian aristocracy system, not to mention the added status of Prince of New Zealand.

However, compared to the title of Duke of Auckland, that of Prince of New Zealand is more of a nominal title.

According to the constitution revised by Arthur, the title of Prince of New Zealand is an honorary title that carries no territorial rights and has no jurisdiction over New Zealand.

But at the same time, the title of Prince of New Zealand shall be the statutory title of each heir to the throne, not hereditary, and can only be appointed by the King of Australasia.

Like the Prince of Wales in Britain, the Prince of New Zealand is more of a symbol of the heir to the throne, also elevating the status of the heir apparent.

But just as the Prince of Wales cannot govern Wales, so too can the Prince of New Zealand not govern New Zealand.

Even under the new aristocratic system of Australasia, William’s title of Duke of Auckland did not give him the power to manage and rule Auckland.

But his territorial title allowed him to receive 1% of Auckland city’s total fiscal revenue each year, which is the only privilege that distinguishes a titular title from an honorary one.

Besides this, Arthur also bestowed upon William thousands of acres of land on the Oakland Peninsula from Boto to Dagaville in the northern part of Auckland, which is the land he could actually control and engage in any legal activities, including building his own castle, developing his own economic projects, and so on.

William, having received various titles and territories, had now officially become a noble with land.

In the official documents of the Australasian Government, William’s complete title is: His Royal Highness Prince William, by the Grace of God, Prince of New Zealand, Duke of Auckland, and Earl of Boto and Dagaville.

Peter and George were also granted titles of nobility.

William, born in September 1909, had reached 18 years old. Peter and George were quite a bit younger, with Peter born in 1915, barely 13 years old now. The youngest, George, was born in 1919, not even 9 years old yet.

Arthur had intended to bestow their titles upon reaching adulthood, but upon reflection, he decided to do so now while conferring William’s titles and settle the previously undecided order of succession.

As the heir to the throne, William was a prince, which meant the remaining Peter and George could only be dukes.

Arthur showed no favoritism in this matter; he created Peter Duke of Darwin and George Duke of Albany, both mid-size urban cities with populations in the hundreds of thousands.

In terms of actual circumstances, the developmental potential of Auckland, Darwin, and Albany was not much different, nor was the population size, which also meant that the income they could derive from their titles wouldn’t differ much.

There was also a vast amount of land near Darwin and Albany, and Arthur likewise rewarded Peter and George with thousands of acres, and whether they could succeed in their endeavors was up to them.

These past few days, the news of the birth of one prince and two dukes in Australasia instantly became a hot topic of discussion among the people.

However, this was quite normal in a monarchical country, and nobody would oppose it. Most people felt envy and approval, as the royal family’s contributions had already been sufficient for them to enjoy days of prosperity and wealth.

After the investiture of the young ones, the most elite titles of prince and duke in the Australasian aristocracy system now had their occupants, making sure the entire system did not appear too thin.

But this could not deny the fact that being born in a monarchical country was everything. Titles of nobility, like duke, which commoners couldn’t reach in a lifetime, were given to William, Peter, and George, members of the royal family, from birth.

Having bestowed titles upon the young ones, Arthur shifted his focus back to the domestic cabinet elections, waiting for the new cabinet government to emerge.

The current population of Australasia had already surpassed 35 million people, the next steps to be taken by the government were extremely important.

The economic crisis could last for an unknown period, which also implies that Australasia’s prime time for development might not have much left.

If they could seize this opportunity, after the economic crisis, Australasia’s comprehensive strength could reach the top three in the world.

But if they fail to seize this chance, they may just have to wait and see if the upcoming wars bring about any changes.

For this reason, the current Australasian Government needs more new blood to create and enact more policies conducive to development, to propel the country forward.

After a preparation and election phase of over a month, the list of the seventh Australasian Cabinet Government was finally delivered to Arthur on June 11, 1928.

The electoral system of the Australasian Cabinet is evolving towards greater democracy, which has resulted in an increasing number of candidates for cabinet positions.

More candidates also mean higher difficulty in securing re-election since achieving sufficient political performance is not easy.

In the broader context of stable government development, most officers need to achieve enough political performance, which requires creating their own accomplishments.

Clearly, some in the government are rather conservative. They prefer not to make mistakes during their political careers, even if it means not achieving higher political performance, rather than making mistakes that could end their careers.

As these individuals stay longer in the Cabinet Government, it becomes conservative, losing the spirit of pioneering and innovation.

This is what Arthur does not want to see and is also why the Cabinet Government gradually has a lot of new blood joining.

The list for the seventh Cabinet Government saw significant changes compared to the sixth; many cabinet members did not succeed in being re-elected and had to leave the highest political stage reluctantly.

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However, they still have hope of competing for positions like governor or mayor. Compared to the Kingdom Government’s Cabinet, the competition for governor and mayor is relatively lower.

Especially in states and urban cities with smaller populations, having a luxurious resume from the Cabinet Government makes competing for governor or mayor not so difficult.

The aforesaid conservative officers are actually led by Prime Minister Roger.

It’s not that Prime Minister Roger is not good. In more peaceful times, facing a Monarch who maintains what has been achieved, Roger could be the best choice for Prime Minister, and might even result in a celebrated story between Monarch and Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, for present-day Australasia, it is more important to have a pioneering spirit for the country to develop better, and Arthur cannot be just a Monarch who maintains what has been achieved.

For this reason, the position of Prime Minister of the new Cabinet Government was taken by Raul Prange.

Compared to Prime Minister Roger, Raul Prange, coming from the Military, has a more radical attitude in some aspects, which aligns with Arthur’s expectations and plans.

After all, following the economic crisis, the world’s situation is likely to become more chaotic, and peace cannot be maintained for too long.

Looking at the current turmoil in Germany and the United States, Arthur would not be surprised if a war broke out this year, which is the real reason for a military man like Prime Minister Raul to take office.

Because this indicates that Arthur, in the next few years while maintaining the country’s normal development, will place more emphasis on the development of the military.

While the construction of national industry and economy is crucial, without corresponding military strength as a trump card, it could instead become prey in the eyes of other military powers.

Arthur naturally will not allow Australasia to become prey; therefore, he can only make Australasia a hunter in the forest, a predator in the world order.

With a military hardliner like Raul Prange in the Prime Minister’s position, it’s natural to choose a relatively conservative like Darren Watson for the Deputy Prime Minister’s position.

Deputy Prime Minister Darren has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1911, which is rather conservative compared to the military, at least not so radical, and is the best choice to placate the feelings of more conservative officers.

In political choices, balance is still essential. Although the tendency is to be more radical, Australasia must not become extreme.

The result of King William II being sidelined is still fresh in memory, and even with Arthur’s high prestige, he cannot allow the military’s power to grow unchecked.

Even if Arthur could control it, the future William or subsequent Monarchs might not be able to.

For a qualified Monarch, maintaining political balance is most crucial, even if it means sacrificing some benefits.

Making Darren the Deputy Prime Minister is also a signal to the slightly conservative faction, indicating that Arthur’s emphasis on the military and a radical attitude will not last too long.

After all, according to the unspoken rules of the Australasian Cabinet Government, the Minister of State, which is the Deputy Prime Minister, is very likely to be the Prime Minister of the next government.

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