Hecatee
Donor
The first world war had ended with the victory of the western Allies and their friends, with the exception of Russia who had fallen into an awful civil war.
The price of victory had been horrendous, and many were saying it may never again happen. Malcontents rose everywhere, with new ideologies to direct their actions.
But beside the anger of the mass their was also a lot of resentment between nations. Two countries in particular felt that they had not received proper compensation for their contribution to the war : Italy and Japan.
The first felt it had not gained enough after the war, the second was angered by racial prejudices, especially in the US, and the limitations imposed on its fleet by the Washington treaty.
In Italy the anger led to the birth of a new political force, the fascists, with Benito Mussolini at their head. In 1922 he succeeded in taking control of the country, instating an increasingly authoritarian regime, with the goal of rebuilding Italy's economy and prestige.
In Japan, right wing movements led by army officers progressively took power, in a process that would see attempts at assassination and coup attempt multiply.
Of course the disastrous economic crisis of 1929 delt savages hits to both countries, further reinforcing nationalistic and right-wing philosophies.
During this period the two nations would share more than common troubles, thanks to the actions of a man, Giovanni Vacca.
Vacca was born in 1872 and had begun his career as a mathematician, being assistant to the famous professor Peano in Turin. He was also interested in philosophy, translating parts of Leibnitz's papers in 1899 and, from 1898 onward, in China.
The man was also a known socialist, elected to the city council of his native Genoa in 1902 while teaching mathematics at the local university.
His passion for the far-eastern culture will lead him to undertake in 1907 a five years long* visit to China, a place where he'll encounter Japanese people who intrigue him, being representative of the first Asian country to ever decisively beat an European power. Having learned Chinese in Europe before leaving, he now learns the Japanese language and decide to cross the sea to discover the land.
Coming back to Italy in 1912, he obtain a position to teach Chinese and Japanese literature at the university of Rome before taking the chair formerly held by his teacher in Firenze.
In the later 1922 Vacca is introduced to Italo Balbo, a young man well introduced in the Firenzian establishment, for he his a war hero and well connected in the Fascist party. Speaking together Vacca will tell Balbo about what he saw in Japan ten years earlier, saying he would have liked to see such an industrious Italy instead of the poor country they both live in...
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POD : Vacca actually spent but 2 years in the Far East, and only in China (mostly in Chengdu). As far as I know he was not really implicated in the fascist regime but held a university position in Rome from 1924 until 1947, which probably means his socialist view dimmed with time.
The price of victory had been horrendous, and many were saying it may never again happen. Malcontents rose everywhere, with new ideologies to direct their actions.
But beside the anger of the mass their was also a lot of resentment between nations. Two countries in particular felt that they had not received proper compensation for their contribution to the war : Italy and Japan.
The first felt it had not gained enough after the war, the second was angered by racial prejudices, especially in the US, and the limitations imposed on its fleet by the Washington treaty.
In Italy the anger led to the birth of a new political force, the fascists, with Benito Mussolini at their head. In 1922 he succeeded in taking control of the country, instating an increasingly authoritarian regime, with the goal of rebuilding Italy's economy and prestige.
In Japan, right wing movements led by army officers progressively took power, in a process that would see attempts at assassination and coup attempt multiply.
Of course the disastrous economic crisis of 1929 delt savages hits to both countries, further reinforcing nationalistic and right-wing philosophies.
During this period the two nations would share more than common troubles, thanks to the actions of a man, Giovanni Vacca.
Vacca was born in 1872 and had begun his career as a mathematician, being assistant to the famous professor Peano in Turin. He was also interested in philosophy, translating parts of Leibnitz's papers in 1899 and, from 1898 onward, in China.
The man was also a known socialist, elected to the city council of his native Genoa in 1902 while teaching mathematics at the local university.
His passion for the far-eastern culture will lead him to undertake in 1907 a five years long* visit to China, a place where he'll encounter Japanese people who intrigue him, being representative of the first Asian country to ever decisively beat an European power. Having learned Chinese in Europe before leaving, he now learns the Japanese language and decide to cross the sea to discover the land.
Coming back to Italy in 1912, he obtain a position to teach Chinese and Japanese literature at the university of Rome before taking the chair formerly held by his teacher in Firenze.
In the later 1922 Vacca is introduced to Italo Balbo, a young man well introduced in the Firenzian establishment, for he his a war hero and well connected in the Fascist party. Speaking together Vacca will tell Balbo about what he saw in Japan ten years earlier, saying he would have liked to see such an industrious Italy instead of the poor country they both live in...
--
POD : Vacca actually spent but 2 years in the Far East, and only in China (mostly in Chengdu). As far as I know he was not really implicated in the fascist regime but held a university position in Rome from 1924 until 1947, which probably means his socialist view dimmed with time.
count me in!
