Holy Roman Empire

Does the Minister of Economic Affairs not know about these issues?Obviously, this is impossible.How can he be a real idiot who can climb to such a high position?

It's just that sometimes it's rare to be confused, especially for politicians, pretending to be confused is a compulsory course.

Basically all the weird policies were born in this context.It looks funny on the surface, but there is often an invisible chain of interests hidden behind it.

It is the domestic industrial and commercial capitalists who need to implement trade protection. If you want to develop the economy, you must deal with these people. Once you come and go, everyone becomes your own.

Capitalists need to make money, and Elsa also needs political achievements.They are all beneficiaries of promoting trade protection policies.

Knowing that the reasons are untenable, Economic Minister Elsa still bit the bullet and argued: "Aren't there still Americans?

The United States of America is about to complete industrialization, and they are also victims of Anglo-Austrian dumping, and they urgently need to get rid of this shackle. "

Mentioning this cheating ally made everyone angry.In order to fund the independence of the Americans, France was throwing pots and selling iron. After the outbreak of the Anti-French War, the first major thing the US government did was to add insult to injury to France.

Of course, Napoleon III came back with revenge. During the Civil War, the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and Western countries pulled together and successfully split the United States.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Roy Vernon echoed: "The domestic economy is in dire straits, and coupled with a sharp drop in government revenue, our debt has reached a dangerous level.

Perhaps you have not noticed that now we are the government with the highest debt in the world, and we have to pay huge interest on funds every month.

If this situation does not change, maybe one day in the future, we will also go bankrupt. "

In France, where there was no war, the government debt actually exceeded that of the Russian Empire. You may not believe it, but this is an indisputable fact.

As the first country in the world to rely on government investment to stimulate its economy, France was in a fiscal deficit most of the time. Over time, the accumulated deficit became an astronomical sum.

In the short term, everyone's life has indeed improved, but this also overdraws the future.

Starting from the transformation of Paris in the era of Napoleon III, the government invested in infrastructure to stimulate the economy, and the French economy entered a golden age.

Originally, this model could continue for many years, but unfortunately, the British and Austrian countries attacked French finance not long ago, and the value of the franc once fell by one-third.

Then came the economic crisis, civil war, and a series of combined punches, which directly broke the French financial system, and the Paris government's financing ability declined.

In this context, the French government had to tighten its belt.

Napoleon IV nodded: "There is no way to withdraw from the free trade system. If the domestic economic situation improves, we can go back again.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must try its best to attract as many allies as possible to share the international pressure with us.

At the same time, we must do a good job of explaining, try our best to let everyone understand the difficulties we face, and reduce the hostility of the international community towards us. "

Withdrawing from the free trade system would offend Britain and Austria at worst, and be isolated diplomatically for a while.

Anyway, they are used to it, so if they want to be isolated, they should be isolated, and a piece of meat is indispensable.

If you continue to insist on staying in the free trade system, you will be sheared by others for a long time.

Maybe one day, Britain and Austria feel that the return rate of wool reduction is too low, so they start eating mutton directly.

The world is so wonderful. Driven by interests, France actually wants to stand with the guy he doesn't like.

Of course, compared with the "Sacrilege Alliance" back then, this is all child's play.

The United States of America is excluded because the Confederate States have done a good job in public relations and acted as a source of raw materials and dumping market for everyone with peace of mind. The great powers naturally welcome this kind of younger brother who can bring benefits and has a correct attitude.

In essence, everyone is still in the cultural circle, even if it is not pleasing to the eye, it is only because of interests, not to mention deep hatred.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Foreign Secretary Terrence Bulkin replied gloomily

Chapter 34 Political Isolation

On June 1883, 6, due to the impact of the economic crisis, the United States of America announced its withdrawal from the free trade system and implemented tariff barriers.

Before Britain and Austria reacted and took action, on June 1883, 6, the French government also announced its withdrawal from the free trade system.

Affected by this, the free trade system that Britain and Austria have painstakingly managed suddenly became precarious.

France is different from the United States. The latter has limited influence, and even if it withdraws from the free trade system, it will have little impact, but France is different.

As one of the three major countries in the world, the impact of the French government's withdrawal from the circle is undoubtedly huge.

After receiving the news, the Vienna government was naturally furious, and only harvested less than half. The leeks ran away so quickly, it is really...

Economy Minister Reinhard Haldergen: "Affected by the withdrawal of the two countries from the free trade system, the Vienna stock market plummeted by 5.00%, and the London stock market plummeted by [-]%.

The industries engaged in import and export trade were hit the hardest, with a general drop of more than 15.00%. The Austrian stock market evaporated 3.1 million Aegis overnight, and the British stock market evaporated 5.2 million Aegis.

Financial fluctuations are bound to affect the real industry.It happened so suddenly that domestic companies were not prepared.

Many companies that have trade relations with the two countries are preparing to lay off employees and reduce production capacity in response to the shock.

France is our third largest trading country. In the first half of this year, the total volume of import and export trade was as high as 6458 million Aegis. Due to the impact of tariff barriers, this figure may decrease by two-fifths in the second half of the year.

The United States of America is our seventh largest trading country. The total trade volume in the first half of this year was 1076 million Aegis, and it may decrease by one-third in the second half of the year.

The withdrawal of the two countries from the free trade system has not brought us much substantial impact, but the trouble is that it has caused panic in the market.

If there are other countries to follow up, the panic will be further amplified, and it may even induce another stock market crash.

The Ministry of Economy suggested immediate countermeasures to deter other countries and avoid the collapse of the free trade system. "

With the establishment of the free trade system, the capitalist world economy has become more and more closely linked, and the world economy has become affected by the whole body.

Trade protection is contagious. When everyone adopts trade barriers one after another, Britain and Austria, two big import and export countries, will become the biggest victims.

Countermeasures are necessary, but how to countermeasures has become a problem.

Foreign Secretary Weisenberg: "This is a big problem, but the British should be more anxious than us.

The United States and France have lost at least three times as much as we have in withdrawing from the free trade system.

In addition to raising tariffs against the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not recommend taking too many measures. It is best to wait for the London government to take action before we follow up. "

Counsel?

the answer is negative!

International politics is the most realistic, and it pays attention to the equality of benefits and contributions.Can't take the money for eating cabbage and run to fuck the heart of eating pork?

More importantly, apart from raising tariffs tit for tat, Austria really can't do anything to them.

After rubbing his forehead, Franz made a decision: "Stop the dumping strategy first, and if you continue like this, you will be outraged. The French want trade protection, so let them go!"

International competition also has advantages and disadvantages. It seems that the French economy has been impacted, but in recent years, France's technological progress is obvious to all.

If it continues, our technological first-mover advantage will soon be wiped out.They want to close the door and play by themselves, so let them do it.

The next task for the Foreign Office is to isolate them politically, making them an alternative that European countries are wary of. "

This is both self-comforting and factual.In international competition, in order to survive, French companies were forced to initiate technological innovations and made breakthroughs in many fields.

This is impossible in the era of trade barriers.It is difficult to generalize the pros and cons of it, but the French have withdrawn from the circle, which is very helpful in promoting political isolation.

Countries are similar to people. When everyone is in the same circle and you are alone outside the circle, you will naturally receive strange looks from others.

If someone provokes again, they will be isolated, even hostile.

It's easy to say that you don't care about other people's eyes.If you really do it, you will slowly find that it seems that the whole world is against you.

……

London

As the biggest beneficiary of the free trade system and the biggest victim of the French withdrawal, the British government naturally cannot ignore this happening.

Economy Secretary Cornell Borchers said somberly: "Our fledgling economy has been dealt another blow by the actions of the French and the Yankees.

The most frightening thing is that they have shaken the free trade system. If there is no way to eliminate the impact, more countries will withdraw because of their interests in the future. "

The United Kingdom was the first country to start playing free trade. In order to show sincerity to the outside world, they have unilaterally implemented free trade for a long time.

Of course, that was based on Britain's powerful industrial system.Before Fao completed its industrialization, Britain had more industry than the rest of the world combined.

Even if trade is opened up, everyone can only sell food and industrial raw materials to them. As for industrial and commercial products, they cannot be sold here at all.

It looks like there is a fair competition, but in fact there is no competition at all.It can be said that before the second revolution, British industry and commerce did not have enough weight in the world.

Foreign Secretary George proposed: "We can bring Austria together to impose trade sanctions on France and the United States.

The collapse of the free trade system will not only hurt our interests, but also Austria. The Vienna government should not refuse. "

Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Childers shook his head: "Unless the Royal Navy can blockade all the ports of France and the United States, I don't think the trade embargo will have any substantial effect.

Of course, we can keep their goods out of Britain.But changing a product label is really not technically difficult, and we can hardly recognize it.

I can guarantee that as a result of the embargo, there will be no effect other than a decrease in government revenue. "

There is no way, the integrity of the capitalists cannot stand the test.There is no way to monitor it from the source, just rely on everyone's self-consciousness, and you will know what the result will be if you think about it.

"What's the reaction of the Vienna government?" Prime Minister Gladstone asked.

Foreign Minister George shrugged: "Their response measures were very negative. Except for the tit-for-tat increase in import tariffs on the two countries, the Austrians remained silent.

It seems that the Vienna government's energy is all focused on the great cause of the demise of the Ottoman Empire, and it is not very interested in the withdrawal of the United States and France from the free trade system. "

"The demise of Ottoman" is another trouble. Without the buffer of the Ottoman Empire, the pressure on Britain in Persia will increase greatly.

Hearing the bad news, Gladstone frowned even tighter.After looking at the map, he said helplessly: "To restart the Anglo-Austrian negotiations, we need the Austrians to guarantee the safety of Persia.

As for the two unruly guys, the United States and France, write down this account first, and then settle it with them slowly when you have a chance.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs can formulate countermeasures other than the embargo, and can cooperate with the Austrians when necessary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to do a good job of stabilizing other countries. We must ensure the stability of the free trade system. "

Since the demise of the Ottoman Empire cannot be prevented, the next best thing is to ensure the safety of the Persian region first.

Not long ago, Britain and Austria had already discussed this issue, but the issue was temporarily shelved because of the lack of agreement on interests.

It can't be delayed now, and it will be even more detrimental to Britain to negotiate after the demise of the Ottoman Empire.

In contrast, the United States, which was still a child, and France, which was ambitious, were secondary problems.

Chapter 35 End of the Near East War

On July 1883, 7, the Russian army captured the Ottoman capital Ankara and captured Prime Minister Midhat alive. The Ottoman Empire officially declared its demise.

From Vienna to St. Petersburg, victory was in the air and celebrations continued.

In order to commemorate this great victory, Franz, who didn't like banquets, held a celebration banquet in person, and even wanted to have an ancestor worship event.

Anyway, traditions are meant to be broken, and the Holy See has declined these days, and has no ability to dictate.

Just thinking about the traditional funeral of the Habsburg family, Franz lost the heart of worshiping his ancestors.

After the death of members of the Habsburg dynasty, the bodies were buried in three places. The heart was placed in the Augustinian Church, the internal organs were stored in the Stephen's Cathedral, and the body was buried in the Royal Vault under the Capuchina Church.

Leaving aside anything else, it is a question of which one to choose among the three churches.You must know that these three have different symbolic meanings, and choosing any church will be interpreted politically by the outside world.

Franz, who was afraid of trouble, directly gave up this plan.

Generally speaking, the war in the Near East went smoothly.The only regret is that Abdul Hamid II is missing, making this victory look less than perfect.

However, this is only a small problem.Even if he escaped, Abdul Hamid II was powerless, and he didn't even dare to appear in public.

Exile is not something every monarch can do. The Ottoman emperor was not only a secular emperor, but also a religious leader.

Perhaps Franz, who is also the monarch, is not easy to kill, but when this kind of beating a dog in the water, the church will definitely not let go of the opportunity to increase its presence.

Affected by religious beliefs, even if the British government wants to do something, it is impossible to support the restoration of Abdul Hamid II.

No, it should be that there is no place to restore it.Once the population migration is completed, there will be no Ottomans on the land of the Ottoman Empire, and the place where there are Ottomans is not the Ottoman Empire.

……

Foreign Minister Weisenberg handed Franz a document, saying: "Your Majesty, this is a request from the Tsarist government regarding the distribution of the fruits of victory after the war.

It is roughly the area agreed before the war. At the same time, the Russians also proposed another plan. As long as we are willing to make cash compensation, they can give up some of the spoils of war. "

Hearing this news, Franz's first reaction was that he heard it wrong. The tsarist government actually gave up its greed for land?

He didn't accept this fact until he took over the documents and saw similar clauses.

Franz, who had seen the big wind and waves, naturally wouldn't be knocked out by this stuffed pie. After calming down, he asked, "Do you know the reason?"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carr replied: "Your Majesty, I think the problem comes down to finances.

According to the agreement, the Russians can get a small half of the Asia Minor peninsula, but because of the war, these areas have been turned into ruins.

In the short term, these areas will not see returns. Not only do they need to station troops to maintain local stability, but they also need to invest a lot of money for post-war reconstruction.

If the Tsarist government acquires these areas, it will increase the expenditure of at least 500 million Aegis every year, and it will be difficult to achieve a balance of payments within ten years.