Mediterranean Hegemony Road

Chapter 75, Turbulent Germany

Welcome, please remember the address of this site: , mobile phone reading, so that you can read the latest chapter of the novel "The Road to the Mediterranean Hegemony" at any time...

"Your Majesty, the British want us to withdraw our troops from Italy and let them take over!" Metev said.

"Sure enough, the interests are moving!"

Ferdinand sighed, and then made a decision: "Promise them, but the agreement we reached with the British consortium, the British government must fulfill for us!"

"But Your Majesty, should we give up such a big benefit?" Metev said hesitantly.

"The benefits are great, but unfortunately it is poisonous!" Ferdinand said

"Your Majesty, sociologists have analyzed that after the transfer of light industry, Britain and France are shifting domestic social conflicts by plundering Cameroon, and they have achieved results.

According to the data we collected, in the first half of 1924, the British domestic economy grew by 5% compared to the same period in 1923, which was a new high for them after the outbreak of the World War.

Capitalists have also loosened their grip on the working class following the shift in manufacturing, and average wages in London have risen by 5%!

At the same time, the UK's unemployment rate did not increase due to industrial transfer, but instead showed an uncharacteristic downward trend. This is the first time the UK's unemployed population has declined since the outbreak of the World War!

This is the exact opposite of what we guessed, and this time we are likely to be self-defeating! "Kennedy said worriedly.

"Don't worry, the social conflicts in the UK have indeed been passed on, but their economic growth is not normal.

Have you noticed that it is no longer industry that drives the rapid growth of the British economy, and now their economic growth is based on the prosperity of the stock market.

The so-called economic growth is nothing more than a bubble blown out, which will burst sooner or later! The world's factory has become a thing of the past, and now where are their new jobs?

Service industry, finance, insurance, real estate! These industries all have an Achilles heel, and there is no way to increase their hard power!

When the economy is prosperous, these industries will flourish. Once the economic crisis is encountered, after the bubble is punctured, it will be back to the prototype immediately! ' explained Ferdinand

"De-industrialization" brings not only harm, but also huge dividends. Otherwise, why would so many countries in later generations choose to "de-industrialize" one after another?

And this "bonus\

,"It can still be seen in the short term. The completion of deindustrialization will also trigger a new round of economic prosperity in the society!

Even if they hesitated about Ferdinand's butterfly effect, Britain and France de-industrialized ahead of schedule, but this dividend will still exist for a long time!

In theory, as long as Britain and France can control Italy and Germany forever, and the industrial capacity they have transferred out is also under their control, then this crisis will be suppressed to the lowest point.

The big deal is that after the outbreak of the economic crisis, they will industrialize again, and they can also directly upgrade their industries. They have done all these things in later generations, and they have done it very successfully!

Is "de-industrialization" the first occurrence?

Obviously not!

Otherwise, how did the French get the title of usury empire?

It’s just that the previous method of operation was different. In the past, it was hit by the financial industry, and capitalists reduced their investment in the real economy. This time it was an industrial transfer.

In 1903, the British engaged in manufacturing accounted for 47% of the British labor force; by 1923, the British engaged in manufacturing had dropped to 33%.

This downward trend is very obvious. Not only the United Kingdom, but all developed countries in the world, the proportion of the population engaged in manufacturing is showing a downward trend.

On the contrary, the proportion of the population engaged in the service industry is increasing year by year.

In 1903, the proportion of the British labor force engaged in the service industry was only 28%; by 1923, the proportion of the labor force in the British service industry had risen to 51%.

This ratio is not very high. Later, Ferdinand has also seen a country with more than 99% of the labor force engaged in the service industry. In any developed country in the future, the proportion of the labor force engaged in the service industry will not be less than 70%.

...

Establishing a foundry in Germany is a good thing for the Allies to kill two birds with one stone, but unfortunately the German trade union does not buy it!

Of course, they were very cooperative at first, but in 1925, Britain and France shut down a large number of domestic factories, and most of the production capacity was transferred to Germany and Italy.

The German trade unions jumped out. In order to protest against the plundering of them by Britain and France, they held a national general strike on April Fool's Day in 1925.

More than five million German workers, dissatisfied with wages, working conditions, and working hours, took to the streets to demonstrate. The capitalists, who had invested a lot of money, had to sit down and negotiate with them.

During the negotiations, the two sides quickly reached an impasse, with the capitalists only willing to pay the equivalent of 3.5 pounds a month, while the German unions demanded a high salary of 8 pounds a month.

At the same time, the German trade union insisted on the eight-hour work system and implemented a double-off system on weekends; while the capitalists required a ten-hour work day and a single-off system on weekends.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Bulgaria, and there is no Bulgarian capitalist who wants to invest and build a factory in Germany. Ferdinand is naturally watching the fun.

The treatment requirements put forward by the German trade unions are definitely impossible for the capitalists to meet. If they can be satisfied, they will not have to relocate their factories!

This wage standard for Germans was formulated with reference to the average wage level in London and Paris, which was the highest level in the world at that time.

I don't know where the confidence of the German guild comes from, thinking that the capitalists will agree to their conditions, or that they simply want to destroy!

You know, the average wage in Britain in 1923 was only £7.80 per month, and the wage in France was almost the same. The average salary in Bulgaria is only £7.60.

This salary is based on the fact that everyone works overtime. At that time, the average working hours of the working class in the three countries were between 56 and 66 hours per week.

British workers had the shortest overtime hours at 56 hours, while Bulgarian workers had the longest overtime hours of 66 hours.

Nominally everyone works an eight-hour workday, plus two-day breaks. In fact, it is necessary to work overtime. Under the pressure of life, everyone has to work overtime for overtime pay!

The conditions put forward by the German trade unions this time are completely out of touch with reality. The hourly wages they demand are already more than one-third of the British workers' wages and two-fifths of the Bulgarian workers' wages.

In fact, this gap will be even bigger. Everyone knows the average wage level. This data is not reliable at all. Compared with many industries, the working class is at a low wage level.

Their real income is one-third lower than the average, and many factory workers even earn less than half of the average.

After a delay of more than a month, the capitalists promised concessions and production resumed, just as the Germans prepared to celebrate the victory.

Britain and France suddenly sent troops to occupy the Ruhr industrial area, arrested the head of the trade union, forcibly dissolved the trade union, and put out the strike.

At this point, the German government knew it was in big trouble. When the German guild acted, the German government was also secretly supporting it, otherwise it would not have been so big, because one-third of the workers' wages would be used to repay debts.

The German government also hopes to improve the treatment of workers to ease the pressure on them to pay war reparations.

Before the strike, the wages of German workers were equivalent to only 3 pounds. After deducting the war reparations, they received only 2 pounds.

With this little money, they can't even live a normal life, which is why the strike is supported by so many people.

At present, the number of industrial workers in Germany working on behalf of the Allied countries has exceeded 8 million.

Based on a salary of £3 a month per person, the debt can be repaid at £8 million a month. According to this data, the German government will continue to work hard to repay the debt, which is far from enough to repay the debt every year.

If the monthly salary of 8 pounds per person can be repaid with 10,000 pounds per month, then the German government will not have to worry about debts, and they can develop the economy with peace of mind.

Obviously, the German government underestimated the determination of the capitalists to safeguard their own interests this time. According to the plan, they also planned to wait until the negotiations between the two sides reached a deadlock and the capitalists could no longer hold on, and then the German government would come forward to mediate the disputes between the two sides.

Everyone makes a step and raises the wage level of workers a little bit, but it is within the range of the capitalists, so everyone can accept it.

It is a pity that in the face of interests, the combat effectiveness of the capitalists is often overwhelming. They did not understand the intention of the German government at all, and directly used their influence to let the government send troops to occupy the Ruhr Industrial Zone.

"Your Majesty, the German government has invited us to mediate their conflict with Britain and France!" Metev said

"Tell the Germans to mediate, but this time we will only be neutral and will not favor any side!" Ferdinand said calmly

"Your Majesty, shouldn't we create a little trouble for Britain and France? If they use cheap labor to produce a large number of industrial products, our exports will also be affected!" Metev asked suspiciously.

"Do you think Britain and France will listen to us?

Since it is impossible to persuade Britain and France, why should it be useless?

Besides, do you think the German government can withstand the pressure of Britain and France?

The current British Empire is not the British Empire of the past! And the former mighty German Empire, now all that remains is a fragmented German Republic!

With a central government and 28 states under it, is the Weimar government still capable of controlling this country? ' asked Ferdinand.

Metev fell into contemplation, yes, Germany's internal problems are already very serious. The following states, after the end of the world war, decisively took advantage of the power struggle of the central government to grow and develop.

For their own benefit, the major kingdoms did not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity the French wanted to divide Germany, and obtained the military command power, personnel power, financial power and diplomatic power.

In addition to not yet proclaiming independence, in essence, they are already independent kingdoms.

When paying the war reparations, didn't you see that the major kingdoms settled with the Allied countries individually?

Now that the German central government cannot pay the war reparations owed to the Allied Powers, while the major kingdoms are watching the show, how can there be no contradictions within Germany under such circumstances? How long can the unity of the German government last?

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the Weimar government won't last long?" Metev said hesitantly.

Ferdinand nodded, there is no harm if there is no comparison. If Germany's economy is the same, everyone will turn their hatred on the Allies.

Now the days of several kingdoms are not bad, and the economies of other small countries are also barely passable. However, the central government's direct jurisdiction has a rotten economy.

Under such circumstances, the people of course have to doubt the government's ability to govern. Originally, the Weimar government's ability to govern was rotten, but after a comparison, it becomes even worse!

The lies of democracy and freedom have been smashed. High welfare is more like a castle in the air. Except for high-level public officials and capitalists, it has nothing to do with ordinary people.

You must know that the Prussian region has always been the most economically developed region in Germany, and the living standards of the people have always been much higher than those of other states. Now this situation has reversed. Can they accept this gap?

The revolution has not yet broken out, which means that the Germans have enough patience. If it were left in France, the revolution would have already occurred, but it will be soon.

"This problem, let the British have a headache! If they don't want Germany to split, they should take action!

For us, either the restoration of the Kaiser or the annexation of Germany by the French is acceptable! ' Ferdinand thought for a while and said

"Your Majesty, it's okay to say that the Kaiser is restored. It's not easy for them to reunite Germany. Even if Germany is really unified, the threat to us is very limited.

But if the French annexed the German region, there would be a behemoth on the European continent, which is also a serious threat to us! "Metev said cautiously.

"It's not that simple, the British will not let the French succeed! We also need the French to attract the attention of the British. With the strength of the French, even if they really occupy Germany, they want to digest the German region, at least It will take decades!

They have to get these more than 60 million Germans away first, or prepare to choke to death! Do you think the French government has this executive power? ' said Ferdinand with a smile.

Speaking of executive power, the French government is a joke. Whether it is Tunisia, Algeria, or Morocco, France has the opportunity to turn these regions into their homeland and completely digest them!

But the result? A plan is always a plan. The huge capital investment has discouraged the French. Now, they have not been able to suppress the uprising in Morocco.

I really don't blame the French government for this problem, just look at the speed at which they change cabinets.

How many French governments have they been able to expire? Under normal circumstances, the average term of the French cabinet is less than two years. In such a short period of time, how do you ask them to implement a national policy that requires decades of long-term investment without seeing a return?

Ferdinand knew that it was not that these politicians were short-sighted and could not see the future direction of the country, but the impetuous French society forced them to choose quick success to please voters!

Germany

After Britain and France occupied the Ruhr industrial zone, the German government launched active diplomatic actions. In addition to inviting Bulgaria to participate in mediation, they also conducted diplomatic activities in European countries in an attempt to gain everyone's sympathy.

At the same time, the German delegation also secretly arrived in London and had secret talks with the British, who were trying to gain British support.

Although the British and French forces sent troops to occupy the Ruhr area together, they knew who was their real enemy now.

The purpose of the British this time is very simple, just for economic interests, occupying the Ruhr industrial zone to suppress the strike, that is their interests have been damaged, and the purpose of the French is difficult to say.

Had it not been for the strong opposition of the British, the French would have annexed the Ruhr region long after the World War.

...

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like