Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

"The development of Germany and the United States does not mean that we in the Netherlands are not moving forward. I think on the contrary. Their development actually represents more opportunities and new markets in this industry."

"Also, it doesn't mean we are standing still."

“The nature of our leadership role in the Netherlands needs to adapt to the development requirements of the times. Just like this time I made this report on the King’s Speech to the Dutch Parliament.

I feel like I could be drinking tea in the room with President Garfield of the United States and President Manuel Gonzalez of Mexico and discussing the problems of the world.

Of course, gone are the days in Europe when Bismarck, Queen Victoria and Franz Joseph I discussed the carving up of European territories, and George IV and Napoleon I discussed carving up European territories and world colonies. "

"Although I would like to treat Presidents Garfield and Manuel to drink some strong brandy, I still need to wait until the Mexican War is over before I can drink it freely."

William IV's confidence infected all the MPs and officials present, and the atmosphere was very relaxed, as if what he just talked about was not a war, but a game.

"Our shared leadership with our global allies in the 1880s requires us to forge new partnerships, adapt to new circumstances, and adjust ourselves to new times."

"First let's talk about our leadership role in the economy"

"Although Adam Smith passed away in 1790, his core insights in the economic field still seem to be very correct. As far as I know, America was the great founder of the financial structure and the first Treasury Secretary in the past 100 years. Alexander Hamilton, the minister and governor of the Central Bank, also learned how to govern the country and economy from "The Wealth of Nations" written by Adam Smith. This is a book that I have been studying for 20 years and still continue to study and test. Books that I’m still researching.”

Everyone present was silent.

Adam Smith was born in Fife, Scotland in 1723. He graduated from Oxford University in 1745. He was a British economist, philosopher, and writer. He was also called the father of economics in the United Kingdom and Europe.

He early expressed his views on economic freedom and spent nine years completing "The Wealth of Nations". The appearance of this book represented the official birth of classical liberal economics and was the originator of classical economics.

It was also because of his existence that he brought out a large number of scholars and officials of the liberal economics school in London, which coincided with the advent of the steam era. Times made heroes, and the open British economy, which complemented each other, flourished, and later became the most powerful economy in the world. nation.

Therefore, it is not false to say that Adam Smith's status in the British economic circle is unparalleled.

When he mentioned him as an Englishman to William IV, he couldn't help but show respect.

"The core of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" is correct. A free enterprise system that can fully unleash the individual potential of men and women is the most powerful engine that brings wealth and innovation.

It was it that sparked the Industrial Revolution in the factories of Manchester, England. It was also he who initiated the development of emerging cities in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the 1860s, and now Sydney, Melbourne, Brosbane, Adelaide, Perth, Wellington, Jakarta, Darwin and other emerging cities in the Netherlands. The dawn of a prosperous economy.

This is also the reason why countries such as Germany, the United States, and Japan are developing so fiercely now. They are moving intermittently towards the market-oriented principles that the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France have always promoted. "

“In other words, our current economic behavior in the world as the Netherlands is basically a result of our own actions. Today, free-thinking, forward-looking countries are in an advantageous position to compete for the best jobs and industries. Countries have secured markets for their citizens, and these countries also have the most creative, innovative and entrepreneurial citizens.”

As soon as William IV finished speaking, the audience burst into applause.

The Netherlands is currently unique in the world in terms of cutting-edge technologies in the latest electrical industry era.

Based on what His Majesty William IV just said, the Netherlands also has those things that are the results of having the latter.

“These are an inherent advantage that the Netherlands enjoys because we lead the world with our full investment in scientific research and cutting-edge research, and in absorbing other technologies from global countries that are open to new technologies.

From Newton and Darwin in the UK to Edison in the Netherlands in the current electrical age, we in the Netherlands now have the best institutions of higher learning on the planet so that our citizens can get the best education and our workers can get training.”

William IV took a sip of warm water from the cup beside him and said seriously:

"But we are still in an increasingly competitive world and to maintain this advantage we must invest more in science and engineering and at a national level promote the workforce in remote areas such as the Dutch East Indies in Africa. The army will improve their skills and increase the salary of the Dutch labor force, so that our country will be more prosperous and stronger."

"The New Netherlanders, including the indigenous people of Africa and the Far East, are in the Netherlands. The Netherlands currently has about 62.3 million people. This is a huge base. If it is used well, the population will be more powerful than the German Empire with almost the same number. If it is not used well, Internal unrest is also a real possibility."

“So economics and politics are inseparable, they are one.”

William IV shot at the scene with burning eyes.

"We understand what it means to fight evil in the world. If we had not had four naval battles with Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries, and our strength had become weaker as a result, the Netherlands, as the European financial center and the headquarters of the East India Company, would not have been weakened because of this. Countries cooperated with Britain to weaken the power of our sea coachmen, and then almost destroyed the country. All our loans to various countries were wiped out, and the interest and principal on the loans for many years were all lost."

“This is the bloody treatment our country faced after losing the war. We cannot repeat the same mistakes, because the war with Britain more than 100 years ago weakened us at that time, and then we were occupied and destroyed by the French Republic in 1795.

Our global colonial system is gradually disintegrating due to local occupation.

The kingdom was established in 1806 under the rule of Napoleon I's younger brother, but was later incorporated into France by Napoleon I in 1810. "

“It wasn’t until the defeat of Napoleon I in 1814 that our Orange-Nassau family stood up and re-established the authentic Kingdom of the Netherlands, including the Dutch mainland and colonies, Belgium and Luxembourg, at the expense of colonial South Africa.

In 1830, because it was too weak, the British forced Belgium to separate and establish the Kingdom of Belgium. The territory of the Netherlands was almost halved."

"If you are weak, you will be beaten! This is the power politics of the 19th century and the law of the forest that has existed since ancient times, so we cannot become weak."