Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

“On June 20, 1878, when Bismarck, Prime Minister of the German Empire, met with British Prime Minister Creston, he first mentioned the two people’s 20-year deal, and then expressed his views on the Anglo-Dutch dispute in front of everyone. Prime ministers or presidents of other countries advised the British Prime Minister in person that "this is not a time for war."

With these words alone, Bismarck won the moral high ground for the German Empire and quickly gained recognition from all member states.

Interestingly, the press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the German Empire did not mention this at all.

In addition to diplomatic rhetoric to win face, the German Empire actually strengthened economic and trade exchanges with Britain.

Last month, it conducted naval exercises with the United Kingdom in the northwest Indian Ocean, and the two sides visited each other in the German Empire's Somalia and the British Maldives, which was a huge breakthrough.

Since the Anglo-Dutch Far East conflict broke out in 1877, the German Empire's imports from the United Kingdom have increased by 2.5 times. Before the conflict in the Malacca Strait of the Anglo-Dutch Far East, the German Empire's total imports from the United Kingdom accounted for about 6% of the total imports. Now it has soared to 15%.

Similarly, the German Empire also showed balancing skills in dealing with the Dutch issue.

Before the Prime Minister (President) Summit organized by the International Tribunal in The Hague, Bismarck, the Prime Minister of the German Empire, took the lead in traveling to the Far East to visit Melbourne, the capital of the Netherlands, in late May. The two sides also reached an agreement on the German Empire's import of Dutch second-generation submarines. The Netherlands even tried to win over the German Empire. It also sold second-generation submarine technology to the German Empire, which was obviously a deliberate attempt to make the results of the meeting between the two parties public.

Creston had allied with the Netherlands many times, Germany and France. Germany and the Netherlands fell into a low point due to the proxy conflict over the use of German and Dutch people to seize the influence of the United States. The two countries even had conflicts in Europe because of this. Chen Bing confronts.

Therefore, the outside world paid great attention to whether Gerrit de Vries and Creston took the opportunity to meet in The Hague. However, until the end of the meeting, neither party confirmed nor denied whether there would be an off-site bilateral meeting, which whetted the appetite of the outside world. .

Both of them coincidentally missed the Prime Minister's dinner on June 19, which aroused speculation from the outside world.

Prime Minister Gerrit de Vries and Creston stood next to each other at the summit press conference, but they were extremely cold. In the end, the two men did not hold public bilateral talks.

The public indifference of the British and Dutch Prime Ministers is in line with everyone's previous speculation that the two sides will "resolve disputes first before normal relations" to avoid doubts in their respective countries, especially as the elections in their respective countries are approaching, fearing a backlash in public opinion and a lack of confidence in their respective countries. It is useless in the election of political parties.

But the British and Dutch Prime Ministers can now talk face to face in the same conference room, and the hatred value is still reduced a lot.

In fact, the current Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, Granville Gower, earlier publicly mentioned that Britain and the Netherlands can achieve peace in the Indian Ocean only by working together, which is also setting up an atmosphere that will help ease relations.

Since the German Empire and the Second French Empire have just become new members of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the international influence of this organization will increase. The German Empire, which currently replaces the French Empire as the hegemon in Central and Western Europe, will also have an international influence. Increased force.

On the one hand, the German Empire had to deal with the different expectations it had with other members of the organization. On the other hand, the German Empire also had to reconcile itself between the great powers of Britain, the Netherlands, France, Russia, and the twin Austrians (Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans). It is quite interesting how the German Empire continued to wander in mutually exclusive group-politics. "

On June 21, 1878, Hugh Smith, the top university in the British Empire, President of the University of Cambridge and Dean of the Institute of Political Science, published his own views on the Prime Ministerial Summit organized by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the influential European newspaper "European Times" , immediately attracted the attention of many people.

In particular, views on Anglo-Dutch relations have triggered speculation about the British domestic attitude towards the conflict in the Malacca Strait between Britain and the Netherlands.

Hugh Smith, president of the University of Cambridge and dean of the School of Political Science, is not expressing his position publicly within the British government.

In short, this is the first time that someone in the UK has expressed relevant views in a systematic and targeted manner since the Rocca Strait dispute in 1876. This shows that the UK seems to have begun to change its previous response model.

Far Eastern Kingdom of the Netherlands, Australia, New South Wales, University of Sydney.

"Teacher, are modernization and modernism the same?"

"No, modernization and modernism are two different things. Modernization is first of all a social academic term, used to describe a series of complex changes that have occurred in the process of a community moving from backwardness to modernity. Modernization began with traditional societies based on agriculture and farmers, and the population The vast majority work the land to produce the food they need."

"Then teacher, what is the end point of modernization?"

"The end point of modernization is urbanization and industrialization of modern society. Most people make a living in towns and factories. Most European economists believe that there will be about 30 to 40 changes first, and these changes will interact with each other. Each is an integral part of the entire process of change, and today, industrialization and industrial-ge-revolution are often seen as crucial parts and stages in the modernization process.

Since the emergence of agriculture, alchemy and towns in the Neolithic Age, no change has had such a profound impact on human life as the advent of industrialization. "

"Teacher, which country was the first to industrialize? Was it the United Kingdom?"

"It is generally agreed that the earliest industrialized Britain was rather certain parts of the country, such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Black Country, Tyneside, Clydebank and South Wales, and industrialization soon followed. Spread to continental Europe, especially those areas located in or near the great coalfields of Belgium, the Ruhr and Silesia.

The impact of modernization has seen these industrial concentration areas continue to spread, first to various ports, then to important cities, and eventually throughout the entire country stimulated by industrialization.

Modernization has never stopped, and its impact has changed the face of Europe at different levels. "

“Modernization only in Europe?”

“No, modernization had already spread beyond Europe decades ago.”

"Teacher, how to expand?"

“Either it is the result of imperial economies spreading overseas colonies, or it is local initiatives whose impact is seen as ‘Europeanisation’”

"Teacher, if this makes modernization very confusing, how can we distinguish between these pre-modernizing countries and post-modernizing countries?"

"There is a natural difference. Modernization is not only the focus of the world economic system, but also the difference between developed and developing countries."

"Teacher, who is a developed country and who is a developing country?"