Chapter 2310 Between Germany and France II
And as a politician, every important thing you do will be recorded! If you later find that your strategy or measures are inappropriate, then you may be liquidated! Therefore, a real politician should either not do it, or do what he is most sure of, especially not doing things that negate himself. This is very fatal to a politician's political life!
Therefore, from this point of view, Ruprecht has pushed forward the easing of Franco-German relations to this level under pressure from all sides. From the perspective of the crown prince himself, he will not easily change course. And considering the crown prince's status in Germany, it is not easy for Germany to deny what the crown prince has done before. This also gave the French a sense of security to some extent.
Of course, at the same time, Ruprecht also gave the French a dangerous hint, that is, now he is presiding over the negotiations between the Allies and the Allies, and the conditions he has given are already the most favorable. Make sense, let this negotiation come back without success, or if the German side changes to a person to preside over the negotiations between Germany and France, then the conditions will definitely not be the same as they are today! There are people in Germany who are hostile to France, and now France really can't resist Germany!
Therefore, Ruprecht's meaning is very clear, that is, while you are in charge of the negotiations now, while you are still patient with the French, the Germans take care of your emotions, so just make do with it. Otherwise, once the political wind in Germany changes, or Ruprecht himself can't stand it anymore, then maybe the crown prince will be criticized for what he did, but the French will definitely be worse!
"I can understand the goodwill released by your Excellency, and I also know the significance of the change of relations between France and Germany to the two countries. But this matter is of great importance after all, and I cannot decide alone, but I can guarantee that I will stand on the side of justice I conveyed your words to our government." Clemenceau's attitude finally softened.
"Okay, let's talk about the second question. Of course, this question is based on the reconciliation of the relationship between the two countries. The emperor Napoleon of your country also did this, that is, the tariff established by Napoleon in the early 19th century. The purpose of the alliance is to reduce tariffs, open up raw materials, and conduct free trade." Ruprecht thought for a while and said.
"So, last time it was dominated by France, and this time it will be dominated by Germany?" Clemenceau said, frowning. Because in his opinion, the crown prince's suggestion now made him feel a bit unexpected! Because if you look at it from a neutral point of view, this policy is good for France!
Not to mention anything else, just talk about steel and raw materials! There are many reasons why France's coal and iron production is so much lower than Germany's. In addition to the fact that the industry is already a bit behind, more importantly, the French lack coal and iron ore. France does not lack iron ore, but Iron deficiency after losing Alsace and Lorraine.... During the war, the British had to provide France with 18 million tons of coal mines every year to ensure the normal operation of France! Therefore, if France wants to develop the steel industry, both iron ore and coal must be imported! Just like de Gaulle's description of France in history, the competition in World War I was coal, and France did not have coal. The Second World War was about oil, and France had no oil!
So for France, coal and iron are necessities and need to be imported in large quantities! In peacetime, whether the French are willing or not, they have to import coal and iron from Germany and Britain. But now, as the relationship between Britain and France has dropped to a freezing point, the possibility of the British providing coal is greatly reduced. And the most economical choice is naturally to import coal, iron and oil from Germany! It is meaningless for the French to increase tariffs on coal, iron and oil, because the tariffs will eventually be passed on to French industrial products.
Instead, it makes French products less competitive.
And if the French accept the German's proposal to establish a customs union, not only can they obtain a large amount of raw materials cheaply, but also it will become easier for a large number of French products to enter Germany. After all, the plan proposed by the crown prince is mutual. Jointly control tariffs! This is of great benefit to France, so well, now the question is, why did the Germans insist on proposing this plan that is of great benefit to France? Clemenceau couldn't figure it out!
"I don't understand. You should know that although France is not as good as Germany in terms of overall industrial scale, we are not weaker than you in terms of technology. It is just because we lack sufficient raw materials and markets that lead to The French industry has shrunk. After all, France has only a population of more than 40 million, which is less than 70% of that of Germany. The French market has already been occupied by its own products. Lowering tariffs and opening up the market will not bring you any benefits. On the contrary Instead, French luxury goods, clothing, and agricultural products will enter the German market." Clemenceau thought for a while and said.
Of course, on this issue, Clemenceau’s statement is a bit optimistic. France is still inferior to Germany in terms of machinery industry, and Germany has a huge advantage in the chemical industry and electric power developed in the second industrial revolution. , But in this world, it has never been that if your things are good, they will sell well. The French representative was right about one thing, that is, it is not easy for German products to enter the saturated French market, but it is easier for French products to enter the German market. The reason is simple. The German territory has doubled and the population has increased by at least 4,000 Ten thousand! The Germans need too many industrial products to develop themselves!
"Your Excellency has always considered this issue from the perspective of capitalists. You like monopoly and like to hold the market firmly in your own hands like enclosure, but doing so is not good for the country. Monopoly will weaken competition and thus restrict the country. The vitality of production. They will obtain excess profits, which will lead to excessive concentration of wealth, affect the purchasing power of the grassroots, and eventually lead to economic crisis. Therefore, from the perspective of the country, we need to regulate production, and the introduction of foreign enterprises to compete is One of our control measures. Of course, this is based on the fact that our market is large enough." Ruprecht said.
"You should understand what I have done before. In addition to building a powerful Bavarian army, another thing I have done is to take away a large number of orders from Krupp, Rheinmetall, and Siemens! This has filled the entire Germany with Vitality!"
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