Chapter 343: The Frenchman Who Is Good At Learning
Chapter 333: The French who are good at learning
The British were not the only ones affected by the cotton crisis, the French were also having a bad time. As a big country that had completed industrialization, the French also had a very high demand for cotton.
Cotton textile industry is also an important part of the French economy, and Napoleon III, who valued the development of the domestic economy, naturally could not ignore this problem.
After seeing the Austrians in Africa to promote the success of cotton planting, Napoleon III also up to follow suit, and even the place has been selected.
In Versailles Palace, colonial minister Stern said, “Your Majesty, our colony in West Africa lacks enough immigrants, and it is very difficult to promote cotton planting.”
Cotton is a labor-intensive industry, especially when it comes to harvesting, it requires a lot of manpower.
The population of France was growing at a rate that was slower than a snail’s advance, almost as if it was standing still. If we were to organize immigration from the country to develop the continent, we might as well have negative growth in the native population.
This is obviously impossible, population decline will lead to a shortage of labor, will inevitably cause labor costs to rise, the domestic capitalists certainly can not tolerate.
Napoleon III asked, “If we introduce preferential policies to absorb immigrants in the European region, can we solve this problem?”
“Your Majesty, most of the immigrants leaving Europe every year are from the German region. Since Austria opened up its African colonies, most of these immigrants have entered the Austrian colonies.
From 1854 to the present, in just seven years, Austrian Africa has absorbed more than one million four hundred thousand immigrants.
With this group of immigrants, the development of Austrian Africa was much faster than that of any other region in the continent. With their banner of recreating Germany’s second home, it’s hard for us to compete with him.”
Foreign Minister Auvergne directly broke Napoleon III’s illusion, since the beginning of the 19th century, the German region was the most important place of immigration in Europe, occupying half of the European immigrants.
This was closely followed by the Irish region, the Italian region, and the southern European region. The Irish region, needless to say, had passed the peak of immigration.
Southern Europe is the Austrian base, even if it is emigration, everyone is going to the better developed Austrian colonies.
Because of the French invasion of the Kingdom of Sardinia, caused the Italian region of the people’s resistance, very few immigrants to go to French Africa.
Napoleon III nodded, this was an undeniable fact. With insufficient population resources, it was naturally difficult to engage in overseas colonization.
This little difficulty did not deter Napoleon III, but rather inspired his ambition to annex the Italian region. Napoleon’s family came from the Italian region and had a special feeling for Italy.
It was the dream of many people to return home, and Napoleon III was no exception. Going back as the Emperor of France was certainly illustrious. It would be even more perfect if he was also the King of Italy.
Minister of Finance Pelissis spoke up, “Your Majesty, if you want to solve the labor shortage in Africa, it is not without a solution.”
Napoleon III asked joyfully, “Oh, tell me, what good solution do you have?”
Pelissis proposed, “Your Majesty, as far as I know Austria’s earliest immigrants at the beginning of the opening of the African colonies were refugees from the Balkans.
Now there are no more refugees, but we can still find a way to solve the problem of lack of immigrants from the Balkans.”
The Balkan Peninsula colony was also considered the best developed of the French colonies, and after so many years of recovery, the population of the French Balkan Peninsula had reached 3.8 million.
Only because of the geographic location close to Russia and Austria, facing very high military pressure.
Russia and Austria are secretly stabbing them, the local people often riot, the French in the local rule is very difficult.
Previously, the French government also proposed to sell the French Balkans, just keep the Dardanelles can be.
Unfortunately, it was hard to find a buyer in the international arena; the British didn’t want to be neighbors with Russia and Austria on land, the Russians didn’t have the money and couldn’t afford to buy it, and Franz suspected that the French were asking for too much and that it would be easy to cause a backlash from the Russians.
After a roundabout way, the colony ended up in the hands of the French. The French government stationed 80,000 troops in the Balkans in order to hold on to this rich and glittering colony.
The huge military expenses offset the French government’s gains from the Balkans. This piece of land, which looked delicious, actually turned into chicken ribs a long time ago.
Napoleon III said with some hesitation, “The Balkan Peninsula is a tough people, and the Russians are importing Great Slavism, so I’m afraid the locals won’t be willing to go to the colony.”
This is also the French government’s colonization strategy mistakes, neither the first time to carry out the great cleansing, but also did not send immigrants to the Balkan Peninsula for national integration.
If there was no external intervention, then with France’s past experience, ruling the Balkans would not have been a problem.
Unfortunately, the two neighbors, Russia and Austria, were not easy to deal with, and the two countries were allies, so the French colonial government had a hard time.
It is good that everyone is an imperial state, did not export what national republican ideas, otherwise the French have more trouble.
Now the most popular in the French Balkans is the Great Slavism. Originally Franz was also ready to play with cultural output, the cruel reality told him that Germanic culture really has no market here.
Minister of Finance Pelissis said chestily, “We can impose a poll tax and then introduce preferential immigration policies. All we need is cheap labor, and we don’t need local intellectuals.
For the sake of the stability of the colony, we can first carry out a major purge to get rid of all the local hardcore elements, and then slowly organize immigration.
Now is the best chance, Alexander II is fighting with the domestic nobles and has no time to interfere with us.
The Austrians likewise dislike Great Slavism, and the Vienna government will not intervene if we suppress these crooked ideas.”
Each had a different starting point, and land power countries see things differently than sea power countries. Initially everyone was dismissive of Austria’s colonial policy.
By now, the mere fact that a cotton was self-sufficient made the French, who were also land powers, understand what Austria was doing.
Vigorous organization of immigrants to open up colonies, although the cost is a little higher, but the control of the colony is also strengthened, but also to provide raw materials and markets for domestic industrial production.
The French originally to the African colonies is direct control, want to digest North Africa, Austria’s approach opened up new ideas to them.
The Balkan population had a very low literacy rate, and if not for the Near East wars, these people would still be serfs and would have no cultural traditions to speak of.
If it was to develop industry, these people were inferior laborers, if it was to develop primary agriculture, these people became quality laborers again.
Because of the cognitive relationship, hiring these people only need to pay wages according to the Balkan salary, less than half of the French salary level, to make them work hard.
Because of the lack of cultural heritage, they don’t even know what kind of people they are, and after entering the French colonies, it won’t take long for these people to become French.
Previously, the group of refugees organized by Austria is a case in point. After only a few years in the African colonies, they were initially Germanized.
Even if there are still differences in speech and behavior, but these people are all Austrians call themselves Austrians, still afraid of not being able to integrate?
Napoleon III made a decision: “Then let’s try it first, and order the governor in the Balkans, to carry out a great purge, to get rid of all our enemies and potential enemies.
I remember when the Austrians annexed the Austrian Balkans, they turned one-tenth of the local people into hard labor to get the current stability, we can follow suit.”
Having said that, Napoleon III still had some secret regret.
The Kingdom of Sardinia hadn’t been eaten yet, or else there would have been even more areas that could provide for immigration.
However, the Italian region is different from the Balkans, there is a complete cultural heritage. The influence in the world is also much greater, and it is not possible to act rashly.
5-1=4, still owe 4 chapters to Woolly Bear on the Volga
(End of chapter)