Chapter 633: The Paris Conference on the Verge of Bankruptcy

  Chapter 619 The Paris Conference on the verge of bankruptcy

As the world’s largest import and export trading nation, Britain could be said to be the biggest victim of this economic crisis.

The strikes at home hadn’t yet subsided, and then they encountered a shrinking international market, leading to a rapid decline in exports, a sharp rise in unemployment, and a worsening of social tensions.

In order to calm domestic conflicts and divert public attention, the British Parliament decided to hold an early general election.

Undoubtedly, the Liberal Party led by Gholston lost the election and was replaced by the Conservative Party led by Benjamin.

This seemed to be the rule in British politics, except for the first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, Earl of Walpole, who was re-elected for twenty years. Earl Walpole was re-elected for twenty years, the remaining terms basically did not exceed eight years.

(Remarks: British Prime Ministers and Parliaments both serve five-year terms)

Prime Minister Benjamin, who had once again moved into Downing Street, was troubled, except for the first day of his election victory, when he was overjoyed.

The domestic economy, which was a source of anxiety, had made Prime Minister Benjamin’s hair much grayer again.

Colonial Secretary Robert: “The economy at home has become so perilous that in order to get through the crisis we must find larger markets for our goods.

I propose to restart the Persian War, having just gone through a refugee crisis, this happens to be the time when Persia is at its weakest, something that will be very favorable to our military operations.”

Arthur Balfour, Chancellor of the Exchequer: “The government’s finances are still strong enough to give us enough money for the war.

I think it would be a good idea to restart the war in Ethiopia at the same time as launching the Persian War.

In the last war we won only nominally, and now most of Ethiopia is still out of our control.

In recent years, the Austrians have been infiltrating the Ethiopian region. If we don’t do something soon, we might wake up one day and Ethiopia will be planted with the Austrian flag.

Not only the Ethiopian region, but the entire East African region is in danger. If we don’t act quickly, France and Austria will not be polite.”

Navy Minister John Vasile: “Not only East Africa, but also the Asian region. The French are expanding into the South Central Peninsula and are just about to border India.

We must take preemptive action to capture the Kampong Dynasty, this is the gateway to India, and if it falls into the hands of the French, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

(NOTE: Burma was in the midst of the congested tooth dynasty, known in the West as: the Kampung Dynasty)

……

With Prime Minister Benjamin being hailed as the defender of colonialism, it’s no surprise that the cabinet is a bunch of war-mongers. The huge colonial empire of the British was also fought with one hand, and the main-warriors and colonialists were never separate.

For Britain, tapping into domestic demand to get through the economic crisis was out of the question.

The size of the native population determines the upper limit of Britain’s native market. This means that to get through the economic crisis, one has to rely on the external market.

Relying on the vast colonies, it was not difficult for the British to get out of the economic crisis, but it took time.

The only way to get through the economic crisis in a short period of time was to start a war and pass the crisis on.

Edward, the Foreign Secretary: “Hold it. I recognize that everyone has a point, and it is something that Britain urgently needs to address at the moment, but reality does not allow it.

Not to mention the fact that if we start multiple wars at the same time, whether or not our country’s strength can sustain it, the diplomatic troubles alone are enough to exhaust us.

If we don’t want to see all the European countries pulling our leg together, there has to be a sequence. Fighting on multiple fronts has no value except to increase the risk and pressure.”

What drove the British to war has always been profit. Everyone knew that the government in London could not wage multiple wars at the same time, and still it was brought up.

Behind this was also a game being played by all parties, with the military, political officials, and capitalists all involved.

Being the first to start a war is not just about “benefiting first”, it also determines the importance of the region in the eyes of the London government.

Colonial Secretary Robert: “I think it is better to restart the Persian War first, the situation in the Persian region is the most complicated, involving both Russia and Austria.

The Russian Empire is now held back by the Pupo Federation and is unable to intervene in the Persian region in a short time, but Austria is different, their power has penetrated deep into the Persian Gulf.

Although their temporary goal is the Ottoman, this does not equal to their lack of ambition for the Persian region.

Now the Persian government is trying every possible means to draw in the major powers, if we do not raise vigilance, it is possible that one day the Austrians will expand their power to the Persian region.

Once the Ottoman Empire collapses, the entire east coast of the Mediterranean Sea will become part of Austria, and then the Persian region will have a direct border with Austria.

If we can’t take the Persian region as a barrier in advance, India will be under a lot of pressure by then.”

Naval Minister John Vasil objected, “Sir Robert, you are exaggerating.

We already have an absolute advantage in the Persian region, and unless the Ottoman Empire collapses tomorrow, the Austrians have no way to compete with us.

Judging from the current situation, the Ottoman Empire will be able to hold out for at least another twenty years. If they complete their internal reforms, they could even last forever.

Instead, the threat to the Central and Southern Peninsula is much greater, the Kampong Dynasty has completely declined and can’t hold back the French’s troops at all.”

Minister of Finance Arthur Balfour: “Both of you, don’t talk so seriously, it’s not like we’re going to have a big war with France and Austria tomorrow.

Right now our three countries are still allies, and they won’t come over to irritate our nerves without enough benefits.

The most important thing right now is still to get through the economic crisis, so it’s best for everyone to think more economically.

Since the opening of the Suez Canal, East-West trade has grown rapidly. Now nearly forty percent of the ships in Europe’s foreign trade will navigate through the Suez Canal.

This golden waterway has affected the economic lifeblood of Britain. We did not pay enough attention to it and allowed the control of the Suez Canal to fall completely into the hands of France and Austria.

Of course, this is the responsibility of our predecessors, but this consequence has to be borne by us.

France and Austria regarded the Suez Canal as their lifeblood, and it was simply impossible for us to intervene. Now we can only adopt a roundabout strategy to increase our influence in the Red Sea Straits.

In recent years, the French have expanded into the Sudanese region and Austria into the Ethiopian region, and both sides have reached a tacit agreement to jointly squeeze our sphere of influence.

If this is allowed to continue, sooner or later there will be no place for us in the East African region. Even if we take advantage of our naval superiority, we will at best retain the land around our ports.

Just as the Cape of Good Hope is now, seemingly controlled in our hands, it could fall at any time as long as it flips with the Austrians.”

“Your Excellency, this joke is not funny at all. That France and Austria could ever truly unite is the biggest joke of the century.

Unless one of them gives up their European hegemony, there is no way the two countries can truly unite, and right now they see each other as their greatest enemies!” Colonial Secretary Robert retorted

Giving up continental hegemony was easier said than done, but on what basis would people believe it?

Unless one loses the strength to fight for hegemony, otherwise verbal promises can’t be trusted at all.

Unless one of France and Austria falls, this battle for continental hegemony will continue.

Now the two countries can coexist peacefully, that is the two sides seem to be equal in strength, there is a third four or five people, who do not want to start a war, let others pick up the cheap.

Foreign Minister Edward: ”Sir Robert, the possibility of a union between France and Austria does exist. As long as the interests are in place, there is nothing that won’t happen.”

“Sir Edward, I’m not saying that it’s impossible for France and Austria to unite, but that it’s impossible for the two countries to unite under the current international situation.

The seemingly friendly Franco-Austrian relationship has actually been full of contradictions for a long time. As long as we are willing, it is not difficult to provoke a Franco-Austrian conflict.” Colonial Minister Robert explained

“No, Sir Robert. We are in need of a situation where France and Austria are apparently friendly and secretly hostile to each other.

It is not in our interest to provoke a Franco-Austrian conflict, which in turn will lead to a European war and upset the balance of the European continent. So that option, simply doesn’t exist.

We see the importance of the Suez Canal, and France and Austria also see it, and even they see it a little earlier.

The fact that in the last ten years or so we have been trying to get a stake in the canal company and have been rejected speaks volumes.

If we do not take action, for the sake of the dominance of the Suez Canal, France and Austria may really join hands to push us out of East Africa.

This is not without precedent; France and Austria have joined forces before and we were nearly squeezed out of the Mediterranean.” Foreign Secretary Edward warned

This is the most headache, on the one hand, France and Austria conflict, to avoid France and Austria two countries close together; on the other hand, but also can not provoke France and Austria conflict, lest the continent of Europe broke out into war, resulting in the balance is broken.

Standing in the position of the British, France and Austria, no matter who wins the war, is a disaster. The present three-pronged approach is actually the most suitable for the strategy of balancing the European continent.

Benjamin interrupted the bickering: ”Gentlemen, everyone can’t convince each other, so let’s vote on it! It’s not a solution to keep arguing like this, time waits for no one.”

What appeared to be a conciliatory approach, in reality, also made his position clear. There were significantly more in favor of restarting the Ethiopian War, as dictated by overseas trade.

Expansion in East Africa would expand Britain’s influence in the Red Sea region and increase its say in the Suez issue.

In the event of a flip-flop with Fao one day, they would still have the credentials to flip the table and not get their necks stuck in the sand.

This was probably the most efficient government in London, from raising the issue to making a decision, the cabinet took only one day.

Under normal circumstances, it would take at least a few months of bickering to start a war, and it’s not uncommon for it to go on for three to five years with no results.

This time is obviously an exception, the economic crisis does not wait for anyone, the cabinet reached a consensus on fire, and immediately submitted a bill to the parliament.

Needless to say, naturally, the fastest speed through. Do not need the government to do the work of the legislators, the capitalists have long been unable to resist.

The sooner they start the war, the sooner they can get through the economic crisis.

The fall of the previous government was largely due to Gholston’s advocacy of a colonial war after the division of spheres of influence through the Paris Conference.

The international pressure is gone, but the Paris Conference can’t be finished in a day or two. The economic crisis had already broken out, and the capitalists could not wait that long.

To a certain extent, they were also pitched by Franz. If the Vienna government had not taken the initiative to trigger the crisis, the economic crisis would not have broken out so quickly.

Politicians must be temperate, especially when they come to power, and their political stance cannot be changed at will. Changing one’s position to another will not only affect the government’s prestige, but also make the public disgusted.

The Gholston government made an error in judgment and proposed the political idea of colonial expansion after the Paris Conference before the outbreak of the economic crisis.

In itself, there was no problem, and it was recognized by all sectors in the country. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the economic crisis broke out shortly after it was proposed.

In order to get through the economic crisis as soon as possible, it was necessary to wage war abroad, and then it was necessary to change the government.

Benjamin cabinet a bunch of main war faction, not these people originally main war, but the reality needs them to main war.

On November 28, 1876, the British Parliament passed the motion “Restarting the Ethiopian War”.

International public opinion was in an uproar and condemned the British. What the British did was also a heavy blow to the ongoing Paris Conference.

The world was once again unsettled. Since the British could launch a colonial war against foreign countries during the Paris Conference on the pretext that no treaty had been signed, other European countries could likewise launch colonial expansion against foreign countries during the Paris Conference.

Originally, we still want to negotiate, delineate their respective spheres of influence, and divide the rest of the terra nullius, but now it is back to the era of robbing by strength.

(End of chapter)