Chapter 2073 Junker Nobility

William brought Yang Cheng to meet a German aristocrat. Although modern Germany no longer recognizes aristocrats, their identities are still indelible in the hearts of the aristocrats, even if he is a Junker.

Many people may have heard of this term—Junker nobleman, but they don’t know that not every nobleman is willing to be called Junker.

In the spring of 1834, a young Prussian aristocrat failed to graduate from middle school, so he was worried that he would not be able to enter the University of Berlin as planned. In a letter to a friend, he imagined what he would be like if he could not go to university:

I'll be an officer for a few years, yelling at the recruits; then I'll marry, have children, farm the land, produce distilled liquor without restraint, and use it to destroy the morals of my peasants. So, if you happen to be in my hometown in ten years time, I'll invite you to have fun with a flirtatious, curvy little woman from the manor.

I'll also offer you to drink as much potato brandy as you like. I also invite you to go hunting and have a good time.

At that time, you will see me as a fat native militia officer with a beard turned up at two ends, who can shake the ground with curses, hates Jews and French, whips dogs and domestic servants wantonly, and with this At the same time, he is a strict wife.

I would wear leather trousers and make a fool of myself at the Szczecin wool factory. When everyone pays their respects to my lord baron, I will stroke their beards kindly and give everyone a discounted price.

On the king's birthday I'd get drunk and shout out my birthday to your Majesty, and the rest of the time I'd talk regularly and my catchphrase would be: "Jesus! What a horse!"

This young man was the later Jagged Prime Minister Bismarck. Who would have imagined that he was once the second generation of Juncker? Not even many Germans are necessarily aware of this fact.

Bismarck was born in a family of Prussian Junker landlords, and his remarks made a mockery of his own class.

Bismarck's father was a genuine Junker aristocrat east of the Elbe River, with a staid and conservative personality, but his mother came from a bourgeois scholarly family in Saxony. Cabinet secretary in the government of King Friedrich the Great.

This is equivalent to the daughter of the university president marrying a rich man in the village. No matter how you look at it, it is not a good match, but in Germany, there are quite a few such things, especially when the Junkers are prevalent.

Unlike most Junkers, Bismarck received a good education under the precepts and deeds of his mother. His life trajectory is different from most Junkers, and his evaluation of the Junker group is also very negative.

This also represents the view of a large part of the Germans towards the Junker nobles,

The original meaning of Junker is "young nobleman" or "young master". It was used in the Middle Ages and early modern times to refer to young or lower-ranking noblemen, a bit like a British squire.

Martin Luther used the pseudonym Junker Jörg when he was lurking in the Wartburg. He also sarcastically called King Henry VIII "Junker Heinz". There are "Feng" or "Zu" characters.

In modern times, in Prussia, especially in the area east of the Elbe River, the word "Junker" has a special meaning, referring to the landowners in these agricultural areas, most of them are minor nobles, and some are not. Junker, in fact, refers to the Prussian Junker in most cases.

The Prussian Junkers controlled most of the land in eastern Prussia, driving peasants to work for them who enjoyed much less freedom and rights than the peasants of western and southern Germany.

The natural conditions of Junker’s living environment are not good, there are many swamps and sandy land, and the land is barren. Generally speaking, the Junker landowners are a poorer squire class. Their lifestyle and spiritual outlook are different from those of the wealthy nobles in western and southern Germany. Far, not a world at all.

Because of being poor and not well-educated, Junkers are often associated with being uneducated. The high-ranking aristocrats in Germany commented on Junkers: they are generally uneducated, unable to write a sentence, or even speaking incoherently. Will connect nouns and nominalized words together and say them together, and then add exclamation points.

It can be said that agriculture is the core interest of Juncker. After the establishment of the German Empire in 1871, Juncker occupied an important position in the German ZF, and Prussia has long implemented a three-tier electoral system, and the votes of noble landowners are particularly heavy. ZZ influence in Prussia is great.

They used their influence to actively intervene and influence the government's agricultural policy, raising tariffs on food imports to protect Prussia's own agriculture.

The conservative party in Germany and the farmer's alliance after the 1870s mainly served the interests of the Junker landlords. They lobbied the ZF to demand financial subsidies, tax cuts for the landlords, and higher food prices.

In some of the more positive portrayals, the Junkers were stern, disciplined but loving heads of household.

Not only to his wife, children and immediate family, but also to his servants and farmers, Junker was a fatherly figure: a dignified but loving authority and administrator, busy for the livelihood of a large family.

However, they do have a relatively positive part. Junkers from poor mountains and rivers are often persevering and are good military materials.

In the first half of the 18th century, it became a tradition for Junkers to serve in the army, so generations of Junkers' children were instilled with this spirit and a sense of military honor since childhood, and they joined the army for generations.

During the Seven Years War, King Friedrich the Great led Prussia against the other three superpowers (Russia, France, and Austria) on the European continent. Junker soldiers forged a close bond with the King of Prussia in the process of bloodshed.

It was this kind of people who helped Prussia win the two wars in 1866 and 1871. Some historians said: It was the alliance between the Hohenzollern family and Junkers that turned Prussia from an insignificant small country to a poor country. Developed into a modern power, so Juncker's communist, authoritarian and aristocratic principles were legalized, so they had a great say in the German ZF and the army.

But such a Junker is completely bound to the army, even when attacked by the enemy.

Various caricatures of German liberals in the 1880s and 1890s often depicted Junkers as officers in straight uniforms, in which Junkers were vain, incompetent, wearing too tight uniforms, or inheriting The gambler who has squandered his fortune is either a prostitute who chases women, or an uneducated person.

This has gradually become a stereotype, often ridiculed and criticized by liberals, and "cabbage Junker" has become a common slur.

They considered the Prussian nobility to be a burden to the state, because they were too numerous, mostly poor, and greedy for offices, salaries, privileges, and favors of every kind.

The Junkers are poor, so they cannot receive a good education, so they can only go to a military academy with a low level. Because they have no education, they cannot hold high positions... This large group of people with only a poor education still want to ask for it ... aristocrats and bureaucrats at the same time, they are a curse to their fellow man.

Some influential historians even accused the Junkers Group of being responsible for the failure of democracy in the Second Reich and the outbreak of World War I, calling Junkers an anti-democratic force, a communist, and an authoritarian By.

In short, Junker is almost equivalent to the bully landlord who was denounced in country Z in the past, so that many descendants of Junker, after receiving higher education, are unwilling to admit their identity as Junker. move closer.

The person William took Yang Cheng to meet was a Junker who had successfully transformed himself. The other party had successfully entered the aristocratic circle of Bavaria, and even got to know a Duke of William's level because of this. From a certain point of view, it was considered a success. .

On the way to the other party's castle, William said, "My friend is now very powerful in Germany, especially in Bavaria. Three of his family have served as high-ranking German officials, and many others are in the business world."

Yang Cheng nodded, and said perfunctorily, "That's quite powerful~"

William smiled slightly, "You know the industry he controls. He is the largest real estate developer in Bavaria today."

Yang Cheng's eyes fluctuated. Germany is currently one of the most reliable real estate markets in Europe. Affordable financing drives demand. In Munich, high-quality apartments usually have 20 to 40 potential customers.

In Germany, Bavaria is known as the richest and safest state in Germany, so property prices are also extremely expensive: the average price in Munich is €7,700/m??, while the national average is €2,700/m?? .

Because profit margins are tight in upmarket areas, many investors are looking to smaller cities in Bavaria, the so-called "B-zones", where real estate is not as expensive as Munich but has great potential for appreciation, overall Look at the competition with the Greater London area.

He knew that William had brought this up on purpose, looked at William meaningfully and said, "It seems that you are getting more and more used to intermediary work."

I don't mind Yang Cheng's ridicule either, "Ha, if I have to be called a professional, I'd rather use the word broker, it sounds cool, doesn't it?"

After giving him a blank look, Yang Cheng asked further, "Is the housing market in London not enough for you to enjoy? You turned your attention to Munich again."

"That being said, who would think there is too little money?"

Yang Cheng's tone faltered, well, he asked a stupid question, and he deserved to be teased.

"Okay, let's change the question. This friend of yours has financial difficulties?"

"No, at least from what I know, it's hard for their family to lack money, but they lack opportunities for expansion."

Yang Cheng was thoughtful, "Understood, you have reached a PY deal."

"what?"

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