Chapter 532
If it weren't for political confrontation, it would still be very simple to solve the agricultural crisis. Several grain exporting countries joined together to raise grain prices and divide their respective grain export shares. All problems would be solved.
This is what OPEC played in later generations. In order to avoid vicious competition, everyone intentionally controlled oil production and ensured the interests of all member states.
It is a pity that the two countries and the Russian Empire have formed a deadly feud, and it is impossible for the tsarist government to agree to reconciliation.
This is a matter of principle, and even if Alexander III, a pacifist, comes to power, it is impossible to compromise on this issue.
The Russian people can tolerate failure, but they cannot tolerate adversity. The Russian Empire can develop and grow, relying on this unyielding tenacity. If you lose your temper, the Russian Empire is over.
It is impossible to get to this point without experiencing multiple failures in a row. This made it impossible for the tsarist government to admit to the two countries. If they dared to compromise, a revolution would have to break out in the country.
The first Russo-Prussian war failed, and the tsarist government did not collapse. In addition to the support of Austria, there was also the political legacy left by Nicholas I. An army loyal to the tsar ensured the stability of the regime.
Alexander II was not an easy-going person. After the defeat of the war, he cut off the shot. He took the opportunity to clean up a group of moths in the government, attacked the arrogance of conservatives, and laid the foundation for reform.
After the agricultural crisis broke out, Austria suffered the most on the surface, but in fact the biggest loser was the Russian Empire.
It is true that Austria is the No. 1 grain exporter, but most of the exports are finished grains, and some of the losses are offset by industrial added value.
There are also some snack manufacturers, not only did not lose money in this agricultural crisis, but increased a lot of profits.
No matter how the price of raw materials falls, the prices of snacks in the market do not change much. Seemingly inconspicuous small commodities, in fact, the profits are not low at all.
If one investigates the details of the agricultural products exported by Austria, it will be found that the total sales of non-staple food products such as canned food, biscuits, French fries, and chocolates exported by Austria have exceeded the total sales of grain.
There are currently thousands of food brands registered in Austria, and if these types of snacks are subdivided, there are hundreds of products.
For profit, capitalists invested heavily in research, and new food products appeared almost every day. Only food that has withstood the test of the market will survive, otherwise it will soon disappear from the public eye.
There are often food festivals held by capitalists to find people to try new snacks to collect data. If they are well received, they will be promoted for sale; if they are rejected by the public, they will be taken off the shelves immediately.
In addition to independent research and development, the capitalists also send people to collect food from all over the world. In the face of interests, everyone has no resistance, and exotic flavors are still produced.
As long as it is a good snack on the market, Austria has it. These inconspicuous little things are actually the real backbone of Austrian agricultural exports.
In contrast, the export of finished grains has relegated to a secondary position, mainly relying on volume to make profits, and the profit rate is far from that of these non-staple foods.
Perhaps in later generations, these inconspicuous small commodities can be produced by a family workshop, but in this era, they are still high-tech products.
If nothing else, few countries can produce food packaging bags alone. Anti-corrosion technology is also a problem. There are many capitalists who use mercury as a preservative these days.
This kind of large-scale food export must not be like this. In the event of an accident, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of food poisoning will be involved. No one can afford such a big thing.
This requires a test of chemical technology. In general, it is still quite messy. In addition to the most commonly used salt, there are a lot of messy preservatives, which can only be said to be less harmful than mercury.
The only guarantee is that there will be no immediate food poisoning, otherwise it will not pass through Austrian customs security. It is related to the entire agricultural export industry, and the Vienna government is still relatively strict.
If you eat it for a long time, you don't know what the consequences will be. Franz never touches these packaged foods anyway, and these junk foods will never appear in the entire Vienna court.
These are all small problems. Everyone’s life expectancy is short. Maybe they met God in advance before the sequelae broke out. So far, no one has come out to complain about the harmfulness of these junk foods.
No matter how harmful it is, at least it tastes good. These junk foods that can be stored for a long time are the favorites of the crew and become the necessary supplies for sailing, and are exported to all over the world with the great sailing era.
With the support of these industries, Franz was able to sit still after the export market for finished grains shrank.
However, some people are anxious. The export market of Austrian finished grains has shrunk, and domestic processing companies have naturally also reduced production, with Poland and the Russian Empire bearing the brunt.
When the Polish government wanted to do something, it was forced out. The Vienna government added tariffs, and Polish farm products were directly blocked outside.
A large number of agricultural products are unsalable, not only the peasants can't stand it, but also the aristocrats and capitalists. In order to get through the crisis, the government deliberately provoked conflicts in Oppo to attract attention.
Of course, "provocation" is not in the plan of the Polish government, they are just preparing to shout slogans in the country, and they are not prepared for a hard cap.
After figuring out the positions of various countries, although the Polish government did not fully accept Austria's conditions, it still explained and apologized immediately.
As the mastermind behind the scenes, it is naturally impossible for the Prussians to watch the Polish government pass so easily. the news is very
It was about to leak out, and public opinion in Poland exploded.
The unfortunate "suicide" turned into a national hero, and the patriotic youth ran to the Austrian embassy in Warsaw to protest.
The Polish government still knows the seriousness, and if it stimulates the Austrians again, they may call them back. Prime Minister Dombrovsky immediately sent police to block the streets, and there was a fierce conflict between Wu and the police during the parade.
Originally, the Polish government was only trying to divert the crisis, but it didn't expect that things went out of control and instead triggered a political crisis.
Except for the ignorant and fearless second-year junior, all politicians know that stimulating Austria at this time is courting death.
It is no secret that the powers like to use war to divert internal crises. Austria has an agricultural crisis, and Poland is looking for excitement at this time. Isn't that sent to the door to be beaten?
Poland is also a big agricultural country. In the European grain export market, Poles still occupy 13% of the market share.
If the Vienna government wants to reduce a competitor and take the opportunity to beat them up, it is not difficult at all. As long as there is no expansion, the European countries will not interfere.
The Polish government was forced to forcibly suppress the domestic anti-Austria wave. Naturally, the Vienna government reluctantly accepted their apology, and the Austrian-Polish conflict seemed to have come to an end.
Of course, this is just the opinion of ordinary people. Looking at the frequent activities of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, you know something is going to happen. The atmosphere in Europe suddenly became tense, and the smell of gunpowder became stronger.
In Berlin, the Vienna government did not immediately take action against Poland, and the top officials of the Prussian government were very disappointed.
As one of the victims of the agricultural crisis, the Prussian government naturally wanted to get through the crisis as soon as possible. Provoking the Oppo conflict is a multi-pronged plan.
Not only will the agricultural crisis be alleviated, but there will also be an opportunity to annex the Kingdom of Poland. The international situation is obvious, Britain and France do not want to see Austria continue to expand on the European continent, and Austria also does not want to see the growth of Prussia and Russia.
In the view of the Prussian government, the Vienna government should be more jealous of the Russians than them, otherwise Austria would not be able to paddle in the last Russian-Prussian war.
If Austria fully supports the tsarist government, I dare not say anything else, at least the army of the tsarist government will not be short of strategic materials.
It is nothing more than changing the route of entry and sending troops along the border of Austria. By placing supplies in Austria and transporting them when needed, the Russians can save even the garrisoned troops.
In that way, no matter how good the Prussian army was, it would fall under the sea of grey animals.
William I waved his hand with a complicated expression: "That old fox Franz can really bear it, we all sent excuses to them, and he didn't do anything to the Poles.
It seems that Austria's strategic focus is really not on the European continent. Could it be that their African localization strategy is not a smoke bomb? "
No one can answer this question, but most countries believe that Austria's African localization strategy is a false shot, mainly to distract everyone and create opportunities for the unification of the German region.
There is no need for a reason, the Europeans of this era are so arrogant. The land other than the European continent is all uncivilized and wild land, and the African continent is even known as the "Poisonous Insect Continent".
Austria's African expansion is actually a history of struggle between man and nature. The biggest enemy they face is not the local indigenous country or other powers, but the harsh natural environment.
Almost no one thinks that there is a need for localized management in the African continent. Everyone is paranoid that the land on the European continent is more important, especially the land in Western and Central Europe, which is the best in the world.
Prussian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Friedman: "Your Majesty, the Austrians have sent a political signal that they want us or the Russians to do it first. It is almost certain that they are not going to do it first."
Guns are the first bird, and the one who takes the lead since ancient times is the most likely to be unlucky. Of course, if successful, the benefits are often the greatest.
The Austrian family has a great business, and its foundation has long been solid. The ability to expand on the European continent has become irrelevant to the Vienna government.
This is not comparable to Prussia, and William I did not want to continue to expand on the European continent if possible. Europe is too complicated, and it affects the whole body.
The Kingdom of Prussia already had a foothold in the Indo-China Peninsula, if not threatened by the Russian Empire, they also joined the colonial movement.
The real threat forced them to continue to strengthen their strength, and it was obviously too late to slowly farm and develop. The Kingdom of Prussia now has a population of just over 22 million, and the efficiency of farming is obviously not as efficient as that of the more than 74 million Russians.
The fastest way to increase their strength is to expand externally. Originally, the German Federal Empire was what they wanted most, but unfortunately reality did not allow it.
The Kingdom of Prussia dared to attack the German Confederation. I am afraid that the Vienna government will compromise with the French, and then they will be beaten by the Austrian, French and Russian groups.
There was no other way, they had to settle for the next best thing to the attention of the Poles. At least Britain and France are not too vehemently opposed on this issue, and Austria still wants to see them and the Russians fight to the death, so as not to come directly to the door.
Looking at the map of Europe on the wall, William I sighed: "Alas!"
After wandering for a few steps, William I pointed to St. Petersburg, and his mood was much better: "Keep waiting! Poland is still our ally, and now we can't do anything.
This agricultural crisis will not be over in a short time.
According to data released by the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, all countries' plans to cut production capacity have failed, even if they themselves have not been able to complete the production reduction plan.
There is no need for them to falsify these data. We are an example. This year, the domestic grain planting area will not be reduced. It is not so easy to implement the Fallow Law.
The great business of the Austrian family was able to withstand the losses brought about by the agricultural crisis, but not the Russians. Their grain output is the largest in Europe. Who is such a large capacity sold to?
Both Britain and France want the European continent to remain stable, and whoever stirs up disputes is their enemy. "
...