Chapter 24 Era

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From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, more than 200 daughters of American nouveau riche traveled thousands of miles to marry British aristocrats.

Such marriages between nobles and commoners were unimaginable in previous times.

"Liberalism is a ghost that threatens European peace. According to the liberal democracy advocated by liberalism, the country needs referendums and elections of the government, which will cause confusion in national consciousness, and the people will be at a loss. The government's policies are wavering and changing at every turn. It cannot be sustained for a long time. From a long-term perspective, liberalism will cause serious internal friction," said William.

William's point of view is the mainstream view of monarchical countries.

It is not entirely unreasonable.

After the Franco-Prussian War, the monarchy was overthrown in France and a republic was established.

If according to the views of liberal democrats, such an advanced national system is far stronger than the ignorant, corrupt, and autocratic monarchy, and promotes national development.

But an obvious fact is that the country with the fastest economic development in Europe in the 19th century was not liberal democracy, and France, where referendums were held, was precisely the monarchy of Germany.

At the end of the 19th century, after the unification of Germany, the economy was far ahead of other countries in Europe.

In contrast, the democratic government in France was inefficient and the government changed frequently.

This situation makes the views of the democrats questionable. The advanced level you advocate has been established, so why can't the economic development compare with Germany, a backward country with autocracy?

It can be seen that liberal democracy is the result of the development of productivity, not the cause.

"Constantine, what do you think?" Rudolf said.

Although I didn't expect Constantine, who was only 15 years old, to express any refreshing views.

However, it is one of the rules of aristocratic banquets not to ignore the guests at the table.

"There is no doubt that the times are developing rapidly. In the new era, all classes need to have new survival wisdom and find their new position in society," Constantine said.

Although Constantine's liberal remarks are obscure, everyone present is not an ordinary person, so they can naturally hear it.

To be honest, Constantine's identity is different from the three people, so it is a bit embarrassing to talk about freedom.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia were the representatives of European monarchies at the end of the 19th century. The emperors of the three countries held all the power in their respective countries.

After the unification of Germany, Bismarck (one of the main figures in the unification of Germany and the long-time German Chancellor) once concluded a "Three Emperors' Alliance" (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Tsarist Russia) in order to isolate France, largely because the three countries had similar ideologies.

The situation in Greece is different. Since Trikoupis (the first Greek politician) forced George I to recognize the principle that the king wins the trust of the majority in parliament, to put it bluntly, the government should be established by the party with the majority, and their leader is the new prime minister, instead of the king appointing the prime minister as before.

This is another extreme of Greek politics.

Because of the principle of majority, the opposition parties often unite to oppose the ruling party and force the incumbent prime minister to step down. The prime ministers' terms of office range from a few dozen days to a year.

It is unimaginable in Greece to serve as the German prime minister for decades, as Bismarck did in Germany.

From this point of view alone, Greece can be said to be the freest and most democratic country in Europe.

But it doesn't matter.

The inherent resource disadvantages and geographical conditions have led to slow economic development and political chaos. Freedom and democracy cannot solve Greece's development problems.

"Constantine, I remember that Greece now is very democratic from the perspective of those liberals. The Greek people use voting to elect members of parliament, members of parliament participate in politics, and the prime minister organizes the government. I just don't understand why Greece's development is so bad. According to what I have learned, the Greek government often borrows foreign debt to make up for the lack of fiscal revenue. Is borrowing foreign debt the survival wisdom of Greece? In fact?" William retorted.

William used the current situation in Greece to refute Constantine's point of view, which seemed to be a case of using his own spear to attack his own shield.

What he said made sense, and the embarrassed Constantine was unable to refute it.

Why did Constantine, as the crown prince of Greece, basically never care about politics in Greece, but just watch from the sidelines?

First, Constantine was young and could not convince the public.

Second, Constantine had tried.

Constantine certainly knew that for national development, industry and commerce should be promoted, compulsory education should be carried out, talents should be cultivated, the country should be enriched and the army should be strengthened, armaments should be developed, powerful enemies should be defeated, Europe should be dominated, territory should be expanded, and the country should be at the peak.

But the reality of Greece does not allow it.

Without coal and iron, how can industry and commerce be developed? Without energy and industrial raw materials, how can any industry be developed?

The essence of industrialization is to use energy and machines to replace part of the manpower, improve production efficiency, and enhance the ability of human beings to obtain materials to support themselves.

Of course, coal and iron can be imported, but in the 19th century, the cost of importing industrial raw materials and energy with huge demand such as coal and iron was too high. Even if steel was made, it was not as cost-effective as importing steel directly after calculating the cost!

Every step of industrialization requires money.

Where does the money come from?

Greece still has to import food!

There is no money, no people, and no food.

So after enthusiastically asking George about the economic situation in Greece, Constantine was poured a bucket of cold water.

Constantine knew that the political, economic and military problems in Greece were basically unsolvable problems without external forces!

A good cook cannot cook without rice.

Comparing Germany and France is not convincing at all.

In fact, the concept of freedom and democracy was truly deeply rooted in the hearts of the people after World War II.

The Americans, who are rich in wealth and resources, have shown the world that democracy can enrich the country and strengthen the army.

But just like a large number of countries that learned the planned economy of the Soviet Union, how many of them have developed?

How many of those who learned democratic politics from the United States have developed?

Britain, France and Germany?

Don't be funny, when they became world powers, there was no United States!

Without the unique advantages of the strong, it is useless to learn some superficial things.

"William, I think Constantine is right, but you are also right," Rudolf said.

"Times are changing rapidly, whether it's politics or ideas, nothing is immutable. Only those who can adapt to the new era faster can stand out," Rudolf continued.

"Cheers to change," Queen Elizabeth raised the goblet of blood-red wine in her hand.

"Cheers to change," everyone responded and raised their glasses together.

After talking about serious topics, Elizabeth said, "William, how about this Achilles Palace?"

"I like this palace very much, the statues of characters in ancient Greek legends, the courtyard overlooking the sea, standing in such a courtyard, the surrounding scenery is unobstructed, if I can also have such a courtyard, quiet and peaceful, it is really a good place for vacation," William exclaimed.

Although Germany also has many scenic tourist attractions, the Mediterranean Sea, with its bright sunshine, blue water, and yellow beaches, is indeed unique.

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