Holy Roman Empire

As long as we seize this opportunity, we can take the opportunity to crush the French manufacturing industry and weaken this biggest competitor. "

There is no talk of anti-dumping these days, and free trade is the mainstream of the times.The French still did not resist the pressure and joined the free trade system half a year ago.

The core of "free trade" is: the government cancels restrictions and obstacles to import and export trade, cancels various privileges and preferences for domestic import and export commodities, so that commodities can be imported and exported freely and compete freely in domestic and foreign markets.

On the surface, it is beneficial to everyone, as they can have a global market at the same time, clearing away the obstacles to commodity circulation.

In fact, there are gaps between enterprises and between countries, and this gap is directly reflected in market competitiveness.

There is no doubt that France, which lacks resources, is at a disadvantage in this round of competition.Imported raw materials have directly raised production costs.

In order to cut costs, capitalists naturally want to lower workers' wages, and the influx of cheap Italian labor has created favorable conditions for lowering wages.

In the past ten years, the per capita wages in Europe have increased by 20.00% 5.00, while the per capita wages in Greater France have only increased by [-]% .[-].

Against this background, conflicts between the French and Italian people naturally emerged endlessly. Even the Paris government tried its best to suppress it, but still had little effect.

Regrettably, even with lower labor wages, the international competitiveness of most French industrial and commercial products is still not high.

No way, who made the labor cost cheap these years?Except for labor-intensive industries, the labor cost of most industrial and commercial products is less than one-fifth of the total cost, or even less.

Industrial raw materials account for the majority of production costs. How to improve market competitiveness without solving the problem at the source?

The market is a whole, while reducing labor costs, it also weakens the purchasing power of the market.

Although Greater France has a population of 6000 million, the market consumption power cannot keep up with John Bull, which has only more than 3000 million people.

The consumption power of the market is not enough, and it is fed back into industrial production, forcing companies to produce cheaper goods. This is a vicious economic circle.

Taking coal as an example, the cost of industrial coal used by the French is 1.3 times that of Austria, and even more than double in some inland areas.

This is just the beginning. High coal prices lead to higher power generation costs, which in turn lead to higher electricity bills. High electricity prices are undoubtedly the biggest obstacle to the promotion of electricity.

One step at a time, one step at a time, electricity has not been popularized, and there is no way to talk about electricity-powered mechanical equipment.

Affected by this, the development of upstream electrical machinery equipment manufacturers is limited, unable to invest in research and development of more advanced equipment, and gradually lagging behind in international competition.

Downstream equipment users, because they did not adopt the most advanced productivity in time, were surpassed or even eliminated by their competitors in the market competition.

In this era of the jungle, those who fall behind will be beaten.The French are strong enough militarily that no one will attack them for no reason, but economically it is different. Everyone is a competitor, and black hands are inevitable.

As long as you can beat your competitors, it is worth paying some price.Under the free trade system, large-scale overcapacity appears, and countries will compete for industrial strength.

In this regard, the Vienna government is confident, and so is Franz.Because Austria's infrastructure construction is the complete king of its time.

Not only is the transportation developed, but it is also the first country in Europe to popularize electricity, and it is also the birthplace of the second industrial revolution. The emerging industries are at the forefront of the world.

There are two extremes in this regard. One focuses on emerging fields, and the other focuses on traditional industries, and both have become industry hegemons.This creates favorable conditions for cooperation between the two countries.

Franz: "Since this is the case, let the crisis be more violent! It is best to destroy the manufacturing industries in Europe and the United States together, and treat it as a clearing before the curtain opens.

This time, we can cooperate with British capitalists and let private enterprises take the lead instead of directly involving the government.As soon as the Russo-Prussian War ended, they launched it together and set off this capital war. "

A war without gunpowder is sometimes more brutal.The damage it brings is no weaker than a war.

It is conceivable that it won't be long before unemployment and bankruptcy will become a hot topic in the whole society again.

After a moment of contemplation, Minister of Economy Reinhard Haldergen: "As long as it is a country that has joined the free trade system, it is easy to handle.

The United States of America has some difficulties. They still stubbornly implement trade protection policies, and it is very difficult to pry open their doors. "

learn from mistakes.The American capitalists have been harmed by British capital several times, and now they are frightened, and they simply shut the door and play by themselves.

Anyway, its own resources are abundant, and it directly imitates the technologies of European countries. Apart from its own market being a little smaller, the small life is not bad.

Franz: "Leave this question to the Foreign Office. The British are pioneers in promoting free trade.

Everyone can unite to put pressure on the United States. If you join in, you are half of your own. If they are stubborn, there is no need to be polite.

Since they want to play trade protection, simply let them play enough, international embargo is a good choice. "

To be honest, the industrial and commercial products of the United States really don't have much competitiveness these days, and many products are even inferior to the Russians.

If trade protection is not carried out and the door is opened to competition, they will definitely die miserably.

Franz did not expect the United States to fully open the market, as long as it opened a crack in the door, it was acceptable without smuggling.

On the issue of fighting competitors, Franz never gave up any chance.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, if we pushed further, the post-war economic crisis would have been dire.

If the crisis lasts too long, the situation on the European continent may be disrupted again. We are not ready yet. "

Man-made disasters are the most terrifying, especially this kind of man-made disasters that can only manipulate the beginning but cannot control the ending, and their destructive power is even stronger.

With the advent of the industrial age, the economy has an increasing influence on the political situation.Due to the deterioration of the economy, there are countless situations that lead to turmoil, and there are not a few cases that lead to the outbreak of war.

Franz shook his head: "Without so much time to prepare, we will never be fully prepared, and when we are ready, the opportunity will be missed.

Moreover, if we do not take action, it does not mean that the British will not act either. Instead of passively fighting, it is better to take the initiative. "

When you get older, you tend to be conservative. It’s not that conservative is bad. In fact, for a big country, conservative often means a long-term national fortune, and radicalism is a disaster for a country.

It's just that the opportunity is too rare. Once this opportunity is missed, if you want to take action again, the price you need to pay will not be a little bit.

To put it bluntly, Franz did not live peacefully.In addition to not taking risks in the military, he still doesn't mind giving it a try in the economic field.

If it succeeds, it is of course the best; if it fails, it is also a speculator who is unlucky.The Vienna government already has a lot of experience in dealing with the economic crisis, and it will not hurt the foundation of the country.

Chapter 239 Can't be idle

To fight a trade war does not mean to let the industry develop wildly.Numerous cases have proved that enterprises without competitiveness are the first to fall when a crisis strikes.

It is difficult for a large but not strong industry to gain a foothold in international competition.Austria has passed the era of blind pursuit of quantity, what is needed now is both quality and quantity.

In order to calm down the market, before Christmas in 1879, the Austrian government issued the "Market Risk Warning", and a total of 39 industries were listed as industries with excess capacity.

At the same time, the investment entry threshold has also been raised. In addition to the registered capital, technical requirements have also been raised. If capitalists want to invest in these industries, they must adopt the most advanced technology.

These thresholds are actually not a problem for capital.Except for the high-tech field, as long as you have money in other industries, you can easily buy any technology.

Franz doesn't expect investors to follow the government's advice. People always like to ignore risks in the face of benefits.

Forcing everyone to adopt more advanced productivity and increasing product competitiveness is mainly to allow these latecomers to be able to support for a longer period of time when the crisis breaks out.

This is very important. Once the global overcapacity crisis breaks out, enterprises will fight for their overall strength. Cost and capital will determine who can survive to the end.

The winner is king and the one who remains is king. The company that survives in the end is the real winner.

The same is true for the country. Whoever survives with more enterprises and stronger strength will be the new industrial overlord.

Perhaps at the beginning of the crisis, the British and Austrian capitals will join forces to kill their competitors, and in the later stages, the industries and commerce of the two countries will inevitably have to do a battle.

It's just that both are colonial empires, free trade belongs to free trade, and the colonial market is still private plots.With such a flood discharge channel, no matter how hard it is, the whole line will not collapse.

In a hot market, the most intuitive feeling is that money is easy to make.Almost every industry has enjoyed the dividends of war, the immigration industry is the only exception.

Yes, immigration is also an industry in Austria.Affected by the big immigration strategy, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people immigrate to the African continent every year. From transportation to resettlement, a complete industrial chain has been formed.

It is a pity that the immigration industry has always been inversely proportional to economic development. Only when there are problems in economic development can the immigration industry flourish.

With the influx of a large amount of hot money, the number of new jobs has skyrocketed, and people who are willing to emigrate overseas will naturally reduce the number of people who can make money locally.

On Vienna's Ring Road, there is an ancient building full of Renaissance atmosphere. It is no longer the hustle and bustle of the past. The staff gather together in twos and threes, lazily basking in the sun.

If it weren't for the signboard at the gate, no one would believe that this is an Austrian government department, and it is indeed the famous Immigration Agency.

If this happened to other government departments, they would have been approached by the supervisory department long ago, and the immigration department is an exception.

When you are busy, the lights here can be brightly lit day and night; when you are free, you can go to work for 10 minutes to get the day's work done, and the rest of the time will naturally have nothing to do.

When ordinary staff members are free, Director Gold is worried.I'm all idle, what about the big immigration strategy?

Even if the cabinet government understands his difficulties and does not hold him accountable, the task has not been fulfilled, and the political taint will never be erased.

In the conference room, Gold put down the report in his hand: "Everyone, since the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, the number of applicants for immigration has dropped sharply, and this year's immigration plan cannot be completed.

If we do not take action, I am afraid that next year's immigration work will not be optimistic.

Year after year, if this continues, the government's grand immigration strategy will die.

The failure of the immigration strategy will directly affect the economic development of the colonies and the process of African localization. This consequence is beyond our ability to bear.

From now on, everyone must move.Mobilize your own connections and do as much publicity as possible for immigrants. "

Everyone's face turned bitter, obviously this was a hard job.At this moment, everyone is nostalgic for the period of the economic crisis, and there is no need to speak up, and a group of people will come to the door to make connections.

A senior official objected: "Director, I'm afraid this will hardly work. We have posted immigration advertisements all over the country, even in the most isolated mountain villages.

After so many years of propaganda, immigration has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.But the homeland is hard to leave, the people are unwilling to leave the land, and we cannot force them to emigrate. "

Not everyone is willing to make a fuss. Many senior officials are no longer interested in this kind of political task after losing the possibility of further progress.

This is nothing, as long as the order is issued, everyone will still execute it.

What gave Gold a headache was the phrase "it's hard to work". If it didn't work, it would be useless to send everyone out to promote it.

After hesitating for a moment, Gold said fiercely: "If you can't do it locally, go to other German countries to promote it. As long as you are a German immigrant, you can count your political achievements.

Especially the Kingdom of Prussia, which is at war, can be used as a key propaganda area. Even if you are caught, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will release you on bail.

Discuss with everyone, set a goal, and work in groups.The people attending the meeting today will all be in charge of the propaganda team, including myself. "

No way, the Austrian Migration Agency is already notorious in the German region, and the governments of all countries are strictly guarding against them.

For example, the Kingdom of Prussia has long listed them as unwelcome objects. As long as they are staff members of the Immigration Agency, they cannot even get visas.

However, there are countermeasures above and policies below.The Immigration Agency is also a government department. It is normal to fabricate a new identity and get through the customs.

It is not illegal to promote immigrants. Even if they are caught, the Berlin government has no right to deal with them. They usually notify the leader of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Austria is strong enough, and the Berlin government can't do anything on the surface, but secretly making them suffer is still indispensable.

Gold didn't want to do this either, but there was no way. If he didn't act like he was trying his best, how would he let the outside world know that they were trying harder?

Working hard and not working hard, and finally the strategic plan was not completed, are two completely different concepts.

Taking the lead on a trip in person, no matter what the results are, is better than watching a bunch of subordinates basking in the sun every day.

Retirement, Gold is not yet 40 years old?As the head of the most important immigration agency under the Colonial Department, he still has a long political life, and he can definitely go further.

Franz naturally didn't know how much pressure the big immigration strategy formulated at the beginning had put on the immigration agency.

In fact, not only the immigration office is under great pressure, but many government departments in Austria are also under great pressure.

These days, there are not as many civil servants as in later generations, but the work tasks are not too much less.

Take the Migration Agency as an example. The total number of staff members is less than 130, and the scope of work covers the entire European continent. At its peak, it organized a maximum of [-] million immigrants a year to overseas colonies.

Of course, a large part of this has already been organized by the colonial company, and the Immigration Department is just collecting statistics and coordinating the relationship between all parties.

What should I do if there are insufficient manpower?The answer is of course working overtime.Don't dream about the eight-hour working system. When you are busy, you can count as early work if you can be nine or nine.

There is nothing unbalanced. In the general environment where overtime is popular in the whole society, there is nothing to complain about. You must know that overtime in factories is actually more serious.

According to statistics from the Vienna government, the average working hours of urban workers is 9.1 hours a day, which is calculated on the basis of 365 days a year.

If holidays and rest days are deducted, many people work more than 12 hours a day, and the work intensity is quite high.

Of course, the capitalists will not admit it.Many companies calculate working hours, and also deduct the necessary break time, meal time, toilet time, and even deduct the mechanical interval time.

The purpose is very clear, less overtime pay.Using another calculation method, the daily working hours are reduced by 1 to 2 hours, and the data looks much better all of a sudden.

The worries of the Immigration Agency did not affect the Austrian people. Everyone is still immersed in the joy of increasing income and working hard for a dreamy tomorrow.

There is a saying that goes well: Happiness comes from comparison.

Compared with Prussia and Russia, which are in the flames of war, compared with Greater France, which is in resource difficulties, and many small countries that are precarious, the people of Austria naturally feel happy.

2 Forty Chapters: The End of the Shanzhai Era

Without becoming the fuse of the World War, Sarajevo is just an ancient city surrounded by mountains and beautiful scenery.

Among the many cities in Austria, it is inconspicuous at all.Especially after the failure to compete for the provincial capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it became even more inconspicuous.

This also has to talk about the policy of the Vienna government.In order to avoid excessive concentration of resources and unnecessary waste, administrative centers, economic centers, and industrial centers usually do not get together.

Sarajevo is the land transportation hub of the province of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its industry is also well developed and it is an ancient city. These advantages have become its disadvantages in competing for the provincial capital city.

Although the popularity is low, Sarajevo's economic development is not slow at all, especially after Bosnia and Herzegovina became another heavy industry center in Austria, the local economy has skyrocketed.

With its geographical advantages, Sarajevo can also be ranked among the top [-] cities in Austria.

In an office building on Urho Avenue in Sarajevo, the headquarters of Fick Group, a giant in the field of hardware accessories, is here.At this moment, the executive president Yanol is making a work report to the boss.