Beiyang reactionaries

"It can be seen that my country is obviously lagging behind European and American countries in agriculture, industry, and education. It is not terrible to have a gap, and it is not terrible to be behind. What is terrible is that we do not face up to this gap, and we do not recognize this backwardness."

"We must seek truth from facts and not feel ashamed. We should generously admit our shortcomings and our backwardness, and prove the gap between us and the great powers. Since we are backward and insufficient, we must bravely learn from others. We must not only let our students To study abroad, one must boldly introduce foreign advanced technology.”

"This cooperation with Standard Oil of New Jersey is just like that. We want to learn from their technology and management experience to improve our own oil industry level. Our cooperation is not about selling mining rights or sovereign rights, but another type of cooperation. cooperation. If there is any backlash in public opinion or any criticism, I, as the prime minister, will be fully responsible.”

520

Before the Great Depression there was prosperity.

The more you face the Great Depression, the more prosperous you will be before. This is an economic law.Just like the higher you climb, the harder you fall, when the economy is overheated to a certain extent, it will face a crisis.The United States will soon face an unprecedented Great Depression, which will set the entire world economy back a lot.At its worst, U.S. industrial output even dropped by 50%. The economic crisis that broke out in 1929 can be said to be the worst economic crisis in the history of capitalism.

But with two years to go before the Great Depression, the U.S. economy is currently at the apex of a boom.

American capital, American consortiums, are looking for investment targets around the world.Even Germany, the opponent of World War I, the Soviet Union, the greatest enemy of capitalism, and American capital and consortiums do not dislike it. They invest and make money when they want to make money.As long as they can make money, those capital and financial groups don't care who the other party is, even if the opponent is a devil, they will trade with them.

This is the nature of capital.

Although American industrial products are sold globally, although they have also been blocked, they are still conquering the city.The strength of the United States, the world's largest industrial country, is very strong, and the combination of Britain and France is not an opponent of the United States in terms of industrial strength.

The United States is not afraid of anything now, except that there is no market for selling things.

If everyone let go of customs and competed together, the market of European powers would have been crushed by American industrial products.But how could those European powers make the United States so happy.

At the end of World War I, American industrial products were very popular in Britain and France.Because American industrial products are cheaper than British and French products.At that time, Britain and France had just come out of the war, and everyone had no money, so they liked American products very much.But these are middle class.

The United States is the least favorite of workers in Britain and France.

Because of the influx of American industrial products into Britain and France, the British and French industries, which had suffered heavy losses, were unable to rise, and the unemployment rate was very high.The unemployment rate is too high, seriously affecting the social stability of Britain and France.In order to guard against the United States, Britain and France, the two old imperialists, not only raised their own tariffs, but also resisted American industrial products.Moreover, it also raised its own colonial tariffs to prevent American industrial products from flowing into these colonial countries, and to exclude the United States, an industrial powerhouse, alone.

Therefore, the export of the United States has been greatly restricted.

The United States is an industrial country, and it can even be said to have excess capacity, and it urgently needs some new markets.Therefore, American capital and consortiums have taken a fancy to China.In addition, although the Chinese government has not completely liberalized the market, it is also conditional.Therefore, American capital and consortia poured into China, hoping to win the Chinese market.

After entering 1927, especially after GM and Ford opened factories in China, more and more American capital and consortia applied for investment in China.

In 1927, the Ministry of Commerce approved several investment projects in the United States one after another.Within this year, there were more than 100 factories invested and established by the United States in China, covering various aspects.

Starting from the production of radios, there are factories that produce telephones, telegraphs, and even light bulbs and toothbrushes.American capital quickly entered China, preparing to make money in China.

There are even many applications from Bank of America to build a bank in China, but China's current financial controls are relatively strict, so these applications have not been approved.In China at present, there are only a handful of foreign banks that have a financial license issued by the Bank of China and can set up banks in China.Moreover, they are basically left over from history. They have existed in China since the end of the Qing Dynasty, and they are not newly established.China mainly approves those factories that invest and build factories in China to produce industrial products.

Not only the United States, but also many British and French capitals have also passed the review of the Ministry of Commerce, allowing them to invest and build factories in China.

It can be said that after entering 1927, China's economy was very active.These funds for investment and construction of factories poured into China, energizing China's light industry.

At this time, on August 1927, 8, the Ministry of Commerce of China approved the investment that caused a sensation throughout the country.

Negotiations between the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and the Department of Commerce and Industry finally came to fruition.Everyone came up with a result that both parties were satisfied with, and finally reached an agreement.The Ministry of Energy agreed and the Ministry of Commerce approved, giving Standard Oil of New Jersey a 30-year oil and gas exploration right in the central and eastern part of Sichuan, and a 30-year exploitation right.

And as long as oil and natural gas are discovered, 35% of the oil and natural gas extracted will automatically belong to the Ministry of Energy, because these oil and natural gas are China's energy sources.That is to say, as long as oil and natural gas are discovered in the Sichuan Basin in the future, 35% of the income from the oil and natural gas exploited by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey will automatically belong to the Ministry of Energy.

Standard Oil of New Jersey disagreed at first, but finally backed off.With Standard Oil of New Jersey taking a step back, the Chinese government understands that Standard Oil of New Jersey must be aware of it.In other words, the central and eastern regions of Sichuan allocated to them for exploration and exploitation this time must have oil and natural gas.Had it not been so, Standard Oil of New Jersey would not have conceded so much.Although their experts have not drilled wells here, they have definitely carried out meticulous exploration.

This is just the beginning of the collaboration.

Standard Oil of New Jersey and the Ministry of Industry will have more cooperation projects in the future, that is, once the oil is extracted, the Ministry of Industry and Standard Oil of New Jersey will cooperate to establish an oil refinery and start refining on the spot.

And the Chinese government decided to establish China University of Petroleum in Chengdu.

The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey promised to help China establish the China University of Petroleum and help China cultivate petroleum talents.This is the first time that China has cooperated with a foreign energy company after taking back the national mining rights under the leadership of Duan Xun.Hand over the exploration rights and mining rights of a place to foreign energy companies for 30 years.

Therefore, since the announcement of this cooperation, it immediately brought huge criticism.

Public opinion is highly concerned.Mining rights have always been a measure of a country's sovereignty since the end of the Qing Dynasty, and defending mining rights has always been the slogan of those nationalists.But this time the government sold Sichuan's oil and gas resources to the Americans with great fanfare?

Many well-known newspapers that existed in the late Qing Dynasty began to publicly discuss this matter.Some radical newspapers even criticized this cooperation.The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Energy were all slammed by newspapers, and some civil groups even sent letters of protest to the cabinet.Duan Xun is required to re-examine this cooperation and not to lose national sovereignty.

At this time, articles signed by Duan Xun were published in major government newspapers and party newspapers.

This is the first time that Duan Xun publicly judged and explained China's current situation.Duan Xun publicly expressed his judgment that China is now a "backward and poor agricultural country".He also said that for a long time in the future "maybe ten years, maybe 20 years or 30 years", China will be in this stage for a long time.Everyone in China should understand this.And China's goal is to build China into a "developed and advanced industrial country."

Since China was bullied by foreign powers in the late Qing Dynasty, people from all walks of life in China have analyzed China a lot.But this time the situation is completely different.Because this is the first time that Duan Xun, as the prime minister of the cabinet, has made such a clear and clear judgment on China's current situation.Duan Xun is different from those previous scholars. Duan Xun is the prime minister of the cabinet. Duan Xun's judgment directly affects the country's policies.Therefore, many people pay close attention to Duan Xun's article.

In the article, Duan Xun first analyzed the situation in China to confirm which stage China is in.Then start talking about what we should do.

The meaning is very simple.

Face up to the status quo, admit the gap, and actively learn.There is no shame in admitting shortcomings, but it is shameful not to face up to the gap when there is a gap.If China wants to develop, it must admit these backward places and boldly learn from others.

Duan Xun also analyzed how to treat Western countries and Western culture.

Acknowledge the strength of Western countries and the importance of science and technology.For Western countries, we must boldly worship them as teachers, learn scientific knowledge from them, and learn from them what is better than us, so as to develop our science and our industry.

Reject the unreasonable and blind opposition to the West.

This is also the first time that Duan Xun has publicly stated his attitude towards Western countries and Western culture in so many years.

This article by Duan Xun is very influential.

Newspapers of the central government departments, newspapers of provincial governments, and party newspapers of the People's Party at all levels are all reprinting Duan Xun's article.Government newspapers and party newspapers all want to learn from Duan Xun's article, and of course reprint this article in large numbers.Many people even keep writing after-reading in order to flatter.

National public outcry.

Everyone is discussing Duan Xun's article.

At this time, the negotiations between the Chinese government and the US capital consortium continued. On August 1927, 8, less than half a month after Standard Oil of New Jersey was approved to explore and exploit oil in the Sichuan Basin, the Ministry of Commerce again approved a huge investment project.

The object of this cooperation project is the United States Steel Corporation, the largest steel company in the United States.

They are going to invest huge sums of money to build steel plants in China, and they are really large steel plants.For China, the annual pig iron production reaches 30 tons and 50 tons are the top steel plants.But on the side of the US steel plant, it is easy to invest in the construction of a steel plant with an annual output of one million tons.

The Ministry of Commerce approved the construction of a large-scale steel plant with an annual output of one million tons in Anshan by U.S. Steel Corporation.Because Anshan and Benxi in Fengtian are large iron mining areas with good iron ore reserves, they are suitable for the development of the iron and steel industry.However, there is also a requirement, that is, the U.S. Steel Corporation will help China build a large steel plant with an annual output of 50 tons in Anshan.

Duan Xun welcomes these factories very much.

Because the Great Depression is coming, China has to be prepared.But you can't really develop by leaps and bounds in things like industry, you should have a foundation in everything.

Just as the Soviet Union took advantage of the Great Depression in the United States to develop greatly, it was also because the Soviet Union had some foundations. In 1929, the industrial output of the Soviet Union had exceeded that of World War I, and the educational foundation of the Soviet Union was better than that of China.

Duan Xun also considered this way.

Before the Great Depression, at least there must be an industrial foundation, so that industry can be developed on the basis.

"Talk about the population flow carefully."

520

"Tell me about the specific situation."