Bismarck's abrupt resignation shocked the whole of Europe, because Bismarck had always preached that Germany did not need a strong navy, so it had a very high praise in Britain, and half a year ago he reached a colonial exchange treaty with Britain that made the British happy to establish the East Africa 2C plan, so Bismarck's departure surprised them very much. And because Bismarck's full support for France in Asian and African colonial affairs in order to divert France's hatred of Germany made the French also shocked by his departure, the former French President Griffey, who once declared in 1883 that he "deeply felt Bismarck's kindness to France for 13 years after the Franco-Prussian War", commented on Bismarck's resignation: "Now I know that the Germans are really ungrateful, and for us in France, even if he is as high as the sky, it is not enough to show our praise for Bismarck." [Note 1] When these words reached Jochen's ears, he could only make Jochen pout, and anyone could shoot with a cannon on his mouth, and he said something nice, and it was you guys who wanted to kick Germany into hell.

Of course, not everyone lamented Bismarck's departure, for the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I wrote to Frederick III in which he wrote: "Neither Bismarck nor Metternich (Note 2) were unfortunate to be able to retire in a hurry, and they were in office for too long. ”

In Germany, the bourgeoisie and the working class, which had become the main political force in the country because of Bismarck's domestic and foreign policies, were equally happy to see Bismarck's departure come to fruition. In this way, Bismarck, who ended his 28-year career as prime minister, caused countless sighs, marking the end of an old era and the beginning of a new era.

After Bismarck's departure, Frederick III appointed Caprivi as the new Chancellor of the Kingdom of Prussia and Chancellor of the German Empire. Moreover, although Caprivi is not as talented as Bismarck, he is decent, and he is more broad-minded than Bismarck on economic issues, and more importantly, he is not as unruly as Bismarck. Soon after Caprivi came to power, Frederick III ordered Caprivi to repeal King William IV's 1852 decree that "a minister shall not report to the monarch in the absence of a prime minister." Historically, Wilhelm II's order led to the quarrel between Bismarck and Bismarck, and the current smooth passage is guò.

And when Caprivi came to power, he had to face an increasingly severe economic crisis, which can be said to be difficult for a newly appointed prime minister.

On March 29, 1890, a week after Caprivi became Prime Minister of the Empire, faced with the current economic difficulties, Caprivi came up with a series of solutions to the country's problems and asked Frederick III to decide.

"In the last month, the stock markets in Berlin and Frankfurt have plummeted, the volume of transactions has fallen sharply, and there have been cases of bankruptcies of enterprises and factories one after another, although large enterprises can still operate normally, because there has been no large-scale unemployment among workers, the overall situation is relatively stable, and small-scale strikes and rallies can be dealt with relatively quickly. But if the situation continues, the consequences are difficult to predict. ”

"So what are your plans?" Frederick III asked.

"If we want to fundamentally solve the problem, we still have to rely on exports, although our previous commercial agreement with the Russians allows us to continue to export industrial products to Russia, but due to the impact of the economic difficulties of the whole Europe, the Russians have also increased their control over imports, so our exports have shrunk slightly. After the signing of the agreement, China's industrial products accounted for about 46 percent of the Russian market, and although it was lower than more than 50 percent before the deterioration of relations between the two countries, the total amount was still considerable. So I could negotiate with Austria-Hungary and Romania and sign commercial agreements to increase the export of industrial goods. Caprivi replied. Indeed, increasing exports is the best solution, and it is precisely because of these two trade agreements that Caprivi has been awarded the title of Earl. Now that Germany is supported by the Russian market, there is plenty of time to fight for maximum benefits.

"If you can reach an agreement with Austria-Hungary and Romania, of course it would be good, you just let it go. But it takes time to negotiate, and in that time, how do you plan to deal with domestic issues. Frederick III asked.

"The main job of the empire now is to maintain stability, so we are ready to move forward with the labor protection bill and the new wage system, and we are ready to appease the workers' movement and we are ready to issue handouts."

"It's going to put more pressure on business owners, and the state is putting too much of a burden on it, but there's really no better way, so let's do it." Frederick III sighed.

"Father, Your Excellency Prime Minister, please allow me to say a few words." Joechen on the side spoke.

"What else can you do? Let's hear it. Frederick III agreed.

"Yes, father. Your Excellency Prime Minister's increased export is indeed the best way to solve the problem. However, we cannot ignore increasing domestic demand. Jochen replied.

"Now that the country is in such a recession, how can we expand demand?" Frederick III asked.

"Father, Your Excellency Prime Minister, it is precisely because of the recession that we have to expand our internal demand. to stimulate the continuous operation of production. Therefore, the introduction of a new labor protection law and a new wage system is not only not a burden, but a good thing, because with money in hand, these people can continue to buy goods, so that the production of goods can continue. Although the pressure on business owners has increased, it is better than production stopping and then going out of business, or the production of what is produced is not bought, causing the price to fall, and then in order to maintain costs, producers would rather throw away these products than sell them at a low price. At this time, I think the government should strengthen the adjustment and control of the market to maintain the stability of prices. Continuing to strengthen our ability to intervene in the market at some point will give us a stronger ability to recover in times of crisis than countries that insist on a free economy and allow the market to regulate itself. ”

"It is true that it is relatively easy to strengthen the central government's intervention and regulation of the market in light of China's situation. And then through the intervention of the state to adjust supply and demand, and then increase the purchasing power of the masses to maintain the sustainability of production? Frederick III groaned, then looked up and asked, "Is there anything else?" ”

"As a result of the economic crisis, the banking sector has been hit, and behemoths like the Bank of Bahrain are in danger of being run, and we are in crisis this time because of the mistakes of foreign investment. Therefore, let the state intervene to carry out a comprehensive investigation and rectification of the banking industry, and standardize the rules for foreign investment. To restore the bank's credibility, at least avoid a run. ”

"It's still about stepping up central intervention, right? While it is indeed possible, will this break the rules of finance, Your Highness? Caprivi asked.

"This may be true for other countries, but our German cartel is a form of super-monopoly of the nature of the state, and it is not subject to the capitalist free economy in the first place. And when the economic crisis gets worse and worse, others will be forced to abandon the so-called rules. Jochen asserts, referring to the strong intervention of the Republic in the Hong Kong financial crisis, the rules of capitalist finance? Who birds you? Don't play if you can't afford it.

"Then there will be more money, and more money will need to be issued, which will cause inflation (Note 3). Of course, because even if there is an additional issuance, because the amount of gold is limited, the amount of additional issuance is very limited, we have to go to the world to buy gold, and then carry out additional currency issuance. ”

"But Your Highness, how can any country sell gold now." In Caprivi's opinion, the first two constructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are quite reliable, but this one is purely whimsical. Everyone is on the gold standard, and in this case, they all want more gold, who will sell it.

"Go to the countries that are on the silver standard, the Qing in the Far East, and the United States, where they are implementing the gold and silver standard. In short, no matter what means are used, before other countries react, they can collect as much as they can. In fact, Jochen is now a dead horse and a horse doctor, and he vaguely remembers that the United States had a period of time in the process of absorbing silver and selling gold. I can't remember the specifics, but anyway, let's try it first, and I won't lose money anyway.

"Yes, now you can add a little gold to issue more currency, try it. Gold from the royal treasury can also be lent out first. Jochen, you have all that gold production in Africa, you know? Frederick III ordered.

"Of course, father, it is also my wish to help the empire through this crisis. The gold can be handed over to the Imperial Government and does not need to be returned, I only need the Imperial to exchange it in kind. Gold can be used to issue additional money, while physical exchange can increase demand for goods, giving the best of both worlds. Jochen bargained. In fact, Jochen was very impressed by Frederick III's willingness to use the royal gold reserves for emergencies. After all, this kind of monarch with national interests, that is, royal interests, can be said to have no existence in Europe, think of his cousin Nicky, who had hundreds of tons of gold in private assets when Tsarist Russia fell, and if he had been willing to use it earlier to improve Russia's domestic situation, perhaps the end would not have been so miserable.

"The Empire will remember your generosity, Your Highness, and what kind of kind do you want?" Grateful for the royal family's decision, Caprivi bowed to Jochen

"We'll discuss this later, and we're not in a hurry now, let's move on to domestic issues. I have a different view on benefits. If we just blindly distribute relief to appease the workers, the state finances will be burdened, and a large number of unemployed people will have nothing to do, so I think that the relief money is only for those who lack the ability to work, and the unemployed young and middle-aged people should let them know that 'if they don't work, they can't eat', and we can't support them in vain. Since these laborers are no longer working for the factories, let them work for the imperial government. ”

Note 1: Actually, this is not what Greave said, here is Zhang Guan Li Dai Note 2: Clemens Metternich was a well-known Austrian politician who served as Prime Minister of Austria

Note 3: In the early days, inflation referred to an increase in the amount of money in circulation, but now it is a determinative term for prices to skyrocket along with the increase in money