Holy Roman Empire

Since the British-British war, the Benjamin cabinet has fallen into a political vortex.Not to mention re-election, you need to work hard to complete this term.

The Colonial Department took responsibility for this. Colonial Minister Louis and Cape Town Governor Delphi resigned at the same time, and the opposition still refused to give up, catching the issue and chasing it down.

If the "Three Nations Alliance" was not used to attract the public's attention and shift the focus of public opinion, it is possible that Downing Street has changed its owner now.

This is not enough. If you want to cover up this stain, the cabinet must also make greater achievements in politics and diplomacy.

Relations with Russia are also part of it. Capitalists need to open up the Russian market and make more profits.

Against this background, Alexandrovich's visit to London was naturally welcomed by the London government.

...

"His Crown Prince, in principle, your country wants to borrow. We agree in principle. As long as you can persuade bankers, how much you borrow is not a problem."

Foreign Minister Macleans said gracefully that this is his real thought.As long as the Russians can persuade bankers, the London government will not interfere no matter how much money they borrow.

Alexandrovich frowned, and if he could convince the banker, he would not have to deal with the British Foreign Office.

"My Excellency, now we are in difficulty and need the help of your government."

When he said this, Aleksandrovich was strongly stimulated deep in his heart. In order to get a loan, he actually asked his crown prince to ask for help.

No way, people have to bow their heads under the eaves.If he did not go out in person, Aleksandrovich was sure that the bureaucrats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would definitely have no result.

This is not that they are incompetent, mainly because the British want to come to a political show to enhance the reputation of the government among the people.

Compared with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talking to him as Crown Prince can add more topics.

Aleksandrovich also needs this qualification to increase his prestige in the country.

Foreign Minister Maclean gave a slight smile and said calmly: "We are also happy to help our friends, but now we have a little trouble.

The tariff barriers set by your government have seriously affected the normal operation of relations between the two countries.If your country can join the free trade system, then these are not a problem.

This is a win-win option. Once you join the free trade system, your country ’s agricultural exports will not be subject to any restrictions.It will be of great help to solve the financial problems in your country."

The free trade system was proposed by the British in order to open markets in European countries.While expanding the British commodity market, it was accompanied by the pound-gold settlement system, or the promotion of currency hegemony.

The Russians are still pursuing the gold and silver standard system. Once they join this system, they must reform the gold standard currency system.

The reform of the Tsarist government ’s monetary system has already begun, but it has been carried out with the help of Austria.With the cold of relations between the two countries, the Russian currency reform also stagnate.

This allowed the British to see the opportunity and wanted to take the opportunity to replace it.The Aegis, the golden system that the Russians crossed from half a foot, into the pound-gold system, thus distanced them from the competition.

At present, three major systems are popular in the international currency market: the sterling-the gold system, the Aegis-the gold system, the franc-the gold, and the silver system.

There is no doubt that the British have two major gold producing areas in Canada and Australia. With so much colonial plunder accumulation, the pound-gold system naturally has the upper hand.

The Aegis-gold system is closely followed, and the domestic gold production in Austria is not low, and the supplement of gold from the African continent also occupies an important position in the international currency market.

However, there is still a long distance from the British. To make up for this gap, the Vienna government has always drawn Russians to join.

It's just that Alexander II did not want to be a younger brother, and this issue has never been discussed.After the tsarist government's financial crisis broke out, the two sides started negotiations again, but the gap between the bottom lines of the two parties was too great, and it was still a dead end.

In contrast, the French gold and silver standard system is more tragic.France's gold production is too low to meet demand, and it has to adopt a system of reversion.

Although most countries have mixed standards in this era, because the value of gold and silver coins often changes, it brings great difficulties to settlement.

To maintain the stability of the Franc's currency value, the French also tried their best.However, this still cannot stop the depreciation of silver.

Adopting the gold standard has insufficient production capacity, while adopting the silver standard has excess capacity.Silver production in this era has begun to skyrocket, and the growth rate far exceeds the growth rate of social wealth.

Alexandrovich was silent, and joining the free trade system dominated by the British was too broad to involve.

Don't look at the loan that Macleans said is not a problem. It sounds very good. In fact, the problem is too big.

Not to mention, once the tariff protection is lost, can Russia ’s fragile industry and commerce survive?

Why is there no industrial power in the British free trade system?It ’s not a worry, it is hit by domestic industry and commerce. In this era, British manufacturing is a guarantee of quality.

Economically affected, politically also affected.Joining the British-led free trade system, one must also consider Austria's response.

Don't look at the fact that the relationship between the two countries is getting colder, it is only political, and the non-governmental business contacts are still very close.

The second Russian-Russian war has emerged, and both sides are preparing for the war. At this time, the importance of Austria has become irreplaceable.

Even if it joined the free trade system of the British, the London government could not support the Russian Empire in the Russian-Russian war. Prussia and Poland were the loyal youngsters.

Of course, as long as the tsarist government is willing to abandon hatred and not avenge the two countries, then the British can also mediate the contradictions between the two sides.

This thought flashed through Alexandrovich's mind.He is not a false pacifist, but he is definitely not a Virgin Mary, and he will be so stupid that he cannot even position himself.

After thinking for a while, Aleksandrovich asked, "My Excellency, I also know the benefits of free trade.

Your country ’s industrial strength ranks first in the world. Once there are no tariff barriers, the country ’s nascent national industry may be destroyed in a short time.

At present, the industrial population of the Russian Empire has exceeded six million. Once problems arise, it will trigger a wave of unemployment, and it will seriously threaten national security.How to solve these problems?"

Marquis McLean explained unhurriedly: "His Crown Prince, you are really worried. Maybe there are many industries that will be affected, but your country also has many advantageous industries.

For example, agriculture, your country ’s agriculture has the most potential in Europe. Once it joins the free trade system, it will sooner or later surpass Austria.

The scale of the agricultural products processing industry in Austria, no one knows better than you.

If your country relies on the advantages of local grain production and develops a supporting processing industry, it is not afraid of anyone competing.

With the export of agricultural products alone, your country can create hundreds of millions of pounds in exports. Are the profits inside not enough to make up for deficiencies in other industries?

Not only is agriculture, your country is rich in resources, but also an inherent advantage.Once integrated, there is no fear of competition."

Alexandrović didn't show up on the face, and he was very disgusted in his heart.In addition to provoking Russian-Austrian relations, everything else is fake.

The international food market is saturated, and now the Russian Empire joins in, and at most it will take a slice of the pie.If you want to reach the level that Macleans said, you must first defeat Austria and then talk!

My family knows their own affairs. There is a serious gap between Russia and Austria in agricultural production technology. This cannot be made up overnight.

Poor natural conditions are also an important factor restricting the export of Russian agricultural products.Not to mention, the high freight cost alone increases the cost.

In addition to these problems, agricultural product processing technology is also a problem.First of all, these machinery and equipment must be imported, but the quality of locally produced machinery and equipment is not enough.

Second, the lack of skilled workers has led to a high rate of defective products produced.This is a common problem of Russian industry and commerce. Even if it is the same mechanical equipment, the defective rate they produce is higher than that of European countries.

So many problems, all added together, have greatly increased the cost. How can they compete with their opponents in the export of agricultural products?

The Russian empire is rich in resources, and one sentence should be added at the back-traffic is backward.No matter how rich the resources are, what else can you say?

It is okay to join the free trade system, but this requires the British to come up with benefits.Aleksandrovich needs tangible benefits, not an illusory painting.

"Your Excellency, what you said is just the direction of future development. In the short term, the Russian Empire will not gain any benefit from joining the free trade system.

But the price we have to pay is very heavy. Not only will the domestic industry and commerce be affected, but even the Russian-Austrian alliance will break down.This is not a peer-to-peer transaction, and friends should not be so hypocritical."

Alexandrovich deliberately increased his tone, expressing his dissatisfaction to Maclean.

...

In the first round of confrontation, the mutual tests of the two sides failed, and the negotiations came to an end.

However, Alexandrovich was indeed tempted, whether or not the British were painting cakes, but it was indeed very tempting to be able to gain the hegemony in the agricultural export market.

Just thinking about the competitors made him feel desperate.In this era, the Russian Empire was only exporting grain to the outside world, but not other agricultural products. There were not so many reasons for it. It was transportation.

Such as fruits and vegetables, shipped from the Russian Empire to European countries for sale, it will be almost rotten halfway.

Wheat, potatoes, beans, and corn are the fist products of the Russian Empire.The planting area of ​​cash crops is too small, and the export share is very small.

For example: cotton.Due to factors such as production technology, geographical conditions, and transportation, the Russian cotton lost its competitiveness.

These problems cannot be solved overnight. It is too difficult to make up for the shortcomings innate.

...