Chapter 640: French new plan

Since ancient times, it has been easy to find problems and difficult to solve. Everyone can see the development difficulties facing France, and it is still a difficult problem to get rid of them.
Minister of Finance Alan: "Your Majesty, learn from the Austrians to develop colonies! France has more than 10 million square colonies. As long as it is developed, most of the domestic industrial raw materials can be solved."
"Developing a colony" is not the first time it has been proposed. As early as Napoleon III, the French government formulated an ambitious colonial development plan.
To this end, the French government has also launched a large-scale immigration program, which has millions of immigrants from the Balkans, Italy, and the mainland, filling North Africa.
The influx of immigrants has promoted the development of French Africa to a certain extent. Unfortunately, it ended in failure.
It is not that the French government does not work hard, it is useless to work hard. Except for the development of some precious minerals, other industries have not developed.
This is completely different from Austria. Austrian Africa can develop. There is a group of nobles and people who like farming, which has developed a plantation economy in the local area.
With more people settling in, the income of the colonial government also went up, the infrastructure gradually improved, and after the improvement of transportation, the surrounding minerals were gradually developed, forming a virtuous circle.
French Africa is different. French people have no love for farming. Everyone is only interested in precious metals such as gold and silver mines, and industries with low returns such as farms and plantations, no one is willing to invest.
The French are reluctant to invest, let alone other immigrants. Even if you want to build your own farm, plantation, you have to have money in your pocket!
Private capital is unwilling to enter, all relying on the French government's investment, naturally cannot persist for several years.
The local economy has not developed, and the mining industry is still cheaper with indigenous people. In this context, the French colonial development plan soon went bankrupt.
Minister of Economic Affairs Elsa: "Her marquis, it is so easy to restart the colonial development plan.
The biggest problem is that people are unwilling to invest in colonies. Even if they invest, they are only interested in mineral resources. There are too few people willing to invest in other fields.
The cost of trying to develop a colony on the strength of the government alone is too great. "
Finance Minister Allen: "We can increase government investment and introduce policies to encourage people to develop in the colonies. As long as we persist, we will succeed sooner or later.
Whatever the cost, it must be done. France has no shortage of technology. The domestic industrial development lags behind Britain and Austria, mainly because we lack sufficient cheap industrial raw materials.
If we cannot change the distress of industrial raw materials, our industry will never develop! "
The Minister of Economy, Elsa, shook her head: "Her marquis, you should talk to the nationalists and idealists outside, and they may support you.
In fact, we all know that domestic nobles, capitalists, and even ordinary people do not think so.
Shouting a few slogans is okay. If we really ask everyone to invest money in colonial construction, the first thing we can't avoid is the issue of income.
There is also a gap between the colonies and the colonies. On the surface, we are the third largest colonial empire in the world with unlimited scenery; but we have to admit that the value gap between our colonies, Britain and Austria, is too great.
You do n’t think that the vast desert is also valuable?
After removing the bad land, less than a third of the territory is left. A large part of this land is subject to geographical conditions and has no development value.
Even if it is developed, it may not be able to meet domestic demand. At least our largest coal resource is not available in French Africa. "
This is a real problem. Most of the French colonies, like Austria, are concentrated on the African continent, and most of them are in desert areas.
The harsh natural conditions and climatic environment have become the biggest difficulties constraining the development of French Africa. Investment and returns are not proportional, and capital will naturally abandon them.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen said indefinitely: "Coal resources are only found for a short period of time, which does not mean that there is no such thing in French Africa. We have too little development in these areas, and we can always find them if we continue.
Nuoda's African continent cannot be without coal resources. Be patient and send more prospecting teams to find out. There will always be gains. "
When he said that, Allen had no confidence. France had a long history of coal shortage. In order to solve the shortage of coal resources, Napoleon III sent a large number of prospecting teams.
It can not be said that there is no harvest at all, and a lot of coal mines have been discovered. Unfortunately, the reserves are too low and the development is difficult, and most of the coal mines have no economic value.
To say that the prospecting team does not work hard, that is too unjust. There is no such thing as a coal mine.
Secretary of the Army Patrice McMahon countered: "Her Marquis, this is only theoretical. In fact, the distribution of mineral resources is determined by God. It is not that the land area is large, there must be rich minerals.
If you want to solve the problem of coal shortage, it is better to find solutions directly from our neighbors than to hope that you are not pinned in unrealistic illusions. "
Patrice McMahon is a hawk in the French government, claiming to seize territories west of the Rhine, and is incompatible with the doves led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen. (Belgium, Rhineland, and parts of Baden)
Now that coal resources are involved, Patrice McMahon immediately took advantage of the topic and advocated a strategy of expanding to Central Europe.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alan uncritically accused: "Honest Marshal, if you can make Britain and Austria neutral, I don't mind developing towards China and Europe.
If this is not possible, it is best to dispel this unrealistic illusion, unless you want to experience another anti-French war across Europe. "
Secretary of the Army Patrice McMahon smiled sneer and said disdainfully, "Coward!"
"Now the international situation is very obvious. The hatred between the two countries is as deep as the sea. The second Russia-Prussian war may break out at any time, and it is simply unable to interfere in our actions.
Without the participation of the two countries, the Spanish government was affected by us, the Italian region was annexed by us, Switzerland declared eternal neutrality, and the Nordic Federation could not be reached in the north. What is the anti-French alliance?
As long as we are fast enough to create the established facts, small countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal dare not send troops at all.
The British Army has limited strength. The only effective intervention is Austria. What is there to fear? "
Without experiencing the failure of the Franco-Prussian War, the French were still proud. The Russian Empire did not fall behind. For political needs, the French government assumed the world's first army.
After a long time, I heard more touted, and the French military floated. Patrice McMahon was also inevitably affected, and gradually ignored other countries.
Foreign Minister Montero reminded: "His Marshal, one-to-one does not exist. Britain and Austria will certainly join forces. Perhaps the Army can ignore their threats, but the Navy cannot.
If we cannot win the war in the short term, we will face a protracted blockade. Besides, food alone is a big problem. "
Now the French are very confident in their own strength. The newspapers are bragging every day and listening for a long time. The Paris government is also confident in its own strength.
Of course, the high-level government has not been completely lost, and at most it has confidence in the Army. As for the navy, let's forget it. The royal navy is so prosperous that the French do not have the confidence to challenge.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen waved his hand: "Digression. Today we are convening an economic conference to discuss how to resolve the issue of Austria's joining the free trade system, not a military conference."
Seemingly understatement, it is actually warning Patrice McMahon to pass. The economic conference is the government's job, and the military cannot intervene.
Although the Secretary of the Army is also a member of the government, in actual work, his powers have been limited to the military field, and the government's economic policy has nothing to do with them.
...
Napoleon IV rubbed his forehead and wondered when the French government was used to quarreling.
Controversy in the cabinet is fairly harmonious. If it is to expand the meeting, it may even lead to hand-to-hand combat.
The relationship between the people below is not good, which is naturally beneficial to the emperor as arbiter, but it is a great harm to the efficiency of the government.
When everyone comes up with a result, everything is late. In order to improve government efficiency, Napoleon IV often had to end the game in person.
This approach is very harmful to the imperial power. But there was no way to arrange for his men to join, everyone did not buy it at all, Napoleon IV could only go on his own.
For example, the plan to restart the colonial development proposed by the Minister of Finance is obviously unpopular.
If Napoleon IV wanted to restart the colonial development plan, he had to personally give him a platform.
Seeing that the quarrel was inconclusive, Napoleon IV interrupted: "Don't discuss the solution for the time being, just list the plans first and see how many options we have.
If there is no choice, even the worst solution is better than no solution. We ca n’t wait anyway, it ’s chronic suicide! "
Obviously, they have little choice. As long as we join the free trade system, we must solve the problem of raw materials.
As for relying on the power of capital to promote industrial technological innovation, reduce production costs, maintain market competitiveness, and thus maintain current market share.
Sorry, this is idealism. There is no shortage of capital in France, which does not mean that France has no shortage of capital.
At first, everyone disliked the low rate of return of the real industry and was unwilling to invest in the real industry. If you join the free trade system, increase your competitors, and further thin out your profits, can you still count on capitalists to fail to invest?
Resuming the colonial development plan may not be the best option, but it is the only viable option right now.
In addition, this plan will not be rewarded in a short period of time. It will take another ten or twenty years for the real benefits to be realized.
Not to mention that it can completely solve the problem of insufficient raw materials in France, but most industrial raw materials can be self-sufficient and can be done.
The prerequisite is that the French plan can be successful and the colony is really developed, otherwise it should be embarrassed.
Forced by reality, with the support of Napoleon IV, the French government passed the Minister of Finance's "Restart Colonial Development Plan" with a slight advantage.
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