章節 44: Chapter 44
I apologize for the inconvenience in the two chapters. I reviewed the chapter and scheduled the publication for a specific time, everything was fine, all in English, but this morning when I saw the chapter, it turned out like this. Again, I don't know what happened, and I apologize.
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When Wilhelm confidently placed the two hundred million promissory note on Wilhelm II's table, Wilhelm II's expression was quite remarkable. He opened his mouth and took a moment before asking, "How did you manage to do this?"
Wilhelm shrugged, looking rather relaxed. "It's not that difficult. As long as you study economic history, you'll realize that economic crises occur cyclically every few years. I happened to seize the beginning of this crisis and with a little manipulation, the money fell into my hands." Of course, all of this was just nonsense. If it weren't for knowledge of future events, who knows how sudden and intense this financial crisis would have been?
"..." Wilhelm II couldn't help but feel regretful. If he had known, he would have given Wilhelm a little more money when he borrowed it.
But there must have been an element of luck in this success. What if he had given him billions or tens of billions and lost everything? That would truly be regrettable. "So, tell me, what will happen after this stock market crisis?"
After pretending to ponder for a while, Wilhelm answered, "If I'm not mistaken, this stock market crisis in the United States will evolve into a global economic crisis. It will be an inevitable disaster."
According to data from the original timeline, the number of bankrupt companies during this global economic crisis was 140,000 in the United States, with nearly 10,000 affected banks. Germany had 60,000 bankruptcies, and the United Kingdom had 32,000. The total number of unemployed workers in the capitalist world surpassed 30 million and, including partially unemployed, reached 40 to 45 million!
This economic crisis quickly spread from the United States to other industrialized countries. For millions of people, life became a struggle for food, clothing, and shelter. Countries strengthened protectionist measures to protect their own interests, further exacerbating the deterioration of the global economy. This became a major root cause for the outbreak of World War II. The Great Depression also caused serious social problems: approximately 2 to 4 million high school students dropped out during the Great Depression. Many people couldn't bear the physical and psychological pain and resorted to suicide. Social order deteriorated rapidly.
The most significant problem was unemployment. In the United States, the total number of unemployed reached 8.3 million, with lines of the poor waiting for relief food stretching for several blocks in various cities. In the United Kingdom, 5 to 7 million people were unemployed and had to wait in long lines at labor exchanges. The disaster caused by the Great Depression in the United States was unprecedented in human history. The Great Depression in the United States from 1930 to 1933 saw severe economic crises, widespread hunger, and widespread malnutrition across the country, leading to a significant number of abnormal deaths. The most conservative estimate is that at least 7 million people died, representing approximately 7% of the United States' population at that time.
Wilhelm II asked timidly, "Don't you have plans to deal with this economic crisis?"
Wilhelm shook his head decisively. "No, unless Germany becomes a communist country like the Soviet Union and changes its economic system." The reason for capitalist economic crises is the contradiction between socialized production and private ownership of capitalist means of production. The public ownership in the Soviet Union would not trigger such an economic crisis. The only beneficiary of this global economic crisis is the Soviet Union because it did not integrate into the capitalist world economy and was not affected by the major crisis. Instead, it developed during the crisis. "And even if there were a way, I wouldn't implement it."
The last sentence caught Wilhelm II off guard. "Why?" After all, the German Empire was his future. Could he just stand by and watch his empire fall into chaos and turmoil?
"I am also considering the interests of the monarchy," he replied. After World War I, Germany's political system was forced to transition from a dual monarchy to a parliamentary monarchy. Although Wilhelm II gradually regained some power in the last decade, the parliament still held significant authority.
Therefore, he intended to seize the opportunity presented by the global economic crisis to reverse the political system back to a dual monarchy!
American writer John Toland once described in a book: in Germany, hatred spread throughout the country like a plague; the victims of the economic crisis directed their anger against the more fortunate. Small shopkeepers forced to close their doors cursed the department stores, while millions of unemployed harbored resentment against workers and 'bosses'. Countless university graduates found their futures blocked and vented their despair on various employers. The economic crisis hit almost every social class. Farmers carried heavy tax burdens, with low prices for agricultural products, looking down upon city dwellers. White-collar workers faced massive unemployment and envied the farmers because they had crops to harvest. According to Erich Kästner, "The economic crisis dealt a heavy blow to the lower middle class, gradually corrupting the morality of the entire nation and destroying its ability for rational thought. The psychological despair that accompanies material scarcity is disastrous for any nation, and for Germans, who were educated to see work as the purpose of life, unemployment leaves them idle, signifying a collapse of morality as a whole."
In the original timeline, the Weimar Republic was lost when facing post-war economic collapse and social unrest. They failed to take effective measures to address the existing challenges. During the crisis, the government implemented policies that harmed the interests of the middle and lower classes, causing them to lose economic security. They completely lost hope in the government, feeling that the Weimar Republic did not represent their interests but served as the mouthpiece of monopolistic capital. The Weimar Republic became synonymous with social instability and 'national shame'.
Although the current government is not the original Weimar Republic, they are equally incompetent in governance. Wilhelm believes that the government will still be powerless in the face of the upcoming economic crisis. As long as he makes some moves behind the scenes, forcing the current government and parliament to collectively resign won't be difficult. When all power is returned to the monarchy, he will intervene to save the situation.
After hearing Wilhelm's plan, Wilhelm II nodded and couldn't help but sigh. "Why didn't grandpa find you so talented before?"
At that time, he was just a playboy. "Grandpa, I've always had this talent. It's just that I had older and younger brothers, one more or one less made no difference. I didn't need to show my abilities. Back then, I still wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and become a free explorer or something. Now, I'm the only one left. If I don't do anything, what will happen to the empire? Will I let it be destroyed?
Wilhelm II dropped the documents in his hands and sincerely praised him. "You've worked hard, boy."
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