Chapter 193 The Road to German Unification, the Iron Chancellor!

Outside the sky.

Ying Zheng looked at the sky and saw the tragic scene of Germany being divided up by the great powers.

I also think of the wild power of the later unified Germany, which punched Poland, kicked France, and wiped out millions of Soviet people in a few months.

I can’t help but be filled with emotion.

"I once thought that Germany was a country that had always been strong in Europe."

“I didn’t expect Germany to be so terrible in the past!”

"According to the time given on the sky, the time between Germany being bullied and divided by the great powers and the Germany that later fought in World War II was only a hundred years."

"What made a Germany that was shattered into pieces, a Germany that no longer existed even in name?"

"Within a hundred years, it has risen rapidly."

"How can we become the strongest country in Europe, which is full of powerful enemies?"

Ying Zheng looked at it with even more curiosity.

【After the Napoleonic Wars. 】

【Under the leadership of Britain and Russia. 】

[The German Confederation was established, replacing the former Holy Roman Empire. ]

[But within the confederation, each state still enjoys independent rights. ]

[Because none of the European powers want to see a unified and powerful Germany rise in central Europe.]

[Returning to the Statue of Peace on the Brandenburg Gate, she still saw a divided Germany.]

【The reason why history is intriguing. 】

【Perhaps it lies in its complexity and subtlety. 】

[Napoleon the Conqueror brought humiliation to the land of Germany.]

【But he also became a driving force behind the rise and unification of the German nation. 】

[Napoleon used force to sweep away the feudal ruling order that had existed on German soil for thousands of years.]

【And spread the ideas of freedom and equality of the French Revolution throughout Germany. 】

【Under the influence of the ideas of the French Revolution, the German people increasingly sought to establish a unified and free country. 】

Qin Dynasty.

When Ying Zheng saw this, he felt vaguely uneasy.

Build a unified country?
This is naturally what Ying Zheng wanted to see.

For hundreds of years, several generations of the Qin Dynasty have worked hard to unify China.

The unity mentioned on the sky curtain.

Ying Zheng liked it very much.

Great unification, very good!

But what is the freedom and equality behind the sky?
Ying Zheng doesn't like those!

But the video was going to play on the sky screen, and Ying Zheng had no way to stop it, so he could only watch the sky screen more carefully.

On the canopy.

[Liszt was one of the most active figures in the process of German unification.]

[List believed that Germany must be unified in order to compete with powerful countries such as Britain and France. ]

【But it is difficult to achieve the unification of Germany through violence. 】

【It needs to be achieved through peaceful means. 】

[And List knew that the unification of Germany would be a long process. ]

【It cannot be achieved overnight through military means, but needs to be achieved gradually and in a step-by-step manner.】

[To this end, it is necessary to first establish an economic alliance within Germany. ]

[In the 19th century, most other countries still used war to resolve conflicts and disputes between countries. ]

【List, on the other hand, was ahead of his time in proposing to unify Germany through economic means. 】

[Because at that time, Germany's economic development was hindered by the country's division. ]

[There are countless states throughout Germany, which makes the circulation of goods very inconvenient. ]

[At its peak, there were more than 6,000 currencies circulating in Germany at the same time! ]

【Add to that various tariff barriers, and it’s even more exaggerated. 】

【It only takes a few hours to drive from Berlin to Switzerland now. 】

[At that time, it was necessary to pass through ten countries, go through customs procedures ten times, exchange currency ten times, and pay customs duties ten times. ]

[The taxes that need to be paid along the way even exceed the value of the goods themselves. ]

Therefore, there is a practical need to first establish an economic union and implement unified tariffs internally.

[It’s just that most of the states at the time were not very interested in List’s idea of ​​a pan-German customs union.]

[Because no country wants to eliminate tariffs, an important source of income. ]

【Liszt became persona non grata.】

【He became what Austria called a dangerous instigator.】

[For more than ten years, List traveled around the world and finally got his plan passed in Prussia.]

[On January 1834, 1, for the first time in hundreds of years, goods could pass through customs without stopping to pay customs duties on German soil.]

[On this day, the German Customs Union was officially established. ]

[Prussia, which ranked second in Germany at the time, also became the leader of the German Customs Union. ]

[Although Liszt was poor and sick, he eventually committed suicide in despair. ]

【But the customs union he proposed developed very quickly within Germany.】

[Later, almost all states had joined the customs union.]

【With Prussia as its center, Germany's economy circulated and developed rapidly. 】

[By the mid-nineteenth century, the total industrial output value of the Customs Union region had reached the third place in Europe, second only to Britain and France.]

【The goal of German economic unification was achieved. 】

【And political unification is imminent. 】

Outside the sky.

Ying Zheng showed an expression of sudden enlightenment.

I can’t help but praise List, the later generation, for his approach of putting economics first and politics second, and his proposed customs union.

"Wonderful, wonderful."

"I can see that Germany at that time had a large territory in Europe, but it was in a state of division."

"If we use war as a means to force unification."

"Those united states will never cooperate."

"At the same time, the surrounding powers such as Britain, France, and Russia will definitely not sit idly by and watch a certain state within Germany forcibly unify Germany by force."

"Use force to force unification."

"Whether internally or externally, it will cause fear in many countries."

"And through economic means, we can first form a whole, strengthen the connection between each other, and gradually make them inseparable."

"You can actually form a hardcore alliance in a less noticeable way."

"And finally form a unified Germany!"

"After all, they are all Germans, and they are also within the framework of the Holy Roman Empire or the German Confederation."

“Natural has a unified basis.”

Ying Zheng couldn't help but think of the Qin Dynasty back then.

Daqin is very strong.

But in the later period, he also suffered a lot because of his explosive notoriety.

They won the Battle of Changping, but did not dare to go east for 20 years. "If only Qin could have used economic means to build a Zhou Dynasty community of princes centered on Qin before unifying the world by force!"

"Then the road to unification will definitely be much easier."

"And we must note that when our Great Qin unified, there was not much external interference."

"At most the Huns will be slightly annoying."

“And there are so many powerful countries around Germany.”

“You have to be careful and keep a low profile.”

"It can be said that the Prussian customs union was indeed a masterstroke."

"This Liszt is amazing. He is simply the Shang Yang of German history!"

"It's just Prussia, only the second-ranked state in Germany."

"Who is ranked first? Austria? Is he just going to sit back and watch Prussia develop?"

"Austria allowed Prussia, the second country, to have the right to speak."

“Wouldn’t that mean Austria is marginalized?”

“This is a very unwise decision.”

Three Kingdoms.

Zhuge Liang saw that with the establishment of the Customs Union, relations between German countries became closer.

Prussia, which was originally ranked second, has become the state with the greatest voice in Germany.

After thinking for a few seconds.

Zhuge Liang's eyes suddenly lit up.

"It is clear that Prussia has become the economic leader and manager of other German states."

“After the economy, the voice in politics will definitely become bigger and bigger.”

"Conquer the enemy without fighting! Unify the country in a peaceful way!"

"fantastic!"

"I wonder if there is a way for our Han Dynasty to gain economic dominance across the country when we only have a small corner in the southwest?"

“It’s not just the income advantage, but making the other party financially dependent on us.”

Zhuge Liang was thinking.

But Zhuge Liang felt that the current situation of the world was divided into three parts.

There is still a big difference between this and the situation in Germany on the sky, where there are dozens or hundreds of states.

Maybe it was relatively easier during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

And the sky continues.

【By the time of the European Revolution in 1848, the wave swept across Germany.】

[The original feudal monarchs of many states were overthrown.]

[Representatives of the emerging states gathered to discuss the establishment of a new Germany similar to the United States.]

【But while Parliament is still in session. 】

[The old feudal monarchs gathered a powerful force to counterattack. ]

【The parliament was in disarray. 】

【The failure of this parliament also declared that peaceful reunification through parliament is impossible to succeed.】

[So, how to achieve the unification of Germany? ]

[Who will take on the historical responsibility of unifying Germany? ]

The sky is now.

A world-famous oil painting was given a close-up.

There are many people in black uniforms in the painting.

But there was only one old man, wearing a white uniform, who was particularly conspicuous.

Even more conspicuous than the emperor in the oil painting.

The close-up finally focuses on Bismarck in his white uniform.

[Bismarck also played a very important role in the whole process of German unification. ]

【Because he played so well. 】

[So much so that Bismarck became a role model for many prime ministers of developing countries to follow.]

[For example, Li Hongzhang, a senior official of the Qing Dynasty who was known as the Bismarck of the East, once traveled thousands of miles to Europe to visit him.]

【During the Meiji Restoration in Japan, the first Home Minister was Okubo Toshimichi. 】

[He also regarded himself as the Bismarck of the East. ]

[So how did Bismarck lead the unification of Germany? ]

【First, when Bismarck was just appointed Prime Minister of Prussia. 】

【He gave a famous speech.】

[Bismarck said firmly in parliament: The major issues of the day cannot be resolved through speeches and majority resolutions.]

【It is inevitable that the goal will be achieved through a severe struggle, a struggle that can only be resolved through iron and blood. 】

[From then on, Bismarck was also known as the Iron Chancellor]

"Barrage: Li Hongzhang is far inferior to Bismarck!"

"Li Hongzhang, just a paperhanger."

"Li Hongzhang's ability was not bad, but the Qing Dynasty could not compare with the booming Germany at that time."

"Seeing the scene where Li Hongzhang was welcomed by the Germans, I was overwhelmed with emotions!"

"The Greatest German Chosen by Germans."

"Iron-blooded speeches are awesome, but the truth is only within the range of cannons!"

"Although he is the Iron Chancellor, in fact, Bismarck is a sneaky growth type. "

"Germany is a late-developing country with only one-third of the history of the United States. It is already very impressive that it has achieved that level in the end."

Outside the sky.

Famous officials in ancient China.

Bismarck of later generations led the unification of Germany and was highly respected.

They are all very interested.

Qin Dynasty.

Li Si saw on the sky that Bismarck had become a world-famous iron-blooded chancellor respected by many countries in later generations, including the Qing Dynasty of China.

I feel a little envious.

"Iron Blood? Is he a very powerful warmongering Prime Minister?"

"He has become a great contributor to the unification of Germany."

"And leave your name in history."

"Then how will future generations evaluate me, who also contributed to the unification of the Qin Dynasty?"

Three Kingdoms.

Zhuge Liang was also concentrating, looking at Bismarck on the sky.

At the same time, I observed Bismarck's facial expressions and tried to analyze Bismarck's governing style in later generations through physiognomy.

tomorrow.

Zhang Juzheng also smiled and said:

"Just now when I was watching the introduction of Bismarck on the screen, someone mentioned me in the comments, saying that I was the iron-faced prime minister Zhang Juzheng."

"Then I wonder if Bismarck's style is very similar to mine?"

(End of this chapter)