Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1272 Offensive and Defensive Psychology ([-])

Franklin was also speechless, and in the end, Massachusetts, out of the last "patriotic enthusiasm", offered a compromise plan: you go to London and talk to London to cancel the "Currency Control Act" and allow us to Continue to issue paper money by yourself, and London merchants must not refuse to accept paper money issued by North America itself to pay off debts, and promise to give us the monopoly of the ginseng trade after the war, then we can consider doing it again.

And we ask that the East India Company stay out of it.We dug up ginseng here, went directly to Songjiang to trade it, and allowed us to buy Songsu’s cotton cloth porcelain tea, otherwise nothing else, we would not be able to donate money and materials to fight the war.

The state of Massachusetts put forward such a condition, and it is a condition to directly lift the "Currency Control Act" and allow it to issue banknotes by itself.

For the rest of the states, naturally, many conditions were put forward.

The attitudes of the states are quite inconsistent.

Anglophile.

Anti-British.

neutral.

Watching the theater.

Smuggled.

I wish I could sell my own goods in 20 or 30 years, sell sugar from the French colonies, and sell cattle to the Spanish colonies...

Etc., etc.

Upper decision decided by the economic background.

The attitude and the root cause here are still economic problems.

And it's very complicated. Dashun, a terrible producer with extremely low labor costs and high handicraft production efficiency, can't understand "If there is no ocean to block everything we use, everything we use is made in China." After actively participating in global trade economic problems.

Different states, or even people of different classes and occupations within a state, have inconsistent attitudes toward Britain, mercantilism, and free trade.

To put it simply, saying that the "Navigation Act" and "mercantilism" led to the uprising in the thirteen states of North America was a cruel oppression of the colonies, and it is a very imprecise way of shaping a correct understanding.

Historically, between the thirteen states and the British mainland, at least before 1750, the thirteen states had a trade surplus.

Moreover, the fact that mercantilism protected the start of domestic industry is not a word.

The Acts of Navigation and mercantilism did, to a certain extent, protect the development of industry and commerce in the thirteen states of North America, and carried them through their infancy.

A simple analogy: when you eat the tenth steamed bun, you are almost stuffed to death, so you say that eating steamed buns is not good for you?

Whether it is the development of handicrafts or the budding of industries, they did not just fall out of thin air.

There must be workers.

There must be resources.

There must be a market.

What was America like in the early days?If there is no mercantilism and the strict navigation regulations of the United Kingdom, the industry and commerce that would be dumped by France and the Netherlands would not be able to develop at all.

Even backward countries like Sweden and Russia can export to North America, if there is no navigation regulations and mercantilism protection.

At least, upfront yes.Now that the novice protection period has passed and it has developed, that's another story.

To give a simple example, the booming iron smelting industry in North America.

If there were no mercantilism and the "Navigation Regulations", then Russia relied on the serf service system and was the number one producer of pig iron in Europe at this time; Sweden's iron rods were also backed by high-quality iron ore.

Would iron smelting develop in North America without tariff protection?

In the initial stage, it was washed to death by Sweden and Russia.

Not to mention the large mines in Sweden, Russia has implemented a system of serfs serving in factories on a regular basis since Peter, which made Britain need to import Russian pig iron for a long time.

However, history is always like this.

Because of mercantilism and navigation regulations, North America was protected from barrenness to develop industry and commerce, and it was not washed away by cashmere from the Netherlands, wine from France, iron from Northern Europe, and leather from Russia at the initial stage.

However, because of their development, they no longer satisfy the narrow British market. Capital has accumulated and industries have developed, and they need a larger and broader market. Therefore, mercantilism and the "Navigation Regulations", card on a subtle threshold.

The threshold so far has a clear north-south dividing line.

The northern states, at this point alone, can be clearly said to have been the beneficiaries of the regulations of navigation and mercantilism.

The Southern States, at this point alone, can be definitively said to be victims of the regulations of navigation and mercantilism.

The industry and commerce of the northern states, without the protection of the early tariffs, would die.

Why is 1750 generally used as the threshold for gain or loss?
From the perspective of the general environment, in the 1750s, England officially eliminated the homesteaders, and the industry began to develop greatly. The industry in London began to need markets and raw materials, and tried to occupy the high-end market.

Its symbol is the "Steel Act" of 1750, which requires North America not to develop metal cutting industry, but encourages North America to develop iron smelting industry.

British law is full of loopholes.

For example, the "Manchester Act" carefully studied by the Dashun Smuggling Group prohibits the production of pure cotton cloth, but if hemp or wool is added to it, even if you add one piece, it is not pure cotton cloth in theory.

Similarly, cast iron, pots, iron pots, etc., are the steel cutting industries?Obviously not, the cutting iron industry is the upstream technology at this time, high profit and high value-added industry, not to say that iron and steel are not allowed.

For example, "North American Iron and Steel Company", after the introduction of this bill, London's financial capital invested in Pennsylvania, and invested 230 million taels of silver at one time.

The thirteen states in North America do not want to be a low-end industrial chain, do not want to be a source of raw materials, but want to engage in high value-added industries, which is of course legitimate and reasonable.

From a progressive perspective, Liu Yu even opposed Dashun's own Western Trading Company and Eastern Trading Company. If it wasn't for the purpose of forcing them to train sailors and force them to build long-distance ships to enhance their war potential, he would definitely want to spray this model .

However, the current reality in the northern state is that the goods from Dashun continue to be sent to North America under the name of "Nordic industrial products".

The industrially developed states of the North, or the industrial capitalist blocs of the North, were greatly threatened by "Nordic" industrial products.

Cheap Manchester equivalents mixed with wool.

cotton.

porcelain.

silk.

ironware.

brass.

wood.

lacquerware……

Almost the entire industry's impact, even including muskets.

Under such circumstances, the northern states, which are already at the threshold, are about to transform to high-end industrial chains and high value-added industries, are no longer satisfied with the small market of the United Kingdom, and mercantilism has in turn damaged productivity progress. ideas.

Is it to embrace free trade and be washed to death by Eastern... er, "Nordic" industrial products?
Or embrace mercantilism and engage in intra-imperial trade cycles?
The most anti-British northern state in history, in Dashun, or under the impact of Dashun’s industrious working people, turned out to be extremely reactionary—except for Massachusetts—supporting British mercantilism and navigation regulations.

The southern states, that is, those states where the pro-British and anti-British factions in history can each pull out militias to fight, are even more chaotic.

This is determined by the economic basis.

The southern state is a plantation economy, growing tobacco, indigo, rice, cotton, etc., which were planted by black slaves and white indentured slaves. They can only be shipped back to the UK for sale first, and they are not allowed to sell to other European countries privately. They do not have the high tariffs of mercantilism, and they can live well, and they are definitely better than they are now.

London's financial capital group also prefers to control the southern states, and has obtained financial capital's substantial control over the plantation industry by using the maritime regulations and the mercantile policy of not entering the sea for private transactions with other countries.

The thirteen states in North America owed a total of 1500 million taels of silver to the financial capitalists in London, of which 1300 million taels were owed by plantation owners in the south.

The most basic routine: Collect a wave at a high price and provide loans to the manor owner. You see the price is so high, hurry up and buy more slaves and open up more land to expand your business. If you need money, I will lend you... Then, lower the price.

In this way, not only the interest is obtained, but also cheap raw materials can be obtained at a low price, which can be sold after returning to London, and one field can eat two.

Moreover, there are real estate and slave mortgages, and there is no fear of not paying back the money in the future.

However, these plantation economies are politically conservative and feudal, and their moral system is also biased towards the ethics of monarchs and ministers in the feudal era.

For example, the primogeniture system with feudal characteristics—this is an important feudal law abolished by the French Revolution, and the symbol of the Great Revolution that carried out the anti-feudal cultural revolution and shaped the bourgeois culture.

For the manor owners, will they support "all sons can inherit" or will they support "the eldest son inherits"?
10000 mu of plantation, divided into subdivisions, divided into offspring, one child, 20 mu of land and one cow?

Or support the eldest son inheritance system, gather capital, and continue to expand the industry?

This is a question of their political orientation, very simply, an economic issue, and economic issues shape cultural, moral, political orientation, etc.

For the UK itself, they are not very anti-British. The proportion of being pro-British and loyal to the monarch is relatively large-this also involves the British government's subsidies for plantations, such as some industries, such as indigo monopolized by Dashun and France. There are agricultural subsidies.

However, most people in the southern states opposed British mercantilism.

The demand for tobacco in Europe is soaring. Even the fucking Spaniards can grow tobacco and earn money. These southern planters can't sell their own cigarettes. They can only sell them to the UK and ship them back to London. With free trade, they can earn 30% more.

Furthermore, the combination of financial capital and feudal administrative monopoly power caused by the navigation regulations combined to lower prices, and the plantation owners really couldn't bear it.

Then, they wanted to grow olives, cotton, etc., and sell them to southern Europe and France, but Britain refused.

Then again, Britain must be over in West Africa this time, and the slave trade must have changed hands.Mixing with the British, not to mention the disadvantages of farming, I am afraid that buying slaves in the future will be a problem.

Upper decision decided by the economic background.

As far as the plantation industry in the south is concerned, how good is it that I have the whole of Europe as a market?Why can I only sell to the UK?Tobacco, cotton, olives, cattle and horses, indigo... who doesn't want these things?Dashun's specialty is selling handicraft products, and they can't attack these raw materials.I can sell high prices and buy cheaper cotton, porcelain, silk luxury goods, why don't I embrace free trade?

The industrial bourgeoisie in the north, in view of the fact that smuggling in Dashun has been too rampant in the past few years, and the impact is too great, they have realized more and more that the navigation regulations and mercantilism are to protect them-there are gains and losses, compared with the British. The meat gnawed on its own bones, and it was natural to be dissatisfied when there was no Dashun to smuggle it, but now that Dashun and his gang can sell cotton cloth at this price, it's so fucking impossible for them to gnaw on the bones.

In addition to the typical economic foundations caused by these typical industries, they are pro-British, anti-British, pro-free trade, and anti-mercantilism.

There is another group of people who are... how should I put it, they can be regarded as typical representatives of "the commercial bourgeoisie without a motherland".

Like smugglers.

Its typical characters such as famous philanthropists, bloody slave traders, great merchants, shameless smugglers, well-known victims of persecution by France's religious policy, fish and supplies for enemy navies, free trade without borders Peter Faneuil, Donor of Faneuil Hall in Boston, Builder of the Cradle of Liberty, and more.

The attitudes of these big businessmen are actually quite ambiguous.

Well, smugglers, especially those with strong connections, like high tariffs and mercantilism.

What free trade or tariff reduction hurts is precisely the smugglers—the Boston tea party event, because the tea tax was lowered, and regular customs tea was cheaper than smuggled tea, so tea was poured.

So, do smugglers support free trade?
Apparently, they don't actually support it.

They say that [-]% support free trade.

For example, when Peter Faneuil was captured by a British anti-smuggling ship, he was providing water, wine and fish to French warships that were at war with the North American colonies.

In the face of punishment, he said with righteousness: trade should have no borders, and this kind of government with anti-smuggling departments is a manifestation of tyranny, so I am right.

but……

But in fact, he does not support free trade, because he made his fortune mainly in the profitable smuggling business. If there is free trade, smuggling can still earn a hammer?

Why is smuggling so easy these years?

Because Britain, France and Spain are fighting all day long, Britain has no energy to manage these smugglers.

It is also because the competition between Britain and France and Spain requires the support of the colonies, so I can only turn a blind eye and close one eye, and dare not really care about it.

This incident was very famous in the Seven Years War in history: the supplies in the areas blocked by the United Kingdom in France were transported by North American smugglers.

The pass that North American smugglers can get across the blockade is bought from British officials with money.

The price is clearly marked, and the old man is not deceived.

For another example, these days, there is no steam engine in the Caribbean, and those islands in France that grow sugar cane are in urgent need of cattle and horses.

Cows and horses are needed to squeeze sugar cane, otherwise sugar cane cannot be turned into sugar juice by itself.Tropical islands are definitely not as convenient as North American continents to raise this thing, and smuggling is very profitable.

The more severe the blockade, the higher the selling price and the more you can earn.

For another example, selling supplies to warships of belligerent countries is all cash and silver transactions, with at least 150% profit.

Therefore, at least during the war, before the price that Dashun really wants to negotiate is revealed, or before the plan is exhausted.

The attitude of these smugglers in the thirteen states who have made a fortune because of war, blockade, mercantilism, and navigation regulations is naturally very clear: fight!Hit hard!It would be good to beat him for ten or twenty years!Why not fight?
Fighting means that the anti-smuggling force is weak and there are loopholes everywhere.

Fighting, because the British are gentle, and they dare not punish them severely if they are caught, otherwise they are afraid that the North American colonies will be rebelled by the unfair treatment of these "big philanthropists".

If we admit that the world is material.

If it is admitted that the economic base determines the superstructure.

If we admit that the problems in North America are not simply patriotic, unpatriotic, ethnic, or non-ethnic, but economic problems, industrial problems, market problems after the development of productive forces, problems of upgrading the industrial chain, and being impacted by "Nordic" industrial products Questions and more...

Then, Benjamin Franklin, the most loyal North American Briton recognized by the British government at this time, even with love for the motherland and the nation, what he wanted to do was doomed to be in vain.

Even if he once loved the nation so much that he wanted to drive all the German "hillies" out of North America.

Even though he said with tears in his eyes when the British defeated the French army and occupied Louisburg, he believed that "the great motherland is in North America and has a great and stable future."

Even if he sincerely hopes that the traditional British constitution can make Britain truly great under the condition that the king has sovereignty and local self-government.

but……

The world is physical.

It does not depend on human will.

Many of the ideas he conceived rely on the so-called "British tradition", "tears of national glory", "good king" and so on.

Obviously, none of these things, or these spiritual atomic bombs, can solve the practical problems at this time.

It cannot solve the contradiction between the London Finance Capital Group and the southern state farmers.

After the United Kingdom will definitely lose its command of the sea, it cannot solve the problem of who will sell the goods produced by the growing productive forces in North America to the United Kingdom.

It cannot solve the problem of smuggling groups transporting smuggled tea, silk, porcelain, etc. that harm the interests of their "motherland" into North America for higher profits; and transporting cattle, horses, and timber urgently needed by France to the Caribbean.

It cannot be resolved, which is essentially the ultimate conflict between Dashun Industrial Capital and British Industrial Capital.

It cannot solve the unsolvable problem raised by Hume, that is, China's extremely high labor efficiency and its small silver stock lead to the extreme competitiveness of silver as a commodity under the world currency.

It cannot solve the problem that the plantation industry in the southern states must rely on the development of the vast world industry, and the UK itself cannot afford so much.

It cannot solve the problem that the industry developed in the northern state under the "Navigation Regulations" and mercantilism and industrial support began to eat back the industry of the suzerain country.

It cannot solve the contradiction that the UK wants to monopolize high value-added industries, allow low value-added industries such as iron smelting to develop in North America, and let the metal cutting industry monopolize in the UK; but North American industrial capital does not want to only engage in low value-added industries.

Under the tide of the times, personal power is so small, and personal feelings are so powerless.

In fact, when Dashun's cargo ship first arrived in Europe, everything could not be changed.

Because of the transmission of the price revolution, the purchasing power of silver is half of the European price.

Because of the ultra-cheap labor of small farmers in a state of extreme involution, the monthly salary of a new student who knows geometry is as cheap as a 50-year-old weaver in Lancashire. , Liu Yu’s reform of sending looms to the countryside in Songsu is essentially the Irish famine model: let small farmers own a small piece of land, so that they can afford lower wages for cotton cloth labor, even if they only need to work for five catties a day rice, because they still have their own small piece of land, they can accept it.This is the same as the potato and grain farm model of the serfs in Ireland. The serfs have small plots, and the farmers squeeze them with all their strength for export.

Because at this time, the productivity level of the world's textile industry is the highest, and the Europeans who can sell cotton cloth in India dare not think about the level.

Because after the Songsu reform was completed, the bourgeoisie’s fanatical pursuit of the market was stuck under the state of the domestic unified market. The fanaticism was forced out by the Dashun feudal emperor’s policy of stabilizing small farmers.

And the disintegration of the old world system in Europe and the fact that there are many countries in the world...

These material, economic, and national conditions are destined to be immortal.

And Dashun's smuggled goods are rampant, and the fact that the industrial revolution has already started, it is doomed that the thirteen North American states have been internally divided and disintegrated on the economic basis before they are united.

This is not something that can be resolved with a few cry-filled tears.

Moreover, soon, before Dashun's trap in Gibraltar was officially triggered, Franklin, who was full of hope, had a solid bump in London.

The "Currency Act" issue was directly rejected.

The change of land ownership in Pennsylvania, Earl Granville, the president of the Privy Council, came forward and had a careful talk with Franklin, telling him that this matter would have to wait until after the war.Because this involves the issue of the inviolability of private property, from a legal point of view, it was not state-owned assets at first, but the private property of the Duke of York. Pay" to the Bin family.The issue of whether they pay taxes should not be decided by the state legislatures in North America.

And those owners of private real estate don't care that North America is at stake now. The Sino-French coalition forces may land in North America after the Battle of Gibraltar.

Instead, they took this opportunity to spread rumors in London that the states in North America "defied the king and the law, trampled on the inviolability of private property, and imposed taxes by force." The council pays tax, but if it is private property, it does not have to pay tax, and if it is state-owned land, it has to pay tax.

The tax here refers to state and local taxes, not the national tax in the UK.It was the state legislature of Pennsylvania that asked the Bin family to pay taxes, but the Bin family refused to pay taxes, saying that tax collection was illegal.

It can be said that Franklin initially enthusiastically saw this as an opportunity for change.

But now, facing the endless quarrels about "Proprietary", about private property and state-owned land, and who owns what sovereignty is, it is already a bit disheartened.

As for the Parliament in London, these days, they are not doing business. They are starting a long quarrel over how William Pitt is responsible for the current war, the king’s pro-Germany, whether the new king has the right to directly appoint the prime minister, and so on.

To put it simply, apart from the policy of "gathering the fleet and defending the strait", nothing was done.

At the same time, the trap that Dashun had set for the defenders in Gibraltar was finally triggered.

(End of this chapter)