I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 829 Lifeline

Guchkov was not very happy. Although France's tax increase did not cause any losses to Russia, it was bullied and did not dare to fight back. It would not sound good to tell others about it, and it might affect Russia's international image.

Guchkov was also smart. The next day he decided to increase the tariff on cars imported from France by 300 percent.

Cars are the largest export item in Russia, second only to agricultural products. This is quite impressive and must make the French terrified.

The French are not panicking at all because Russia does not import cars from France at all.

If Guchkov really wanted to retaliate, he would raise import duties on wine; cars are a complete waste of time.

French cars are pretty good, with strength and scale similar to German cars, but slightly inferior to Russian and American cars.

The best car in France is Renault, the same Renault that makes armored vehicles.

The armored vehicles made by Renault are also average, with thin skin and small fillings, and almost no armor. The so-called artillery is just a large-caliber machine gun. It can only seat two people, and its main feature is economy and practicality.

Compared with Russia's armored vehicles, Renault's armor is not even as good as that of armored vehicles, so adding the word "war" is redundant.

But Renault's armored vehicles are the most suitable for France.

Compared with our Qing Dynasty, France is definitely a great power.

Compared with Russia, France can only be described as poor in resources, especially oil and natural gas.

So whether Renault is making armored vehicles or cars, the displacement is very small, which is completely different from Russia.

Russian-made engines pursue ultimate performance, from 4 cylinders to 6 cylinders and then to 8 cylinders, with increasing horsepower, without considering fuel consumption at all.

Renault cars are inferior to Russian cars in terms of both performance and price. Only with the protection of the French government can it compete with Russian cars in the French domestic market.

It is precisely because of the existence of Russian goods that France has the confidence to completely cut off trade with the United States.

It is said that the European country that discriminates against the United States the most is France.

If France completely cuts off trade with the United States, it will definitely increase its dependence on Russian goods, which is why George does not allow Guchkov to retaliate against the French.

For Russia, it would be better if all European countries cut off trade with the United States.

But this is impossible. After all, there are traitors in Europe, otherwise the Americans would not be able to succeed so often.

What George didn't expect was that not only did Britain not dare to retaliate against the United States, but Italy did not make any move either, which was very strange.

European countries reacted quickly. Except for France and Germany, other countries also took quick action to counter the United States. Even the permanently neutral countries were no longer neutral.

This time, the United States increased tariffs on goods such as straw hats and olive oil imported from Italy. Logically, Italy should also retaliate against the United States.

But this is not surprising. After all, Italians are best at taking sides and will not place bets easily.

George helped him down.

Recently, all newspapers and magazines have been filled with news about the tariff war, and the United States has once again been the focus of criticism.

The United States during this period had not yet reached the point where it could cover the sky with one hand. Through the efforts of the Sun Morning Post, Europeans were very clear about the role the United States played in the world war and had a better understanding of the economic crisis.

There are many reasons for the economic crisis, and one of the most important reasons is the greed of capital.

Based on the fact that almost every economic crisis starts in the United States and then spreads to Europe.

Therefore, the economic crisis can also be interpreted as the United States taking advantage of the economic crisis to reap the benefits of Europe.

Regardless of whether this interpretation is scientific, blaming the United States for the economic crisis will help divert domestic conflicts among European countries.

Therefore, the economic crisis is all caused by the Americans. If you want to blame someone, blame the Americans. It is not that the officials and the capitalists are not human beings.

Tony is an olive oil merchant who mainly engages in import and export trade. Although Tony's company has been severely affected by the US tax increase this time, it has not yet reached the point of closing down.

Even if Americans don't eat olive oil anymore, Russians still do.

Because the Italian version of "Sunday Morning Post" is detailed and objective, Tony, like many Italians, has developed the habit of reading "Sunday Morning Post" every morning.

Like other newspapers, the Sunshine Morning Post has also focused on reporting on the tariff war recently. Tony simply reads the Sunshine Morning Post as a refreshing article.

France completely cut off trade with the United States.

Great! That's what we should do. Let the Americans have a taste of what Europe can do.

Spain has raised import tariffs on American cars, and the prime minister has vowed to make it so that no American cars can be sold in Spain.

That’s right. If we don’t do this, there will be another Spanish flu next time.

Switzerland, like Spain, has also announced an increase in import tariffs on American cars.

It seems that all European countries have reached a tacit understanding and are targeting American cars for retaliation.

etc--

What about Italy?
The US tax increase has caused me such huge losses. Why doesn't Mussolini, that guy who always shouts "tough", protect my interests?

It would be fine if they didn't protect us, but they didn't even dare to fight back after being attacked by the United States. How can that be called tough? They are just wimps!
Politicians, like centers, are finished if they are labeled as "softies." "Tony, I heard there's a walk downtown, do you want to join us?"

Tony's partner Alerio also suffered heavy losses in the tariff war.

Like the French, Italians like to take a walk when they have nothing to do.

In the context of the economic crisis, life is not easy. I used to drink one bowl of soy milk after another, but now I can only drink northwest wind. This is definitely not my fault, it’s all because of the overall environment.

"Of course, we want the King to hear our voices!"

Tony responded positively.

What Tony didn't know was that King Vittorio Emanuele III had long been aware of the public outcry in the country, and he was wrestling with Mussolini about fighting back.

Mussolini's current situation is similar to that of the mustache. Both were pushed to the front by interest groups to act as spokespersons. They are far from the so-called poisonous vegetables.

Mussolini wanted to gain more power, preferably by sidelining the king.

Vittorio Emanuele III did not dare to take action against Mussolini easily because Mussolini had many supporters, so he threw the label of "soft egg" on Mussolini.

Mussolini felt very aggrieved. Whether to fight back against the United States was up to the king, and his opinion as the prime minister had no say. So why should the Italians scold me? If you want to scold someone, go scold your beloved king father.

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Vittorio Emanuele III was not in a hurry at all. In fact, there were two kings in the Kingdom of Italy, one was him, Vittorio Emanuele III, and the other was the Pope.

The Pope has a very special status. He usually doesn't speak, but whenever he speaks, it's a big deal. Before Germany surrendered in World War II, it was the special envoys sent by the Pope who went to Germany to communicate.

Last year, the Pope signed a contract with Mussolini, and the Papal Kingdom officially became a sovereign state, greatly weakening the Pope's influence on the Kingdom of Italy.

Discrediting Mussolini would make it easier for Victor Emmanuele III to control him.

After the United States launched a tariff war, Mussolini took the initiative to find Vittorio Emanuele III, hoping to retaliate against the United States.

King Vittorio Emanuele III did not agree immediately, citing international relations as an excuse.

Italy is different from Spain and France and cannot completely turn to Russia.

France had the confidence to cut off trade with the United States, and Spain's quick counterattack was due to its existing grudge against the United States.

The Kingdom of Italy once went to war with the King of Yugoslavia over a territorial dispute. Considering the relationship between Yugoslavia and Russia, the Kingdom of Italy could not offend the United States too much.

Mussolini was furious. You have considered everything carefully, but people outside are scolding me. Can't you hear it?
King Victor Emmanuel III: You know that I am the one being scolded. What does it have to do with me?

Mussolini was not going to let the king slaughter him without any ability to fight back, so he turned around and went to the Senate.

There is no point in holding a cabinet meeting. The Italian cabinet is a coalition government with the king's influence in it. If it is submitted to the cabinet for discussion, it will definitely be a foot binding cloth, smelly and long.

The Senate was formed by Mussolini and was the capital for Mussolini to confront the king.

The Senate was very efficient and quickly passed a resolution to double the tariffs on cars imported from the United States.

George was finally satisfied. The American got what he wanted.

After Italy retaliated against the United States, car imports from the United States decreased by 90%.

King Vittorio Emanuele III did not completely surrender to Russia, but distributed the American car market equally between Russian and French cars.

Italy also has its own cars. The earliest car manufacturer was Fiat, and Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like were not even around yet.

Fiat, like Renault, is known for its small displacement, and the reason is the same as France: there is no oil.

This shows the role of the golden finger.

Only George is Russian.

If George were Italian, Italy would not only not have to import oil, but could also export it to earn foreign exchange.

George was delighted to see that Russia was exporting more and more cars.

Old Henry finally understood what the Seven Wounds Fist was.

Joseph was not afraid, because the rotten meat was in the pot anyway.

Hoover got one thing wrong. The reason why American goods could not be sold was not because there were too many imported goods, but because greedy capitalists frantically increased productivity and produced too many goods, far exceeding market demand.

So in the final analysis, it is still the lack of market.

Compared with before the outbreak of the World War, the international situation faced by the United States has not only not improved, but has become increasingly difficult due to the emergence of Russia.

Although Britain and France had their own systems in the past, other countries still had strong demand for American products.

After the rise of Russia, Europe's demand for American goods has been decreasing. The United States has taken the initiative to provoke a tariff war at this time and can only play it behind closed doors.

Compared with the economy, what worried Hoover more was that after the outbreak of the economic crisis, not only were there fewer and fewer new immigrants coming from Europe, but more and more Americans were leaving the United States for Europe.

This is the lifeblood of the United States.

(End of this chapter)