Mediterranean hegemon

On January 7, 1930, Contini’s melodious voice began to echo in the Italian Parliament building. A few days earlier, Mussolini had issued a dizzying series of orders that came to be known collectively as the New Year's Order decrees:

1. The Italian Development and Reform Commission was established to override the cabinet ministries and coordinate the management of Italy's national economy and national rejuvenation. Originally, the commission was chaired by Mussolini, Contini was the vice-chairman, and other cabinet officials Members and celebrities from the business community served as committee members. However, under the suggestion of the old Ciano, there was no title of chairman in the end. There were only three positions: leader, president and committee members. The daily office was located in the Ministry of Transport. The leader was of course Mussolini, and the president It's Contini. The old Ciano's words are very witty: "Now there are many committees, one chairman after another, and it is difficult to tell who is in charge of whom. I suggest that the leader should still be called the leader, and the president should still be called the president - so called, everyone knows who is Who it is, there will be no misunderstanding, otherwise the direct chairman and deputy chairman of my family will be the same...";

2. The old Ciano resigned as Minister of Transport and became Chairman of the Grand Fascist Council. His status is equivalent to the Speaker of the unicameral parliament in other countries. Although the Italian Parliament still retains it, all the candidate lists are drawn by the Fascists. You can only Choose or not choose the people above, but you can't choose the person you want to choose. For decoration, Mussolini let a large number of celebrities and business people enter the parliament, but only the Great Fascist Committee is full of "his own people" ";

3. Contini was sworn in as Minister of Transport, and at the same time defeated many veteran economic management cabinet ministers such as the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, and the Minister of Agriculture to become the president of the National Development and Reform Commission.

But no matter how shocking these appointments are, they are not as shocking as Contini's statement in his inauguration speech.

“...The establishment of the Italian Development and Reform Commission marks that the great rejuvenation of the Roman Empire has entered a new stage, with a new starting point and height. In the past seven years, all Italian people have been closely united under the guidance of the important idea of ​​​​the Three Flags. With the leader as the core, the people around Fascisti united sincerely and worked hard. Not only did they win the victory of the Italian revolution, they also achieved world-renowned achievements in the fields of economy, science and technology, national defense, culture and other fronts, fully demonstrating the national spirit. The superiority and advancement of the system fully feel the cohesion and centripetal force of the nation... Today, I shoulder the great trust of the leader and shoulder the great trust of pushing the Italian revolution and construction further forward as President of the National Development and Reform Commission, preparing to launch the renaissance of Italy. Road ten-year plan...

This ten-year plan has many themes and contents, the most important of which are two sentences: the first sentence is to meet challenges and overcome crises; the second sentence is to realize dreams and achieve the future!

As we all know, marked by the collapse of the U.S. stock market in late September, a new round of economic crisis has formed and spread. Italy's national economy has been severely tested. Italian export-oriented industries represented by the fashion industry and textile industry have encountered unprecedented difficulties. , exports are blocked, companies are bankrupt, workers are unemployed, and banks have a large number of bad debts. This difficult situation is being transmitted to various domestic fields. The National Development and Reform Commission was established at this time - we cannot wait for the crisis to spread to the point where it is irremediable before we respond. We must Plan ahead.

Therefore, the problem of crisis must be solved, but the crisis is only immediate. We must not only be down-to-earth, but also have high aspirations and focus on the future!

I know that the economic, financial and public opinion circles are very concerned about numbers. Today I will not talk about detailed figures, but only two rough goals: the ten-year revival will be divided into five years and divided into two stages. The first stage goal..." Contini looked up and raised his voice, "By 1935, Italy's overall industrial scale will exceed that of France, and its main industrial indicators will exceed France's in terms of per capita and total volume! "

The audience was stunned for a moment, and then there was a loud "buzzing" sound. The reporters were dumbfounded. After reacting, they took photos frantically - they all say that CEOs are crazy, and they saw it again today.

Before they could react, Contini dropped a second bomb: "The second stage goal is that by 1940, Italy's per capita industrial indicators will catch up with Great Britain (excluding its dominions)! The goals of the above two stages , to put it simply, it is to catch up with the Premier League and create greater glory!”

Everyone in the audience was dumbfounded.

"Whether you call me grandiose or bragging, I will unswervingly pursue these two goals. Only by achieving these two goals can the Italian people truly say that they have stood up, and the revival of the Roman Empire can truly be achieved. The dawn can truly prove the superiority of Fascism..."

Contini said solemnly, "Everyone knows that I am the president of the United Group, the head of the largest multinational consortium in Europe. The management of our group conducts planning and budget inquiries every year to claim development indicators. From the second year onwards, These claimed indicators will be assessed. If you complete the performance evaluation well, you will get an A, and you will get a promotion and a salary increase! If you do not complete it well, you will be punished if it is C or D! D is eliminated on the spot, and C is suspended for one year... As I just said Having set such an important and clear target, of course I need to be assessed. This assessment is not up to me but your evaluation. Please assess me on a five-year cycle!

If I fail to achieve this target, I will retire from politics, not be involved in state affairs, and all the shares of the United Group will be confiscated; if I achieve this target, please record it in history - Mr. Galeazzo Ciano has lived up to the trust of the leader and made due contributions to the rejuvenation of the Italian people... If you have confidence, please applaud me! "

"Wow, wow, wow" fierce applause rang out. This was the enthusiastic applause of representatives from various industry associations, and then the applause gathered into a sea. Many parliamentarians were muttering: After all, he is the president, and he speaks fiercely. No Italian politician has ever dared to express his views like this. It's amazing!

Balbo was also sitting below at this time, and said to Capello next to him: "I finally understand why Gale is able to stand out from the crowd. This is simply a matter of life and death. He is not only cruel to others, but also to himself! He dares to say such words as quitting politics and confiscating shares!"

Capello smiled: "Otherwise, how can he calm the situation? The United Group is such a large group, which subsidiary's senior executives are not older than him and have more experience? Have you ever seen anyone who dares to disobey him? "

Balbo thought about it: Really not, if there was anyone, they would have been killed long ago, he is really a man of his word!