France was affected by the U.S. economic crisis relatively late, but it lasted for a very long time. Germany was just the opposite. It was almost the first European country to be affected by the U.S. economic crisis.
Why is this so?
Because the recovery trend of the German economy in the 1920s was based on short-term loans provided by the United States. When the United States suffered a stock market crash, about 20 billion marks of loans were suddenly withdrawn by the United States, triggering the most serious and lasting economic crisis in German history.
.
When Zhou Hexuan arrived in Berlin in mid-January, there were already signs of depression, and homeless people on the streets caused by unemployment could be seen from time to time.
Not long after leaving the train station, Zhou Hexuan saw many citizens gathering somewhere on the streets of Berlin. A man as thin as a sick man stood on a makeshift step and gave an impassioned street speech:
"Germany's coal production is declining, Germany's steel production is declining, Germany's pig iron production is declining, Germany's machine manufacturing production is declining, Germany's power generation is declining, Germany's total imports, total exports, and treasury gold reserves are all
Decline. Only the unemployment rate is rising in Germany. Last summer, the number of unemployed people in Germany was only 1.2 million. But half a year later, the number of unemployed people in Germany has been close to 2 million! Workers, farmers, traders, capitalists... Every citizen in Germany lives a
The situation is getting worse! What caused this situation? It is the incompetent parliamentary democracy and party government! Under the leadership of those incompetent people, Germany has declined into a country with divided people and serious conflicts of interest. Only the Nazi Party was elected and created a
Only a unified new country that transcends class, property and occupation will reverse the current unfavorable situation...
The political parties in the Weimar Republic system only represented specific interest groups. All political parties should be damned. They were all part of the same party system that destroyed Germany. They were all responsible for setting the terms of reparations from the Treaty of Versailles to the Dawes Plan to the
The policies that signed the Young Plan are responsible. Their lack of ability to govern the country has led to the suffering of the whole society. Democracy, pacifism and internationalism have led to Germany's incompetence and weakness, causing a great nation to bow its knees.
Friends, it is time to eliminate this decadent system. Only the national socialist movement under the leadership of the Nazi Party can safeguard the interests of the entire country! Germany under the leadership of the Nazi Party will be reborn. The new German people will no longer be a class.
A hodgepodge of careers and property. The new Germany will be a people's community that transcends all differences and has the power to save the entire nation. The decayed and aging old country must be replaced by a new country based on racial values. This
The new country admires achievement, strength, will and fighting spirit. This new country selects talents, gives play to individual genius, and restores the power and strength of the entire German nation. Only National Socialism can bring all this...
Long Live Germany!"
The thin man on the stage waved his arms and shouted sharply from his throat, just like a funny clown on the stage.
But the Germans on the roadside were aroused by him, and many of them shouted: "Long live Germany!"
Zhou Hexuan shook his head helplessly. What he saw was not a speech, but a war.
The thin man giving a speech on the stage was not Hitler himself, because Hitler had been banned from public speeches by the German government. The one who was shouting wildly was Goebbels, the propaganda minister of the Nazi Party.
If it had not been severely affected by the economic crisis, Hitler would not have come to power so quickly. If it had not been affected by the economic crisis, Japan's militaristic ideas would not have spread so easily.
It has to be said that the Americans must bear some responsibility for the origin of World War II.
It was the stock market crash and economic crisis caused by the Americans that seriously affected the national economies of Germany and Japan, making it difficult for ordinary people to live a better life, and this gave rise to the soil that breeds fascist forces.
Zhou Hexuan drove to the Chinese Embassy in Germany and soon met Jiang Zuobin, the Chinese Minister in Germany and Austria.
This gentleman was from the late Qing Dynasty army and secretly participated in the Alliance. After the Wuchang Uprising, he lobbied for the reunification of Jiangxi by word of mouth and served as the chief of staff of the Jiujiang Military Government. Last year, Jiang Zuobin came to Germany as minister, and the German government specially sent a float to the German-Swiss border to welcome him.
, and sent senior officials to greet him at Berlin station.
This legation had just been built. The Nanjing government did not allocate enough funds, so Jiang Zuobin made up the money from his own pocket, including all his own ministerial allowances.
What’s even more funny is that the Nanjing government often owed the embassy staff salaries. Jiang Zuobin had no choice but to advance the payments himself. As a result, the advances increased, making him pauper.
More than ten years later, Jiang Zuobin was sick and impoverished, living in a hut in the countryside of Chongqing. Medicine was unavailable and he was undernourished. He was still appealing to the people to donate money for the anti-Japanese war.
Until Jiang Zuobin's death, the Nationalist government still owed him a lot of salary, which was originally advanced to the embassy staff.
During the Republic of China, there was no shortage of honest and good officials who served the country and the people, but these people generally did not end well. Take Jiang Zuobin as an example. He was a member of the League who participated in the Revolution of 1911, and could be called a senior figure.
And it was once so highly used, but in the end, it ended in a miserable life.
If the country is good, I am good. If the country is poor, I am poor. This is what Jiang Zuobin said during the Anti-Japanese War.
Zhou Hexuan said in a respectful tone: "Mr. Jiang, I have long admired your name!"
Jiang Zuobin took Zhou Hexuan's hand and laughed: "Hahaha, Mr. Zhou, I have been waiting for you for a long time. If you don't come, I will go to the Soviet Union."
"What are you going to do in the Soviet Union?" Zhou Hexuan asked curiously.
How could China's minister to Germany and Austria leave his post without permission and go to the Soviet Union in person?
Jiang Zuobin explained: "The Soviet Union has severed diplomatic relations with China. I want to contact it and hope that the two countries can resume normal diplomatic relations."
"That's difficult." Zhou Hexuan smiled bitterly.
"No matter how difficult it is, someone has to do it," Jiang Zuobin sighed. "Everyone says that the Soviet Union is China's biggest enemy, but they are all wrong. China's biggest enemy is Japan. Within ten years at most, Japan will inevitably invade China.
At that time, it was fundamental to unite the Soviet Union to resist Japan. Therefore, the Soviet Union must never break off diplomatic relations."
"I admire you for your long-term vision, sir," Zhou Hexuan said.
Jiang Zuobin waved his hands repeatedly: "In front of Mr. Zhou, I can't be called discerning. The book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" you wrote is really amazing. It analyzes Japan clearly and thoroughly. I read it no less than ten times, and I read it every time.
There are new gains.”
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Mr. Chiang is ridiculous. You insisted on speaking in Chinese at the League of Nations meeting last year. That is admirable."
"These are all trivial things, just to gain some face for the country," Jiang Zuobin lamented. "If China really wants to become strong, it must develop its industry, military and education so that it will not be unable to cope with a war with Japan."
Zhou Hexuan said: "This is the right principle."
"National strength needs to be developed, and national reputation must also be developed," Jiang Zuobin said with a smile. "This time Mr. Zhou has brought glory to China in the United States and France. I heard that Mr. Zhou's "The Goddess" has been ranked among French books.
Is it at the top of the sales list?”
"That's the glory of the Goncourt Literature Prize." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.
Since winning the Goncourt Prize for Literature, the sales of "The Goddess" have been soaring. Think about it, the French like to give Goncourt Prize-winning works as Christmas gifts, so it would be strange if the sales are not booming.
In just one month, the new sales of "The Goddess" still exceeded 300,000 copies, and the total sales volume exceeded 500,000 copies, making it the best-selling Asian literary work in France.
Jiang Zuobin said: "Mr. Zhou, now you are quite famous in Germany. This lecture activity should do more positive publicity for the country."
"Of course." Zhou Hexuan said.
Nowadays, Chinese people who come to Europe and the United States to give lectures, no matter how much they hate the government at home, will not speak ill of their own country. Because China’s international image is already bad enough, they can only choose to speak good words and go through all the hard work to serve China.
Contribute your own strength.
How is it like future generations?
A mere international student dared to say in his graduation speech that he could not stay in his country and that the air in the United States was sweet.
Jiang Zuobin suddenly asked: "Mr. Zhou, do you want to have an exchange with Einstein?"
"Einstein?" Zhou Hexuan said in surprise.
Jiang Zuobin said: "Yes, Einstein is very famous in Europe. If you communicate with him, it will definitely attract widespread attention, which is also good for promoting China. I will try my best to contact you, and he will probably agree.
