With the withdrawal of the Allied forces, the security of France deteriorated rapidly. The Revolutionary Government of Paris, which had just taken over power, obviously lacked experience in governance, and the measures taken were even more ridiculous.
For example, the Economic Recovery Act, the Employment Act, the Social Assistance Act …
These measures seemed to be good, but in fact, they ignored the feasibility. Whether it was economic recovery, employment increase, or social assistance, they all needed money.
It just so happened that France had no money right now. The European War not only impoverished the Government of France, but also the private financial groups. They were unable to provide funds for the Government of Paris.
No one knew which genius came up with the idea of printing money when there was no money. The 1 franc, 2 franc small currency had long been retired from the stage of history. Since the Revolution of Paris, the number of zeros on the franc had been increasing.
In France, where everyone was a billionaire, carrying a bag of money to buy bread was no longer news.
No matter how hard ordinary people worked, they could not keep up with inflation. As the Times described, the franc would increase by a zero every month.
The economy had collapsed, and the Revolutionary Government of Paris was still fighting among themselves. As a scapegoat, President Robert had long been ousted by the angry French people. Now, the 17th President of the Republic of France – Baptiste was in power.
On average, the government changed twice a month. It truly reflected the saying, "the emperor takes turns, and next year it will be my turn." It could be said that any political faction with a bit of power had a president before.
However, the end result was the same. No matter who came to power, they could not stay in power for long, let alone control the situation.
With a cigar hanging from his mouth, President Baptiste asked, "When will the aid from the European Union be fulfilled?"
France had no money and could only turn to the international community to get out of its financial predicament. There was no doubt that the European Union was the only one that could help them in the current situation.
Although the British were also rich, John Bull's money was hot! Right now, the hegemon of the European continent was Holy Empire. Tangling with the English was the same as seeking death.
Foreign Minister Fernández said, "I'm very sorry, Mr. President. The European Union has issued a final order, ordering us to choose a king within a month and restore the monarchy.
If we can't meet their requirements, not only will we lose international aid, but we may also be sanctioned by the Union.
Just yesterday morning, Chekov, the head of the Holy Roman Empire's Food Committee, released the White Paper on Food Exports, reducing the total food exports to our country in the second half of the year by one million tons. "
In theory, after giving up the Regions of Italy, France was no longer short of food. But this was only in theory. Because of the war, France's agricultural production suffered a devastating blow, and they had to rely on international imports for food.
Holy Empire's monopoly over Europe's food trade wasn't just a day or two. With the birth of the European Alliance, this monopoly was pushed to the extreme.
With the European Union, it had to have a customs union. The agricultural products of the American countries also had to pay high tariffs if they wanted to be imported into France.
If the tariffs were collected by the French government, this would not be a problem. Unfortunately, as part of the sinking fund, France's tariff power had long fallen into the hands of the anti-French alliance.
Tax evasion was impossible. When it came to their own interests, the government of Vienna kept a close eye on the import of foreign agricultural products and industrial and commercial products. It was impossible for the Holy Roman Empire to reduce food exports to France, which was a fatal blow to the Government of Paris.
In this context, the Holy Roman Empire's decision to lower its food exports to France was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the Paris government.
Once there was a shortage of food imports, the Revolutionary Government of Paris would be swallowed up in an instant.
"We've done so much. Is there no effect at all?"
After that, Baptiste closed his eyes. The facts were in front of him. If the Union had a few countries to speak for them, they wouldn't have fallen into this situation.
As a member of the Gonghe Party, Baptiste couldn't compromise on the restoration.
In fact, even if the Revolutionary Government of Paris was willing to compromise, there wouldn't be a result in a short time.
It seemed that the Gonghe Party was in power, but the royalists were the majority in the government. If it weren't for the fact that the three royalists were close in strength and restrained each other, the Gonghe Party wouldn't have been able to do anything.
Foreign Minister Fernández waved his hand and said helplessly, "This is the Bonaparte Dynasty's responsibility. They have offended all the countries in Europe, so it's difficult for us to carry out our diplomatic work.
Changing this situation was not something that could be accomplished in a short period of time. Unless the Continental Revolution comes again, otherwise … "
The Bonaparte Dynasty had offended many countries, and so had the Revolutionary Government of Paris. The word "Revolutionary Party" alone was enough to arouse strong dissatisfaction.
Revolutions were also contagious. The European Union was keen to promote the restoration of France, essentially to curb the spread of revolutionary ideas.
Baptiste interrupted, "Don't say it. It's not the time to export revolutionary ideas. As soon as we begin to export our revolutionary ideas, the Russians outside Paris will come to our door and send us to the guillotine!
It's not that I'm afraid. The main thing is that the power of the feudal monarchical system is too strong. We don't have the ability to collide with them in a short time. There's no need to make unnecessary sacrifices. "
Prime Minister Michael warned, "His Excellency is right. It's not the right time to confront the enemy.
The most important thing for us now is to solve the problem of refugees and unemployment. Especially the problem of refugees, which has become a cancer that endangers national security.
Many local governments can't hold on any longer. If we can't come up with measures as soon as possible, they will lead the refugees to Paris.
In fact, some places have already begun to do so. I've walked around Paris. The actual situation is ten times worse than we expected.
The relief food distributed by the government can't cover all the areas. Many places are in chaos. I've witnessed three robberies in one morning.
This is still Paris. The security in other parts of the country will only be worse. If we can't find a way to restore order as soon as possible, I'm afraid … "
The problem was right in front of them. Everyone could see it. Unfortunately, how to solve it? Everyone was confused. If it could be easily solved, France wouldn't have changed governments so frequently.
…
In the distance, a group of ragged people appeared on the horizon. There were men and women, old and young. It was obvious that this group of people, who resembled an army of "beggars," were fleeing.
A middle-aged man in the lead said, panting, "Paris is in front of us. We'll have bread to eat when we get there!"
"Really? Don't tell me you want us to eat grass roots and tree bark again! "
The teenager's childish face released a suspicious look, which made the middle-aged man very embarrassed.
"Of course it's true. This is Paris, our capital. We can definitely find food in the richest place in France! "
In fact, the middle-aged man wasn't sure either. They had suffered so many blows along the way that they were almost numb.
The residents along the way regarded them as scourges. The so-called relief from the local government was only a piece of black bread or a potato a day. It wasn't even enough for one meal, let alone a day.
If they wanted to survive, they had to eat wild vegetables. Unfortunately, there were too many refugees. The wild vegetables were quickly eaten up. In the end, they could only eat tree bark and grass roots.
The middle-aged man didn't want to wait for death. He resolutely took his family to Paris. This had become their last hope.
The middle-aged man and his family weren't the first to go to Paris, nor would they be the last to arrive. Ever since the main force of the anti-French alliance withdrew, refugees from all over the world poured into Paris.
At the headquarters of the Russian Army outside Paris, General Yevgeny, who was looking into the distance, suddenly let out a sigh.
"There are more and more refugees in Paris. I don't know if the Government of France can handle it."
Being concerned about the Government of France didn't mean he was pro-French. In fact, General Yevgeny was a staunch anti-French supporter.
If one had to ask the reason, it would be that his father and brother both met God during the Crimean War. Hatred for his country and family was mixed together, which was why General Yevgeny volunteered to join the garrison.
Rather than being concerned about the Government of France, he was more concerned about the reparations that the Government of France had to pay. Although Russia could only get a few million BDH in the first year, it was still an important income for the Tsarist government.
The main purpose of the Russian Army's garrison in France was to ensure that the reparations were paid. Once France fell into chaos, General Yevgeny wouldn't be able to complete his mission.
"Commander, you're thinking too much. If the Government of France can't handle it, we'll just change to another one. It doesn't matter who wins or loses in the end, as long as they continue to pay their debts.
If we have this free time, we might as well find a way to sell some local products back to earn some pocket money.
I think the French machinery and equipment are pretty good. Find an opportunity to seize a few factories and take their equipment back. We'll definitely be able to make a lot of money.
At that time … "
Without waiting for the middle-aged officer to finish speaking, General Yevgeny interrupted, "Lieutenant General Andrei, if you're out of your mind, just do it! Don't drag me into this kind of loss-making business.
Only you can think of selling machinery and equipment. Do you know that the domestic industrial standards are all Austrian standards? Who are you going to sell the French machinery back to? "
The industrial standards were a big problem. Regardless of whether the domestic engineers could operate the French machinery, the key was that the industrial chain couldn't be connected.
Raw material specifications, spare parts replacement, whether the products met market standards, these issues all needed to be considered.
If the machinery and equipment from France were to be moved back home, then the entire industrial chain would have to be moved together. Obviously, this was impossible.
Moving, installing, and putting them into production not only required time, but also a large amount of capital investment. The capital needed to change the industrial chain of the country was enough to bankrupt the Tsarist government a hundred times.
If the industrial chain couldn't be moved, just some industrial equipment would be similar to scrap metal. It would be a problem if they didn't lose money if they dismantled the machinery from Paris and sold it as scrap metal.
Of course, some of the low-tech industries with low demand for the industrial chain could still be done this way, but these industries were usually saturated.
Capitalists couldn't replace the machinery and equipment in their own factories just because the equipment they stole was cheaper. This wasn't in their interest.
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