Chapter 1466 The Prosperous United States
The so-called "Five-Year Plans" of East Africa, the Soviet Union, and the Ottoman Empire had limited impact on the international community in 1928. For other countries, the only thing worth paying attention to was that these three countries were all major powers.
The Soviet Union and the Ottoman Empire would not be able to formally implement their five-year plans until at least the end of the year, and the effects are now invisible, while East Africa's five-year plans had already been severely weakened, at least relative to the period before 1910.
Before 1910, East Africa had limited influence. Not many people would study and pay attention to an undeveloped African country, even though East Africa's national strength was already strong at the time. East Africa did not officially become a major participant in international affairs, which can be traced back to around World War I.
The most intuitive manifestation is that if there is turmoil in a certain region of the world, before World War I, ordinary people would first suspect whether Britain and France are behind it.
This is just like in the past, when turmoil occurred in a certain region of the world, everyone would think of the United States first. After eliminating the United States as a suspect, they would then unravel the mystery and look for the culprit.
Before World War I, Britain and France were basically equivalent to the United States in the previous life. After all, only these two countries had the most colonies, the largest spheres of influence, and supporting forces throughout the world.
After World War I, the situation changed and the Big List expanded from Britain and France to the entire imperialist bloc.
East Africa can even be ranked at the top. After all, in recent years, East Africa can be regarded as the most trouble-making country in the world, from the Far East to Southeast Asia; from South Asia to the Middle East and Central Asia; from West Africa to North Africa; and then to the entire South America...
It can be said that East Africa is active in most of the hot conflict zones in the world. Even in the international community, East Africa is more notorious than the United States, Germany, and Japan, and its negative coverage is second only to that of the United Kingdom and France.
Among the powerful countries, East Africa ranks third from the bottom in terms of moral standards. Many countries and regions have been persecuted by East Africa.
Even Japan can only rank fourth from the bottom. After all, East Africa has more arson areas and more crimes than Japan.
As for countries with high moral standards, there is not a single one. The only powerful countries with a good international impression are Austria-Hungary, the Soviet Union and the United States.
But the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkans, the Soviet Union in the periphery, and the United States in America also did a lot of bad things, and what limited their "performance" was not the level of their morals, but the locational factors.
Just like the United States, it is impossible for it to extend its reach to the Indian Ocean. It is also difficult for the Soviet Union to influence Africa and America. The Austro-Hungarian Empire can only bully others in the Balkans.
Therefore, the ability to "do bad things" in the international community actually reflects a country's influence.
From this perspective, the top three countries in the world in terms of influence happen to be Britain, France and East Africa. The foreign policies of these three countries largely determine the development destiny of many small countries, weak countries and colonies.
This is also the main reason why East Africa became the most influential country in the world before and after World War I, because it was before and after World War I that East Africa’s global expansion strategy laid the foundation for East Africa’s current international status.
But this also makes it easy for the international community to ignore the policies on East African development. In the eyes of many people, the East African economy is exactly the same as that of the United States, relying on colonial dividends.
…
In 1928, the most triumphant people were the Americans.
Outside the New York Stock Exchange, several Americans are discussing the current economic situation.
"In recent years, the United States has been the fastest growing country in the world. This year, the United States' economic growth rate will definitely surpass that of East Africa," said Andre, holding French fries.
Wilson took a sip of soda and responded, "I think so too. According to experts from many authoritative newspapers, the United States ranks first in the world in terms of trade activity. Last year, the United States regained its position as the world's number one industrial country."
Before and after World War I, East Africa surpassed the United States to become the world's largest industrial country at the time, which has always made many American people dissatisfied.
In the eyes of many Americans, East Africa is a thief who has stolen America's honor.
After all, at the end of the last century, when the United States officially surpassed Britain to become the new world factory, the title of the world's first industrial power was something Americans were quite proud of.
But in just less than three decades, East Africa quickly snatched the American crown from that remote corner of Africa, which is even more uncomfortable than the United Kingdom and other European countries surpassing the United States.
"However, in this great industrial competition between us and East Africa, the ultimate winner is still us Americans."
"This also proves that East Africa's economic policies are far inferior to those of the United States. Their government intervention has restricted the development of their own industrialization. Otherwise, the United States would not have been able to return to the throne of the world's largest industrial country."
"At the same time, this also means that the business environment in the United States is fairer than that in East Africa. Otherwise, European and American capital would not be more inclined to invest in the United States."
In fact, East Africa is still the world's largest industrial country with the largest industrial scale in the world, but in terms of total industrial output value, the United States surpassed East Africa in 1927. This is one of the reasons why Wilson came to an incompletely correct conclusion.
In fact, if you think about it, you will know that the population of East Africa is at least 50 million more than that of the United States. The market created by these 50 million people will not allow the scale of American industry to surpass that of East Africa.
Unless the United States can make up for it in overseas markets, the size of the United States' overseas markets is not even as large as that of East Africa.
The total industrial output value of the United States exceeds that of East Africa. This is actually a huge economic bubble. Many American companies, under the name of developing industry, are actually stock speculation companies.
Even some companies that only spent a few hundred dollars to register can make a fortune in the stock market, drive up the company's market value and disguise themselves as large companies.
If the US government strictly examines the market, it will find that many so-called factories may not even have land to build factories, but have already started raising funds from the society.
Therefore, the industry in the United States today is very watered down, especially when compared with East Africa. Although the level of industrialization in East Africa is lower than that in the United States, even if the non-industrial population and industries in East Africa are removed, the remaining industrial part of East Africa should not be much different from that of the United States, or even higher than that of the United States.
However, the industrial output of the United States exceeds that of East Africa, which is not normal.
Of course, it is undeniable that many factories have been built in the United States today. After all, not all Americans are keen on stocks or other financial investments. There are also many pragmatic entrepreneurs or factory owners who are honestly engaged in industry, but it is absolutely impossible for American industry to surpass East Africa.
Of course, none of this matters. For Americans, their total industrial output value is indeed higher than that of East Africa at this stage. No matter how much water there is in this so-called total industrial output value, the US dollar is still valuable at least before the economic bubble is burst.
Therefore, Wilson was not wrong when he said that the United States is the world's largest industrial country; it was just a different emphasis.
Andre echoed, "This is inevitable. The excessive intervention of East African bureaucrats in the economy is doomed to fail. Fortunately, in recent years, the East African government has repented and relaxed certain restrictions. Otherwise, they would have been left behind by the United States long ago."
"A friend of mine who has tried the East African stock market said that the financial market in East Africa has many restrictions and is far less open and free than the US stock market, and the profits are not as good as our stock market."
"So, East African stocks are untouchable. It is not even as easy to make money as in Britain, Germany and France. And the inactive stock market is obviously not conducive to the development of enterprises. Therefore, it is not surprising that the United States has surpassed East Africa in industry again."
Today, the U.S. stock market is indeed the easiest stock market to double one’s wealth in life. It has created many myths of getting rich overnight, and even many ordinary people can profit from it.
Many American stock investors wish they could live in the stock exchange every day, staring at the rising stock prices with smiles on their faces.
After Andre and Wilson's friend Carol finished the last bite of fried chicken, she also said: "The prices of several stocks I bought recently have increased a lot. Thank God we live in such a prosperous country."
"I believe that after a while, everyone will be able to live a life of financial freedom and become truly wealthy."
"In order to make more money recently, we have to continue to work harder, especially to obtain more information."
Andre said to Carol, "There's no need to go through so much trouble. It's a bull market now. You can buy with your eyes closed and nothing will go wrong."
Andre and his two companions have blind confidence in the current U.S. stock market. After all, their wealth increases a little every once in a while. This addictive feeling has almost become the current situation of most American stock investors.
The market is so hot that construction is going on everywhere in the United States, and there are construction sites everywhere, especially in New York, the second most developed city in the world.
Every day new companies are founded, new factories are built, and new skyscrapers are erected.
Asphalt roads, tap water, schools, hospitals and other supporting facilities have been put into place.
Various commercial activities and advertisements are everywhere, and people's consumption sentiment is extremely high.
Cars, telephones, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances have entered the homes of ordinary Americans, greatly improving the quality of life.
Even now, American newspapers and media are vigorously advocating double luxury. Even two cars should be parked in every garage. All Americans make no secret of their fanatical pursuit of extravagant life, and luxury consumption is extremely prevalent.
The number of stockbrokers on Wall Street has also surged from 20,000 ten years ago to more than 70,000 today, and stocks have become one of the most discussed topics among New Yorkers.
Nowadays, when two New Yorkers greet each other, they may ask each other which stocks they bought and what inside information they have...
Everyone investing in stocks has become one of the hottest topics in the United States. Some people even suggest that every American should save $15 a week to invest in stocks.
Economists, newspapers, radio, companies, and even the U.S. government all highly praise the stock market's development prospects.
Instilled with this information, many Americans have come to regard stocks as the most secure way to manage their finances. They even believe that stocks are safer than bank savings. After all, bank failures in the United States are not uncommon, and keeping money in a bank may also result in a total loss, and the returns are far less than those from other financial investments such as stocks.
Any "pessimistic" or "cautious" remarks are basically difficult to emerge in the current American public opinion environment, as stock trading has become a part of American life.
In comparison, the East African stock market on the other side of the ocean is indeed far less active than the US stock market, and reflected in economic development, the amount of funds that East African companies can absorb is far less than that of the United States.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the United States has once again become the world's largest industrial country. There are investments everywhere in the country, from the east coast to the west coast, from the south to the north, and even in Canada, which is deeply tied to the U.S. economy. There are all kinds of factories and machines, and the workers simply cannot stop.
Although there are already large piles of goods in warehouses and workshops, no one believes that the market will collapse now. Instead, they believe that this is a good period for the booming US market.
Wilson said: "In another decade, at the current rate of development, the gap between the United States and the rest of the world will be completely widened, and the United States will undoubtedly become the world's number one economy."
"And now, East Africa, the only country that can compete with the United States, would never have surpassed us if it had not encountered the opportunity of World War I. And this is indeed the case. From the end of the World War to now, in just a few years, our country has once again ascended to the throne of the world's number one."
"And every one of us, the glorious American citizen, has fully enjoyed the dividends of today's economic development. I believe that in the near future, the United States will officially replace Britain and become a model of world economy and civilization."
Andre and Carol couldn't help but admire his remarks. The booming economy and the expansion of social wealth have brought the confidence of the American people to the extreme at this stage, as if they had returned to the 19th century, when the total industrial output value of the United States exceeded that of Britain in the early 1990s.
This is probably one of the important reasons why the world today is not interested in economic reforms in the Soviet Union and the Ottoman Empire, compared to these two countries with an uncertain future.
Today, the development of capitalist countries is even more exaggerated. Not only the United States, but the entire capitalist world, the economic development is extremely rapid.
Under such circumstances, governments, businesses and people are naturally satisfied with the current economic situation and are unlikely to pay attention to new changes in the Soviet Union and the Ottoman Empire.
After all, capitalist countries are now developing more rapidly, presenting a scene of prosperity and development, which also leads to the burying of problems and potential crises.
However, even though many governments know of the existence of hidden dangers, they choose to ignore these problems and choose to celebrate with the people. After all, if they can flatter the voters, other issues will not be important.
From this perspective, it is precisely because of the autocratic rule of the Rhine royal family that the East African government has become more pragmatic in discovering and dealing with problems.
However, the current development speed of East Africa is slightly slower than that of the completely free market countries such as the United States, Britain, Germany and France.
However, every step is taken more cautiously, so even if a crisis comes, East Africa’s losses will definitely not be the greatest.
(End of this chapter)
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