Xinshun 1730

Chapter 766 The Dutch Disaster Year ([-])
The coup that Liu Yu bewitched in Amsterdam was, in essence, the dissatisfaction of all social classes in the Netherlands with the regent oligarchs.

Because of their dissatisfaction with the regent oligarchs, all kinds of classes who could not urinate in a pot at all on weekdays cooperated with the coup tacitly and unanimously, and pushed William IV of the Orange family to power.

Because of dissatisfaction with A, let B come to power.

And because B promised reform, let B come to power.

This is a completely different concept.

Although the result may seem to be the same, it is B who took the stage.

But the difference inside is huge.

When Liu Yu was working in Amsterdam, he talked about this issue with his subordinates.

As far as the current situation in the Netherlands is concerned, the people are angry, the people are dissatisfied, and the Orange family has accumulated prestige for 200 years. As long as they raise their arms and put forward a clear slogan and program similar to Dashun's "equal land and free grain", how can they There might be a 40-year gap?
At that time, Earl Bentinck and William IV also discussed this matter, and they came to the conclusion that the people should take the initiative to push them up, without taking the initiative or refusing, but they could not make any promises.

Because, once he made a promise to satisfy the Dutch people, his position as a consul would not be secure.

As the biggest "beneficiary" of the coup d'état a few years ago, William IV accepted it passively throughout the whole process, and did not take the initiative to do anything or make any promises.

Propaganda was done by Liu Yu; incitement was done by Liu Yu.William IV squatted in his manor in the North Province the whole time, without a single promise to the Dutch people, and he didn't even take the initiative to do any conspiracy.

This kind of coup d'état that "allows B to come to power because of dissatisfaction with A" actually did not resolve any contradictions, and it can be said that something happened sooner or later.

France's victory over the Anglo-Dutch coalition forces and Dashun's voyage to Southeast Asia caused chaos in the Dutch financial market, and at best it was the root cause.

The interior of the Netherlands is already a huge powder keg.

Taking Liu Yu as the demarcation point for making troubles in Amsterdam, compare whether the demands of the people have been met before and after William IV of Orange came to power?
Judging from the common aspirations of the Dutch nation in the concept of community, what they expect is for the Netherlands to regain its glory as a superpower.

The Regents cannot defend the security of the Netherlands, nor can they defend the honor of the Netherlands, let alone the spirit of fighting against the British and French allied forces.

The Orange family is famous for its military, and it also gained the infinite prestige of the Netherlands through military.

So, now it seems that this appeal has been fulfilled?

Not only was it not achieved, but the French invaded the Austrian Netherlands, leaving the southern gate of the Netherlands completely open.It was only a matter of time before France invaded the Netherlands.

Dismantling this Dutch national community, and then looking at the actual use from the appeals of different classes, what has William IV achieved in the past few years since he came to power?

The guild organization hopes to get rid of the repression of the regency oligarchs and financial capital, and hopes that the Netherlands will fully return to the late Middle Ages.Because of the freedom of commerce, it is irreconcilable with guild organizations.With free commerce, there would be no guilds; conversely, with guilds closed to the outside world, there would be no commercial freedom.

The guild organizations in the Netherlands have their own armed forces.When necessary, an army of citizens can be pulled out.

However, after William IV came to power, he did not vigorously support the guilds, nor did he have the attitude of suppressing capital and returning to the era of commerce and handicrafts in the late Middle Ages.

The demands of the guild organization were not met by William IV.Because he decisively compromised with capital.

Farmers in Friesland hope that after Orange comes to power, they can integrate the centralization of the seven provinces and republics and change the tax system and tax rates.

Change the tax payment ratio set by the provinces 50 years ago, increase the inheritance tax and asset tax of oligarchs, financial capitalists, and bankers, and reduce the tax of free farmers.

However, after William IV came to power, let alone whether he wanted to do it or not, but even if he wanted to do it, he was powerless.

The province of the Netherlands provides 57% of the government's fiscal revenue. If the province of the Netherlands does not nod, how can it be possible to change the tax rate and taxation rules?
If it is really forced to change, there is no need for Dashun to go to Nanyang to have an impact on the Dutch economy.

When William III was elected as the ruling duke for life in his home province, the stock market crash could erupt overnight. If William IV reformed taxes, the collapse would be similar to the impact of Dashun's voyage to Nanyang.

The demands of the free farmers of Frisia were not met by William IV.

There is no doubt that the Netherlands is a country with much higher urbanization than Dashun.

Although since the end of the Golden Age, the growth rate of urbanization in the Netherlands has decreased.

However, lower growth rates and regressing urbanization are not the same thing.

The relatively high level of urbanization has made urban residents' demand for food extremely urgent.

Fluctuations in food prices directly affect the lives of a large number of Dutch citizens.

Dutch capitalists manipulated food prices. With the outbreak of the Austrian Succession War, Dutch merchants hoarded goods, hoarded food, and sold it to the warring parties.

Whenever there is a war, the price of food will definitely rise. This is inevitable, but it is understandable.

However, it is beyond comprehension for big businessmen to hoard goods and cause food prices to skyrocket.

At the same time, the sharp increase in food prices caused by the war has rapidly widened the already large gap between the rich and the poor in the Netherlands.

On the one hand, the Netherlands has the highest citizen class in Europe, and the level of urbanization is indeed high.

On the other hand, the Netherlands is still a large group of nobles and manor owners left over from the Burgundian era.For example, William IV was almost the richest man in the Netherlands before he became the consul. Because of their family's large number of manors and a large number of extinct relatives, he inherited the manors he looked at.

These manors have made a fortune in recent years.

Food prices, meat prices, how not to get rich?
As a result, some nobles in the Netherlands, under such circumstances, showed no restraint, seriously stimulating the nerves of the middle and lower classes.

For example, the Lenny family that existed in the Burgundian era, its heirs still wandered around after the outbreak of the war.Countries are at war, and the nobles of each country are still relatives.

During the war, the heir of the Lenny family publicly stated that "I have six or seven motherlands. The Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Austria, Poland, Russia, and Hungary, which is close to the motherland. I am a citizen of the world" .

His daily activities are traveling, playing, playing cards, conquering women, playing ball, and writing books in various European countries.

Relying on the family manor and the increase in food prices caused by the war, not only did he have a great time playing, but he also wrote a book to introduce his generous life as a "world citizen".

If you want to say this, it's actually normal.What do you do if you have money and don’t spend it?
But, spend what you spend, enjoy what you enjoy, don't write a book just to show off.

The people in the Netherlands here have started to learn from Robin Hood, robbing houses, and doing business in cutting paths. A large number of people have started to eat potatoes every day, and they can’t even eat bread.

After the end, the group of manor owners told the Dutch people who were "bleeding for the motherland" that Austria, France, the Netherlands, and Shinra are all my motherland, and it doesn't matter where I am.Playing cards with the Duke of France today, dating Miss Austria tomorrow, you play your brains, it does not prevent me from being a citizen of the world.

This is a bit of a death.

When there is peace on weekdays, it is actually fine.

Now it's all like this, groups of people were dragged onto the battlefield and lined up to be shot.Smashed by buckshot, smashed by cannonballs, and stabbed with bayonets.

Shout out to fight for the motherland.

Then these nobles still wandered back and forth between the warring countries, and the upper level was still a scene of singing and dancing, and relatives walking around.

In fact, the common people are not so temperamental. Generally, when they can still eat enough, they only complain a few words at most.

Some people even stand up and say, when your ancestors bled for Burgundy, what were your ancestors doing?What are you jealous of now?

However, food prices in the Netherlands have risen three times a day.

The urbanization rate in the Netherlands is high, and all kinds of factories have closed down in recent years. The war has robbed ships, which makes the Dutch merchant shipping industry difficult. Just like the price of tulips in Amsterdam in the 13th year of Chongzhen, it has been rising steadily.

The citizens of the Netherlands hope to reduce food prices and control speculators.

Has William IV achieved it in the past few years since he came to power?

To be honest, the rise in food prices is indeed related to the outbreak of the war. If the war did not break out, it would not have risen like this.

However, who made William IV feel that the opportunity was good at the beginning, when Liu Yu dug a hole, he jumped into it happily and excitedly?

The full-scale war and the involvement of the Netherlands happened after William IV came to power.

William IV still failed to do this.And it was after he came to power that food prices started to rise.

Also, it is the Dutch tax package system.

Needless to say this.

Except for the taxpayers, no one is against the taxpayer system.

When there was a revolution in France, they really hated the taxpayers.It is okay to say that the people are mobs, but Lavoisier was executed.But why do the common people hold such a grudge against the taxpayers?
Is there any corruption in the tax package system?
It is very clear that there is no corruption in the tax package system.

In Dashun, for example, the imperial court stipulated how much money should be collected per mu of land, and if it was overcharged, it was called apportionment, corruption, and embezzlement.

But in the Netherlands, money is paid, taxes are covered, and you can collect as much as you want, so there is no need for corruption.

legal and reasonable.

If you have the ability, you also pay taxes.You have no ability, what are you jealous of?

In addition to the tax package, there is also a small group of people, that is, the influencers of the Enlightenment.

Not to mention their dissatisfaction and appeals, they have no respect for William IV and sneer at the regent oligarchs.

It's just that this small group of people is still not successful at this time, so you don't have to think about it for the time being.

However, although they are not the main force of battles, riots, and rebellions, they are naturally compatible with the instigators on Dashun's side.

The demands of the Enlightenment are even more outrageous.

Free trade, the abolition of the monopoly franchise of the East and West India Company, the abolition of the consul system, the establishment of new laws, the nationalization of the land of the East and West India Company, the increase of inheritance tax, and the increase of property tax...all these, any one of them is fatal of.

Calculated in this way, after William IV came to power, none of the people's dissatisfaction and demands were resolved or achieved.

The Dutch people are not cooperating with Dashun and France independently.

Instead, Liu Yu calculated the mentality of the Dutch people and took the Orange family as hope.

Didn't consider whether these problems can really be solved after the Orange family came to power?I didn't think about it, which class's interests did the Orange family represent?

Without thinking about anything, I felt that the regent oligarchs were simply rotten, so they all looked forward to the savior.

But now, the actions of the "savior", finally stimulated by the Battle of Fontenoy and Dashun's voyage to Nanyang, completely made the people lose their last hope.

When there is no longer hope, riots and rebellions are inevitable.

(End of this chapter)