Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 712: Germany-U.S. Quasi-Alliance + "Washington Declaration"

On December 1878, 12, President Stephen Douglas of the Federal Republic of America and Bismarck, the visiting Prime Minister of the German Empire, held a joint press conference in Washington, DC.

At the press conference, the two jointly announced that while strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries, they will also strengthen political and military exchanges in the future.

Stephen Douglas said: "We are committed to building a new balance point in U.S. foreign policy one by one. We will not give up the independent diplomatic consciousness created by our American ancestors, and we will not ignore the domineering practices of European countries in South America. So in the future , the United States will conduct more activities in South America.”

When asked what action he would take, he smiled and said: "Everyone can wait and see."

Bismarck emphasized that the German Empire was very interested in establishing a closer relationship with America. The United States, like Germany, was a big country. The German Empire was very much looking forward to the development of closer relations between the two countries. He even broke the news that, "In the future, We will promote the strengthening of the influence of Germans in the United States, especially in the political arena and economic status. For this, we have received recognition from the top leaders of the Democratic Party, and the Republican Party is not opposed to the contribution of Germans. .So frankly speaking, I am very optimistic about the role of Germans in the United States in the future.

As President Stephen Douglas said just now, we are all looking forward to the future relationship between the two countries."

After the two people finished talking about the scene, the reporters quickly got the information they were looking forward to at the joint press conference.

The two then announced: First, in order to strengthen cooperation, the German Empire will promote cooperation with America in manufacturing warships. In particular, the two countries announced that they will jointly develop second-generation submarine technology, and the funds and technology will be equally shared. shared.

Second, the two countries will interact at ports on the Atlantic Ocean, allowing more commercial transactions between the two countries to further reduce their respective tariffs to promote trade quotas.

Third, the German Empire and the United States jointly announced that they would remain neutral on South American issues. On this basis, the two countries will jointly maintain peace in South America.

Fourth, the two countries announced that at the request of Uruguayan President Lorenzo Latorre, they would each send more than 1000 troops to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, to maintain local security.

Fifth, each country will send three warships to form a fleet of six warships to patrol the north and south of the Atlantic Ocean to maintain the security of the two countries' important waterways and safeguard the commercial routes of the two countries.

Sixth, the two countries agreed to hold regular Prime Minister (King)/President-level talks every year to strengthen mutual trust and exchanges at the highest level between the two countries.

Seventh, the two countries opposed Britain's support for the status of the Confederate States of America in the southern United States. On behalf of the German Empire, Bismarck announced that he would not recognize the state status of the Confederate States of America. In response to President Stephen Douglas' statement, Bismarck also accused Britain of secession of the United States. -Activity is immoral and reprehensible.He pointed out that the German Empire had always believed that the southern government was part of the United States and did not support the independence of the Southern American Confederate States.
Eighth, the Federal Republic of America announced that it welcomed the German Empire to join the South American Union and supported Germany's joining this political organization led by the Netherlands.Stephen Douglas called on the Netherlands and other countries to support Germany's joining. It turned out that Germany had already obtained French Guiana after France in 1870. Germany was already a member of South America like the Netherlands, so it should join this South American organization. .

Ninth, the two countries also invited Argentine President Miter to form a trilateral mechanism with Germany and the United States to form a trilateral security mechanism for the north, south, east and west of the Atlantic Ocean.Tenth, the two countries announced any intervention in the situation in Chile, but called on the British and the Dutch to be responsible for the increasingly bad situation in Chile. The two countries called on the British and the Dutch to stay there to support the war, and to allow peace negotiations between the north and the south of Chile to prevent war. Further upgrades.

When the identity statements of the German and American Prime Ministers and Presidents spread around the world, senior officials from all over the world suddenly showed solemn looks.

Especially the UK.

British Prime Minister Creston publicly said: "The actions of the German Empire and the Commonwealth of America are very puzzling. I do not think that the United Kingdom has harmed the interests of the two countries in the situation in South America. However, we will choose to fight with the two countries." More communication instead of blaming each other.

However, the United Kingdom will not give up its fundamental interests. Just as the Confederate States of America in the southern United States is an ally of the United Kingdom, we will not give up easily. We will not give up our allies in South America, which include the Netherlands. The Northern Chilean government that supported the attack on Southern Chile also included the Argentine government under President Miter, who already had very close relations with the United Kingdom.

As they say, the interests of every country need to be safeguarded by its own government, and where our government has acted, it is exactly what they claim to do."

Crichton's statement immediately received huge popularity in Britain, but Disraeli, the leader of the opposition Tory Party, accused Crichton of not being tough enough.

Disraeli: "We should not be so gentle, and just do it with a gentle move without blaming each other. Our UK is unique in its international status. We should not be afraid of heavy blows, because we have this strength, so we think Prime Minister Creston's approach was a bit too soft. In fact, he could have been more urgent and severe, directly opposing the accusations made by Germany and the United States, and pointing out that it was not their turn to blame Britain for its faults, especially in the face of the United States. On the issue of the Confederate States of America with Germany, the UK should not back down, but should be tougher. After all, it is one of the few and most loyal allies of the UK. It should not abandon it, otherwise there will be a polydomino effect."

With Disraeli's accusation, the entire Tory party's guns were aimed at Creston and the Whig party behind him. Naturally, the Whig party would not let the Tories guide British public opinion, so From London to Edinburgh, Dublin and so on, a drama of accusations from British political parties is taking place.

Compared with the large-scale discussion in the UK, the Netherlands is very low-key. Except that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands summoned the ambassadors of Germany and the United States to Melbourne, the Netherlands, to understand the content and express dissatisfaction with the two countries' "misunderstanding" of the Netherlands, there is no further information. .

Although many people believe that this is because the general election in the Netherlands has obscured the huge impact of the establishment of a quasi-alliance-like relationship between Germany and the United States, no one would think that the Netherlands would turn a blind eye. At best, everyone believes that This is to wait for the results of the general election to come out before responding to this matter. After all, if the Liberal Party wins, it will be fine, and the policies of the Gerrit cabinet government will continue.

But if the Christian Party and the Socialist Party succeed, then the new government will come to power on February 1879, 2.Whether it is domestic or foreign policy, there will be earth-shaking changes, so it is better to stay still than to move, waiting for the latest results.

Many people have speculated that this may be the result Bismarck and Stephen wanted.

(End of this chapter)