I, Zhu Houzhao, join the US imperialist chat group

Chapter 183 America’s Demographic Dividend! Louis XVI was surprised: Does not loving potatoes make us a second-rate country?

The United States has such a large population...

He was not born, but wanted another population?
Zhu Houzhao was shocked and suddenly understood why the population of the United States was growing so fast.

Do you need so many foreign residents?
Are you really not worried about something going wrong?
[Tang Xizong Li Xuan: Wait...Cleveland, please slow down. I have two questions. First, are you really not afraid that so many refugees will disrupt your order? Second, do you have enough food to eat? Is there enough land? Especially... between Cleveland and Roosevelt, the population increased by 10 million in years, an increase of %. Are you really not afraid of famine and chaos? 】

Zhu Houzhao immediately asked the key. The first thing that came to mind was the issue of refugees after natural and man-made disasters.

This is a headache for all dynasties.

[American Taizu·Washington: Is it really good to not reject anyone who comes? With such a large population, especially the foreign population, will they really not subvert the United States that we have finally built? 】

[American Taizong Jefferson: Indeed, there are many problems in directly absorbing immigrants without any screening. Can the federal and states manage it? 】

Washington and Jefferson followed suit. In their view, more people was not always better.

When the United States was first founded, elites were very wary of immigrants from the Old World threatening and subverting the new United States.

Although Washington claims that America's embrace is open to wealthy and respected visitors, it is also open to oppressed and persecuted believers of all nationalities and religions.

However, he had a distrust of new immigrants, and was especially opposed to their participation in the American military and politics.

His ideal immigration model is: the relatively prosperous middle class brings some indentured servants with both capital and labor, and the United States only provides them with land.

[Merezu Louis XVI: I also have a question. The population of the United States is easily 70 to 80 million. What other British colonies add up to 200 million or 300 million, plus the Qing Empire’s population of 200 to 300 million? These three countries have a population of 6.7 billion. Is there such a large population in the world? 】

Louis XVI followed suit and asked a more critical question.

After all, in the 18th century they are currently living in, the total population of the world is less than one billion.

公元6世纪开始到1800年，在12个世纪的历史长河中，欧洲的总人口没有超过1.8亿。而从1800年到1914年，仅一个多世纪，欧洲的人口就从1.8亿增加到4.6亿

The explosive growth of population in the 19th century was unimaginable by Louis XVI. After all, the average age in France was only about 28 years old, and the total population was only about to million. Other countries such as Britain, Prussia, Tsarist Russia, etc. also had Almost million.

It is surprising that these combined are almost the same as the United States during Roosevelt's time.

After all, around 1700, Britain had only 580 million people. Due to the Thirty Years War, the total population of Germany plummeted from 3000 million to 1410 million. Spain had only 740 million, Tsarist Russia had 1300 million, and the Netherlands at its peak had only 195 million. .

He also felt something was wrong with the increase in population after a gap of about a hundred years.

It can be said that the questions asked by several people have touched on the key points.

[American Yingzong Cleveland: Huh, Your Majesty Lee, as well as President Washington, President Jackson, and His Majesty Louis XVI, standing in your time and space, these questions raised are all very good. Please don't worry, I will answer them one by one. In addition, if it is wrong, Roosevelt, please add it... After all, I may not be very accurate in some places and in this regard. 】

Cleveland undoubtedly felt a bit of pressure. He didn't expect that a casual question could cause so many common sense questions.

But he also quickly understood that these are presidents with a span of time, and it is normal for them not to understand some things that seem to be common sense to them.

[Merzong Roosevelt: Okay, I also find this kind of discussion very interesting, as I can see the perspectives at different points in time. 】

Roosevelt felt the significance of this kind of chat. In another way, it was like reliving history.

[American Yingzong Cleveland: Okay, let me answer His Majesty Li’s question first. First, we in the United States are not afraid of so many refugees disrupting order. Because after a hundred years of development, our various systems, institutions and laws for managing people have become quite complete. Our current society is like a wide river. New immigrants do not rush in like a flood, but slowly merge in like a stream. 】

[Just like from my place to Roosevelt's... although it seems that there has been a sudden increase of 20 million, in fact... it is just our estimate. I have about 65-6 million here, and his place is about 79 million. The increase in population is only a little over 10 million, and over a ten-year period, it is only an increase of over one million per year on a base of 60 million. When a small stream flows into a large river, it will not cause any changes to the large river. 】

[This is also an answer to your questions from President Washington and President Jefferson. These small streams cannot shake our United States as a whole. 】

Rivers and streams.

Cleveland will obviously take everyone's cognition and absorption ability into consideration.

Zhu Houzhao understood this metaphor at once, and everyone also understood that they ignored the time scale.

[The second is the food issue! I admit that before the Middle Ages, and even for a long time after Your Majesty Li, and even now, food problems existed in many parts of the world, including Africa and Asia. But, this is not a problem for us in the United States. 】

[The first is the popularization of high-yielding grain potatoes and sweet potatoes. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are our American specialties. It is a high-yielding crop that can produce two to three thousand kilograms per acre. It can be said that a farmer can grow 10,000 or even tens of thousands of jins of potatoes and sweet potatoes in a year, which can feed 100 people! As the Spanish invaded South America and brought potato seeds back to Europe...the stuff quickly became popular. His Majesty Louis XVI should also have eaten it...]

[The emergence of this kind of high-yield food...naturally will not make people hungry! Instead, the world’s population is growing rapidly! 】

[Before potatoes arrived in Europe, Your Majesty Louis XVI, France occupies the best land in Europe, with a food self-sufficiency rate of 300%. In 1700, it had a population of 2150 million, accounting for one-fifth of Europe. 30 Ten thousand troops accounted for one-third of all Europe. In terms of population, they were naturally the European overlords. 】

[In your previous Hundred Years War with Britain, Britain had won great victories many times, but it often failed to annex you and was eventually overturned by you. This was because the population gap between the two countries was five times year-round. For example, in 1300, France had There are only 1600 million people in England out of a population of 350 million. The British population is too small to keep up with logistics. Therefore, a decisive victory cannot be achieved. 】

[Because you have such a large population... you are in a dominant position all year round. 】

[However, after potatoes arrived in Europe, your French advantage quickly disappeared. First of all, the British originally thought that with their land, they could grow potatoes to feed up to 1100 million people. However, potatoes made the British desperately want to have children. It seems that around 1890, the population exceeded million. 】

[Also, Germany and Tsarist Russia relied on potatoes to catch up to 2450 million and 3500 million respectively. By 1870, the number of Tsarist Russia increased to 6700 million and Germany increased to 4100 million! And your France... only increased its population by million from to million, reaching a population of more than million. 】

[Meliezu Louis XVI: Huh? Wait...why has their population doubled, while our French population has only increased by 10 million? 】

As soon as this gap appeared, Louis XVI was surprised and couldn't help but interrupt. After all, the neighbors were all prosperous, and their data looked like they had been subjected to family planning, which made him uneasy.

[Li Xuan, Emperor Xizong of Tang Dynasty: What? Potatoes... this kind of thing, a farmer can feed a hundred people by farming for a year? Is there such outrageous food? 】

Zhu Houzhao also expressed his surprise about potatoes in a timely manner, and at the same time quickly understood that if the food problem was solved, the population problem would naturally not be a problem.

The United States can feed so many people, right? It all depends on potatoes and sweet potatoes?
Cleveland was not angry at being interrupted and continued to answer.

[American Yingzong Cleveland: Let me answer His Majesty Li’s question first. Potatoes are a high-yielding food that is a specialty of America. They are God’s gift to mankind. They are better than wheat and rice! In your Tang Dynasty, there should be no potatoes. Anyway, after discovering America, the Spaniards spread potatoes and sweet potatoes all over the world through the Age of Discovery. From this aspect, the Spaniards also did some personnel work and made some contributions to human civilization. 】

America! Potatoes, sweet potatoes! Can feed a lot of people!

Zhu Houzhao immediately marked it heavily. There was no doubt that he once again had a reason to go to the United States!
[Merezu Louis XVI: Don’t deviate from the topic and tell us why our French population is growing so slowly! 】

Louis XVI couldn't help but urge him. He didn't want to doubt their French men's fertility when it came to fertility.

This hurts my pride.

[American Yingzong Cleveland: This reason is very interesting. Because... you in France are living too well. You are too noble and arrogant. You only eat precious grains like wheat, and you also have more exquisite delicacies. You think potatoes and sweet potatoes are lowly poor people's food. On the contrary, the British, Germans, and Russians do not have such a noble attitude... they eat like crazy and grow like crazy. 】

[Meliezu Louis XVI: Huh? 】

As soon as this reason came out, Louis XVI was shocked, and the faces of his arrogant compatriots quickly appeared.

But isn't it? France should have its own arrogance.

[American Taizu Washington: Huh? Haha...this reason is very correct! Louis XVI and his royal family were indeed used to living a good life. 】

[Meixuanzong Jackson: It turns out that ignorance and ignorance are not the original sin, but arrogance is the obstacle to survival! 】

As soon as this fresh and refined reason came out, the presidents felt that it was unexpected and reasonable. Who made France the European hegemon? They were qualified to be arrogant, luxurious and meaningful.

[Li Xuan, Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty: This... maybe we also exist. 】

Zhu Houzhao was also shocked. Thinking about it, they might also have this stinky problem!

I didn't expect that such seemingly irrelevant reasons could actually cause a country to decline.

[American Yingzong Cleveland: Anyway, this is the reason. France’s population has been unable to increase until the population of Germany and Tsarist Russia caught up. France has fallen behind a little since the Napoleonic War. 】

[This is what I said, population is a necessary condition for a big country! 】

[Of course, let’s talk about America! It is because of these high-yielding grains and the vast uncultivated land... We can make a fortune just by growing potatoes and sweet potatoes! 】

[So, we need a large population. The three million you had, President Washington, when you founded the country is obviously not enough... Therefore, we rely on land to attract a large number of immigrants, and those manor owners also attract a large number of immigrants from all over the world. 】

[From 1820 to 1860, the total number of immigrants during this period reached 500 million. These people mainly come from Western and Northern Europe, with the largest number being Irish, about 200 million; Germans, about 170 million; among these white European immigrants are bankrupts, adventurers, political exiles and capitalists pursuing wealth... 】

[In addition, a large number of African slaves came to the United States and were given to manor owners to engage in manual labor such as planting or mining. In addition, there are also a few immigrants from Asia and some Chinese who are gold diggers. 】

[American Yingzong Cleveland: And after the Civil War...the development of science and technology has also caused our demand for population to soar...so the explosive growth has only occurred in the past forty years. 】

[As for the concerns of President Washington and President Jefferson... When the country was founded, we placed restrictions on the various powers of these people, especially their political power. They will not have the right to vote for a certain period of time until their residence time reaches or Only those who have contributed to the United States will have the right to vote. This way we can maintain our basic base and not worry about being usurped by them. 】

[Of course... President Jefferson said that there will be some problems when there are too many people. This is inevitable. For example, there will be general strikes at every turn. We have already begun to solve some problems. In short, our basic population policy remains based on white supremacy. 】

[American Yingzong Cleveland: That’s about all I have to say, and I almost used the example of the decline of Louis XVI and France to illustrate the relationship between population and big countries. Back to our United States, we have so much land in the United States, we need so many people, and the output of so many people struggling on our land in the United States has enabled our agriculture and industry to advance hand in hand, and this is what makes the United States what it is today. 】

[This is incomparable to some small countries with a population of less than 10 million and a small territory and no depth. 】

[Roosevelt, are there any omissions in what I said? Can you add to them? 】

Cleveland finished in one breath.

[Merceron Roosevelt: President Cleveland, you have said it very well. Let me add one more point. A large population means that our tax source base is solid, we have more people to collect taxes, and there is more wealth hidden among the people. On the one hand, it strengthens the national finances, and on the other hand, it also gives our country unlimited war potential and further expands the total wealth of the country. 】

[At the same time, it is convenient to concentrate more manpower into infrastructure construction. Whether it is building railways or building dams, people are needed! And in our financial field, if more people’s wealth is concentrated, great things can be done! 】

Roosevelt also added that during this period, the United States also followed the principle of concentrating its efforts to do big things, and they fully grasped the demographic dividend.

At the same time, with such a large population and vast territory, the United States already has the conditions to become a great power.

They are now transforming their accumulated wealth and technological advantages into real national strength and influence.

For example, navy and international influence.

This is also the main reason why Roosevelt actively participated in Japan-Russia mediation based on the current situation.

(End of this chapter)