Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 620 Prohibition

The British are constantly in trouble, and the Americans are certainly not much better off. In fact, the Americans have even more trouble than the British, since their problems are primarily concentrated on their own soil.

The flu pandemic in the United States has ended, but this does not mean that the burden on the US government will be lightened. Because of this pandemic, US industrial and agricultural production suffered enormous damage, and the economy fell into negative growth.

In addition, the United States also needs to pay a total of $10 billion in compensation to countries around the world in the form of interest-free loans.

This isn't the end of it. Racial conflicts stemming from the US government's discriminatory treatment are becoming increasingly severe on the streets of America.

There was mutual animosity between white and black communities, and any black person who attempted to enter a white precinct would face expulsion or even beatings by white people.

Those white people who left the settlements faced fierce retaliation from the black community. At best, they were kidnapped, beaten, and robbed of their money. At worst, they were murdered for their money, or even subjected to brutal lynching.

There are many reasons that have led the United States into chaos, such as the US government's hasty handling of disarmament.

Although the United States was not deeply involved in the world war, the total number of troops mobilized was still over one million.

Because the world war was already coming to an end when the United States joined the Allied Powers, the United States had to hastily disband its military in a short period of time.

Many soldiers didn't even finish their training before their units were ordered to disband by the government. With the army disbanded, these soldiers naturally received no pay or compensation.

These soldiers quit their jobs to join the army, and when they return to civilian life, it won't be so easy for them to find a decent job again.

Most of these millions of soldiers became unemployed, which is one of the reasons for the surge in the US unemployment rate.

The current US government has lost the trust of the military, and the public no longer trusts the government. Coupled with race riots, a cold and long winter awaits the United States.

President Wilson knew that the United States had reached a point where drastic measures were necessary. He ordered Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer to stop the violence in the United States at all costs and to alleviate the huge tensions between whites and blacks.

For Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer, this was undoubtedly a daunting task. But there was no other way; since it was an order personally given by the President, Alexander Mitchell Palmer could only do everything in his power to complete the mission.

After a lengthy investigation, Alexander Mitchell Palmer finally discovered something closely linked to the violence occurring across the United States: the various types of alcohol that are essential to the lives of the American people.

Alcohol stimulates the brain, causing excitement and impulsiveness. Many violent crimes in the United States are linked to alcohol consumption, which is why Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer specifically mentioned the dangers of alcohol.

President Wilson was somewhat surprised when he heard the Attorney General's deduction. He hadn't expected Alexander Mitchell Palmer's solution to be a nationwide ban on alcohol. Didn't he realize that the daily lives of Americans were already inseparable from various alcoholic beverages?

Upon hearing the president's inquiry, Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer calmly explained, "Your Excellency, I think we must take the dangers of alcohol seriously."

Although alcoholic beverages are deeply integrated into people's lives, this should not be an obstacle to alcohol prohibition. According to my research, one in three violent crimes in the United States is related to alcohol consumption.

If alcohol were banned nationwide, the rate of violent crime in the United States could be reduced by at least one-third.

As for whether banning alcohol will cause public discontent, I have already thought of a substitute, which is the cola beverage that emerged at the beginning of the century.

Cola has a similar effect to alcohol, both producing a feeling of excitement, and it has a richer flavor and texture than alcoholic beverages.

If we promote the consumption of cola while simultaneously banning alcohol, it should alleviate public discontent and ensure the smooth implementation of the alcohol ban.

Although Coca-Cola originated in Spain, its unique taste and flavor have made it popular with people around the world since its introduction.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in Spain also took the opportunity to establish branches in various countries around the world, selling their cola globally.

The United States boasts the world's largest industry and economy, so Americans are naturally familiar with cola. Especially in summer, young people carrying cola bottles are a common sight on American streets, which is ample proof of Americans' love for the drink.

President Wilson was certainly aware of Coca-Cola and knew that it had the potential to replace alcoholic beverages to some extent.

The problem is that the most famous Coca-Cola and Pepsi companies today are both Spanish. The United States' high-profile enactment of Prohibition and promotion of cola drinks is just doing a favor for Spanish companies.
Don't underestimate the American alcohol market. As the world's largest industrial and economic powerhouse, with a population of over 100 million, the United States is a massive and attractive market, which is one of the reasons for its economic prosperity.

If the United States enacts Prohibition and starts marketing Coca-Cola to the public, the Coca-Cola market will expand several times over instantly, and both Coca-Cola companies will make a fortune.

In President Wilson's view, this was tantamount to actively helping the Spanish make money off the Americans. Although President Wilson was aware of the dangers of alcohol, all of this could be set aside in the face of national interests.

Seemingly sensing President Wilson's concerns, the Attorney General went on to explain, "Your Excellency, we don't need to focus solely on the Spanish Coca-Cola company."

As far as I know, there are Coca-Cola companies in the United States, but they have long been suppressed by the Spanish Coca-Cola Company and are not well-known today.

If we decide to implement a ban on alcohol, we can support domestic beverage companies to compete with Spanish cola companies.

If necessary, they can even imitate the formula of the Spanish Coca-Cola company to create the same cola to compete in the market.

The approach described by Alexander Mitchell Palmer is not unfamiliar to Americans; in fact, for a long time, it was the primary way the United States developed its industry and economy.

Although European countries have long implemented their own patent laws, the United States also enacted its patent law not long after its founding.

The problem is that, due to the complex relationships between countries and the long distances involved, patents are generally only recognized domestically and are difficult to protect across borders.

Americans exploited this loophole, extensively copying and imitating famous European patents to develop their own industry and economy.

Because the United States and Europe are thousands of miles apart, by the time European companies learn that their patents have been infringed, several months or even years have passed, while American companies have already made a lot of money from patent infringement and consolidated their market and position.

At this point, even if a European company wants to pursue legal action across borders, protecting its rights is not so easy. US courts generally favor domestic companies, and even if a domestic company is in the wrong, they can delay the process for several years.

By the time this transnational lawsuit was over, several years, or even more than a decade, had passed since the initial infringement occurred.

At this point, even if the American company gives up the infringement, it will be of no use, because the most profitable time for patents has passed. The American company can also use its years of patent infringement to imitate or even improve upon more advanced products.

This phenomenon is not uncommon in the United States and is key to the rise of many American companies.

Alexander Mitchell Palmer brought this up, naturally wanting to exploit the loophole and take advantage of the Spanish once again.

Ironically, the United States' failure to join the League of Nations created an environment conducive to Alexander Mitchell Palmer's schemes.

The establishment of the League of Nations brought about tremendous changes to Europe, especially in the handling of transnational litigation and international relations, where it played an extremely important role.

Previously, European companies faced extremely complicated procedures when trying to file a cross-border lawsuit, and the chances of winning were slim.

After all, governments of any country are inherently biased towards their own domestic companies. Unless the opposing side has solid evidence and attracts significant public attention, a transnational lawsuit can easily take several years to process.

With the assistance of international alliances, cross-border lawsuits between European countries have now had their procedures shortened considerably.

Previously, companies that wanted to file cross-border lawsuits had to collect relevant information in their home country and the country where the infringement occurred, and then go to the country where the infringement occurred to file a lawsuit.

Nowadays, businesses can apply for domestic assistance and obtain assistance from the International Court of Justice, an international alliance, which can effectively improve the efficiency of handling transnational lawsuits.

Smaller European countries may not experience this change as noticeably. Although the League of Nations system was relatively well-established, differences in national strength ultimately led to different outcomes.

If a country is a powerful nation, it will be easier to handle these transnational patent infringement cases.

With the development of technology in Spain, Spanish companies are now frequently facing the problem of their patents being infringed upon across borders.

Spanish companies are very efficient in handling transnational infringement cases. Courts across Europe are also willing to cooperate with Spanish companies in these cases, as they are unwilling to offend a powerful superpower.

In Europe today, a transnational patent infringement case can be resolved in just over a month if there is sufficient evidence, and in a few months at most, it rarely drags on for more than a year.

The kind of lawsuits that often drag on for years in the United States are rare in Europe today.

After all, within the League of Nations, everyone should be reasonable. If a country fails to follow the rules, the other countries are willing to make it understand the importance of abiding by the rules, which is also the reason for establishing four permanent members of the Security Council.

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(End of this chapter)