Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 621 Grape Industry Chain

Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer successfully persuaded President Wilson, and Prohibition soon came into effect in the United States.

Because it was intended to prevent violence, the U.S. government took the enforcement of Prohibition very seriously and imposed very strict restrictions.

Manufacturing, selling, or even transporting alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content exceeding 0.5% is illegal. Violators may be fined thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, or imprisoned for several to decades, and fined hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

Such a punishment would be extremely severe for any business or individual. This prohibition order also caused a huge uproar in the United States, drawing widespread discontent from breweries and those involved in the alcohol industry.

Perhaps to avoid a major uproar domestically, the U.S. government has relaxed restrictions on private drinking to some extent.

It is not illegal for people to drink alcohol at home, but it is illegal to drink with friends or hold a banquet.

Drinking alcohol in public places is also prohibited, and violators can be fined thousands of dollars and imprisoned for more than six months.

The difference in sentencing between drinkers and those working in the alcohol industry shows that the U.S. government is primarily targeting breweries and those working in the alcohol industry.

After all, compared to the broader drinking population, wineries and those involved in the alcohol industry are easier to control, and it's possible to ensure that public discontent is kept within a certain range and doesn't exacerbate the chaos in the United States.

Of course, the US government can't simply ban all Americans from drinking all at once. For some alcoholics, going a day without a drink is worse than being killed.

To avoid a blanket ban, the U.S. government then announced that only people aged 21 and over could buy alcohol in specific places, and there was a limit to the amount of alcohol each person could buy per day.

Because the penalties for drinking are not severe, most Americans are quite supportive of the bill.

The reason is simple: there are far too many alcohol-related violent incidents in the United States, which is why the public is eager for a law to enforce prohibition on alcohol.

In addition to the increased conflict and fighting among people caused by drinking, domestic violence resulting from alcohol consumption is also one of the reasons why Americans desire alcohol prohibition.

Drinking alcohol is also linked to sin in religious contexts, and prohibition is supported by religious organizations in the United States.

In summary, the Prohibition Act in the U.S. government was driven by various forces, which is why the nationwide Prohibition Act did not cause much turmoil after its enactment.

After enacting Prohibition, the U.S. government attempted to reduce the American public's dependence on alcoholic beverages by promoting cola as an alternative to alcohol.

Because the Coca-Cola and Pepsi brands are so deeply ingrained in the minds of consumers in Spain, the US government has had to increase its support for domestic cola brands in order to barely compete with them.

The Prohibition Act enacted in the United States quickly attracted the attention of Spanish Coca-Cola companies, as their sales in the United States increased significantly after the Act was passed.

For Americans, carbohydrate-rich drinks, such as cola, may be the best alternative to alcoholic beverages.

Although the two are not the same, with the price of alcohol rising sharply, cola has become the best choice for ordinary people.

Of course, bootlegging also exists in the United States. Although the US government strongly regulates large breweries, it has no control over small, privately owned breweries.

However, due to the nationwide ban on alcohol, even though private breweries continue to produce alcoholic beverages, these drinks are extremely expensive and simply unaffordable for ordinary people.

Compared to the already exorbitantly priced alcoholic beverages, the affordable Coca-Cola is the best choice for ordinary people.

Carlo, who paid close attention to the United States, naturally received news early on that the United States was strongly supporting the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Spanish Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

The American Coca-Cola Company not only openly copied the ideas of two Spanish Coca-Cola companies and launched corresponding fruit-flavored sodas, but also copied the packaging, using highly similar appearance and taste to attract customers.

And you know what? This approach did achieve some results. When prices and tastes are similar, the influence of foreign brands is actually negligible.

Carlo naturally wouldn't stand idly by in the face of some of the Americans' shameless plagiarism. Fighting a transnational lawsuit against the Americans is extremely troublesome these days, and the US government is bound to protect its own companies.

But this doesn't mean that Carlos is completely powerless against the current United States; at least in terms of public opinion, he can still continue to smear the United States.

Since America's reputation is already tarnished, if the two Spanish Coca-Cola companies can provide sufficient evidence, a large number of people will naturally choose to believe them and join in condemning American companies. Once America and American companies have a terrible reputation in Europe, it won't be so easy for America to attract immigrants from Europe.

Besides public retaliation, Carlo had other means to retaliate against the United States. Didn't the US government want to reduce domestic violent crime through Prohibition? Then let's thwart their plan.

Although the large-scale breweries on the surface have been closed, the number of private breweries operating behind the scenes continues to increase.

As long as Americans continue to be helped to sell bootlegging, Prohibition will naturally become ineffective, and the public will become even more dissatisfied with the government.

Public support for the government's alcohol ban is based on the premise that it will be effective. If a large-scale ban fails to achieve its intended effect, the public will simply perceive the government as incompetent.

After entrusting the task of retaliating against the United States to the head of the Royal Security Intelligence Service, Cádil, Carlo turned his attention back to Spain.

Unlike other European countries, Spain is experiencing a boom in construction and rapid economic development.

Because the flu severely disrupted agricultural production in European countries, Spanish agriculture actually had a certain advantage.

Especially in the area of ​​vegetables and fruits, Spain has become the world's largest exporter of vegetables and fruits, exporting large quantities of vegetables and fruits to other European countries every year and earning substantial foreign exchange earnings.

In the realm of fruit, grape cultivation is particularly noteworthy. Grapes are also linked to another industry: the wine industry.

Today, Spanish wines are in no way inferior to French wine brands in terms of popularity and market share.

Besides Spain's larger population, the fact that Spain is less affected by unexpected factors is also a very important reason.

Since the end of World War II, French agricultural production has not recovered to pre-war levels. The French wine industry, which they are so proud of, is now barely surviving.

The biggest beneficiary of France's declining wine production is, of course, Spain, which is constantly developing its wine industry.

Because Portugal lacks a major economic pillar industry, many regions in Portugal have begun to cultivate grapes on a large scale, providing raw materials for well-known Spanish wineries.

And you know what? This approach does effectively boost the local economy. Spanish wines never lack a market; whether exported to other European countries or sold domestically, they ensure that most of the wine produced each year is consumed.

The booming wine industry also sparked a wave of grape cultivation in Spain. Many people seized the opportunity and made a fortune by planting grapes on a large scale.

Of course, this is also because the terrain and climate of most of Spain are well-suited for grape cultivation. Spanish summers are hot and dry, unsuitable for growing grains, but ideal for grapes.

This is why Spain shifted its agricultural focus from grains to vegetables and fruits. In retrospect, Spain's agricultural changes were indeed the right one.

As long as Spain could maintain firm control over its West African colonies, the food supplied by those colonies alone would be sufficient to meet its domestic food needs.

Of course, relying solely on West African colonies was not enough. After successively annexing Morocco and Portugal, Spain cultivated large amounts of arable land in Morocco and Portugal to grow food, thereby increasing food production in Spain itself.

This is why Spain is a major exporter of agricultural products. If it weren't for its large population increasing food consumption, Spain would also be among the top food exporters.

Carlo has consistently been a strong supporter of grape growing and the wine industry in Spain.

Although the grape and wine market is not large, a relatively complete industrial chain is very important to Spain, as it can provide a large number of jobs, which is exactly what Spain needs today.

Things are different now. Spain's total population has now exceeded 6000 million, and unemployment is now the Spanish government's biggest concern.

Whether it's building an oil industrial zone or a small heavy industrial zone, the goal is the same: to do everything possible to provide jobs and ensure a steady increase in the income of the Spanish people.

Even if Spain's economy develops well, it won't bring any real benefits to the people. Only when people earn more and more money will they understand the good intentions of the monarchy and the government, and thus wholeheartedly support the monarchy and all government policies.

For the Spanish monarchy in particular, popular support is extremely important. The maintenance of the monarchy depends heavily on the loyalty of the people to the monarch, which is why Carlos is doing everything he can to increase the average annual income of Spaniards.

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(End of this chapter)