Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
13. Golden War – 5
In recent years, Britain’s financial, economic and social atmosphere had fluctuated like a sailboat riding a wave. Economic indicators continued to rise and fall as the boom and recession alternated depending on trade balance, domestic market, climate change, and overseas colonial conditions.
The economy was the most important framework for supporting the nation. It was perhaps natural that the entire British society was experiencing chaos and instability.
The ever-changing industrial environment and regime of Britain were among the causes. Domestic handicrafts, operated in the form of individuals or families, were insufficient to counter the power of fossil fuels and steam engines. The market economy was a thoroughly weak economy.
Small handicrafts disappeared as they closed one by one. Large companies and factories began to enter the site. The class of capitalists and workers was no longer a new phenomenon for them.
Factories built in industrial cities such as Manchester, Lothian, Birmingham and Bristol grew larger, black clouds covering in the sky grew thicker, and British manufactured goods now dominated the global market to the extent that they could be seen anywhere in Asia and in the New World.
The conglomerate and its capitalists had accumulated enormous wealth by monopolizing the market. On the other hand, the workers employed by them were starving and impoverished without proper pay and treatment.
The gap between rich and poor widened day by day. As a result, social problems and crimes also occurred frequently. Nevertheless, prominent British economic and sociologists viewed the whole process as a pain in Britain’s developing transition.
‘The change in the industrial structure is just a way of improving the overall constitution of the national economy. It’s a problem that will naturally subside over time.’
‘The more we do this, the more we need to provide a social environment where capitalists can invest their assets. It will eventually return to the wealth of the state.’
It was no wonder that the British government’s high-ranking officials, who were heavily bribed and funded by capitalists, pushed for such a pro-capitalist policy.
Britain achieved a mechanical revolution far ahead of France. However, the two countries showed clear differences in their attitude toward dealing with the two classes born of the mechanical revolution.
France, like a country founded by people, protected the rights and interests of workers, and Britain, like a country of finance and capitalists, took care of the interests of businessmen. Only God knew what differences and consequences this would bring in the future.
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The State Opening of Westminster Parliament, held on the first Wednesday of every month, was a bit different from other parliamentary meetings.
The opening ceremony was usually held at the House of Lords, where the members discussed state affairs, which was attended by members of the upper classes of Britain, including journalists, businessmen, lawyers and others, as well as citizens.
After that, they were given the right to observe the parliament’s state affairs and discussions. Although they had no say in it, they were given sufficient role to monitor and check the lawmakers’ parliamentary activities, allowing them to use their rights as British citizens before being privileged.
“The members of the House of Lords are entering.”
As soon as the clerk’s words were over, people wearing red clothes, white hats, and fancy accessories appeared one after another. Journalists who had arrived in advance and were attending quietly recorded their visits.
“Huh!”
“Well!…”
The people who entered the chair with arrogant faces and gestures were members of the House of Lords, mainly the hereditary nobility of England, Scotland and Wales.
They were families of honor who had long-standing family lines and tradition and received numerous privileges and pensions from the state.
Some of them could have inherited the seat of the aristocracy. They were a truly privileged class who had the right to take charge of British politics for generations and generations unless Britain was destroyed.
“The members of the House of Commons are entering.”
Dark navy neat, modest clothing, black hat and one-eyed glasses, solemn atmosphere and refined expressions.
Members of the House of Commons, who saw puritanical moderation and frugality as virtues, which were the opposite of the arrogant group of aristocrats, were mainly of the gentry class.
They were people who were not born into families with long history or tradition, but rose to this position with their efforts and abilities.
Naturally, the relationship between the aristocracy and the commoners was not very good. Even though they were in the same party, the way they looked at each other was not nice.
‘Tsk… vulgar, baseless people.’
‘Pigs who only have their families!’
Regardless of whether the two houses treated each other lightly or not, the opening ceremony of the Parliament proceeded steadily following the pre-ceremonial procedures.
Royal guards searched the underground warehouse in preparation for a possible second ‘Gunpowder Plot’ (attempted assassination of James I)[1], and lawmakers from both houses said holy prayers and created a solemn atmosphere.
After that, the ritual ceremony was carried out, and it was completed only after the symbol of the British royal family was present as well.
Finally, all the participants of the opening ceremony of the Parliament gathered as Prince Regent George IV, representing the king who was seriously ill and unable to take care of state affairs, appeared as chairman.
Usually, when a king or his representative came, both aristocrats and commoners had to stand up and show proper courtesy, but there was an exception for the opening ceremony of the House of Lords.
There was a feeling that even the king should acknowledge the legitimacy and authority of the British Parliament.
With the help of the chairman of the House of Lords and clerks, Prince Regent George IV of England led the grand ceremony by giving the opening speech.
“…God bless the kingdom, the parliament and the citizens, and I believe that the wise lawmakers will deal with and supplement the policies, bills and public rights that I have proposed.”
Lawmakers and observers in both Houses gave a well-organized applause and courtesy to the prince’s speech. The opening ceremony of the Westminster Parliament ended when George IV stepped down with his entourage.
In February 1813, the discussions between the House of Lords and the House of Commons began. Right at the start, a bomb dropped at Westminster Palace.
“The kingdom is a prosperous country that stands at the forefront of Europe in technology and institutions, finance and capital, colonial markets and political systems. But can you say with confidence that the kingdom’s domestic and international appearance and actions are those of such a developed country?”
The current leader of the Whig party, Charles Grey, Viscount Howick[2], said the above from the Westminster podium.
The reason why he, who had suffered a crushing defeat in the general election two years ago, was able to shout with such confidence was because the current situation of Britain was not good.
Journalists who smelled the scoop busily wrote down his speech. Members of the ruling Tory party shouted, but Charles Grey shouted in a louder voice.
“Last year, our kingdom faced three major crises! The first was that the debt-to-income ratio skyrocketed and we faced financial emergencies as a result of over-issuing bonds to cover the costs of the war! Second, the price of grains, meat, vegetables and other food products soared as trade with importers was cut off! And the third crisis was the painful failure in the New World trade market that led to our isolation! The current cabinet is showing no will to solve any of them properly!”
The United Kingdom was a country that imported most of its food from abroad, with its main importers being the United States and other New World countries, and Russia.
However, Russia was defeated by France and Napoleon and joined the Continental Blockade again. The U.S. also declared war against Britain, cutting off all its smuggling routes.
Eventually, they had no choice but to import food from Spain’s New World colonies, but the problem was that they began to reduce their sales to their allies, Britain, as they declared independence from Spain.
To make matters worse, 1811 and 1812 were the years when global bad harvests were prevalent due to sudden climate change.
Food prices in the United Kingdom experienced massive inflation, citizens were clamoring for bread, meat and vegetables, and local governments where the situation was severe had even started rationing.
“My answer to the leader of the Whig party, Charles Grey! I can see what you are criticizing, but this is the result of a natural disaster that humans could not predict. And as a result, the response of our government was much better than that of our French enemies. At least tens of thousands of people died of starvation.”
“I wonder if we can praise ourselves for doing better than a nation that moves by dictatorship and flattery of a single individual, when our nation operates with a high level of education and proficiency of collective intelligence. Of course, it’s hard to predict natural disasters. However, I and the Whig Party have always criticized the narrow international diplomatic framework of the kingdom and the operation of the conservative trade market. If the current cabinet humbly accepted opposition criticism and sought to diversify the kingdom’s international market, I am sure that it would have been much better than today’s political situation. In the end, it’s all a tragedy and a disaster brought by the government’s complacency in state affairs.”
Despite the Tory counterattack, Charles Grey said everything he had to say without batting an eye.
Participating in the Iberian War, in which they did not necessarily have to step in (the Whig Party opposed the war), did a great disservice to the kingdom’s national interests.
Now that they took part in the war, it should have been won already, but by setting up a wrong strategy against France, many young British people were buried in cold foreign lands.
Not only did they fail to subdue France, but they also started a new war with clumsy and overbearing diplomacy against the United States.
Charles Grey, Viscount Howick, did not step down from the podium until the end, prying out and attacking the ruling Tory Party’s mistakes. And this drew a lot of support and sympathy from the observers.
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Charles Grey expressed in a passionate tone Britain’s ‘misfortune’, caused by the ruling Tory party and the Prime Minister, Robert Jenkinson.
Members of the Tory party, hit hard by his cutting remarks, were looking at each other with bitter faces. They had not expected that it was going to be crazy from the start of the opening ceremony.
“Sir! Are you going to let that wicked man keep talking as he wishes?”
“He’s a pathetic man who doesn’t even know a word of honor. He who incites people by selling patriotism doesn’t deserve more than this.”
Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson glared at Charles Grey and narrowed his eyes. He had predicted this to some extent. And he had prepared something on his side, too.
Clap clap clap clap clap-!!
At the end of Charles Grey’s speech, members of the Whig party applauded enthusiastically. And a significant number of observers did as well.
This was because they felt that the current slump in the British economy was unusual. The next person on the podium was Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson. He opened his mouth amid mixed expectations and dissatisfaction.
“I’ll take this opportunity to clarify. The crisis that has come to the kingdom now is just a dark cloud that will eventually pass. Nevertheless, I acknowledge my responsibility as Prime Minister for the internal and external circumstances.”
“It goes without saying! Resign!”
“Incompetent Prime Minister, resign now!”
Some members of the House of Commons of the Whig party shouted. Members of the Tory party protested in opposition.
“How long do you intend to launch such a vulgar political offensive when the country is in crisis!?”
“Be careful. This is the Palace of Westminster, where the framework of the Kingdom of Britain was created.”
The mood did not calm down easily, but Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson said.
“There will be no major increase in the cost of war that many citizens are concerned about. This is not just an excuse or a lie to avoid the current situation. I don’t feel the need to do so, and I have no doubt that I can overcome this crisis wisely.”
If he had suggested increasing the taxes, he could have really been dragged out of his prime minister’s seat.
Even if the taxes were not noticeably increased, Britain had many ways to collect money. Prime Minister Jenkinson’s eyes were on the autonomous financial boroughs.
He had given them a lot of privileges and tax cuts. It was time to catch the fat goose.
TL notes
[1] Gunpowder Plot
[2] Charles Grey
