Chapter 1609

For Americans in the context of the high tide around the millennium, the decline of the United States, whether the elite or the bottom people, will only subconsciously feel that this is a false proposition.

After a hundred years of peak, winning World War II and destroying the Soviet Union, what else can there be?

Of course, it is forever brilliant.

So that there is a certain argument of "the end of history", which holds that the American system is the ultimate form of human civilization. After 1991, the world will continue forever under the leadership of the United States.

However, for Simon, a latecomer, he certainly understands that the so-called end of history is the real pseudo proposition.

Even say that the decline of the United States is much faster than many people think.

Or since 1991, just 30 years, the huge empire at the height of the sun has shown a shaky and decadent state. Some people may argue that even after 20 years, the United States is still the first in the world. The skinny camel is bigger than the horse and the broken boat has 3000 nails. How can it decline so easily?

The question is, for example, when the problems of the tallest building in the world accumulate to a certain extent, does it collapse in a moment, or can it resist the gravity of the earth and slowly skew for decades?

In reality, the great depression is the most direct example.

In the last decade of the 19th century, the United States has reached the global peak and the world's largest economy. Moreover, because of sufficient geographical advantages, it can be said that there are no strong enemies outside and no worries inside. It can be called a utopia. However, it seems that in 1929, suddenly, why did an economic disaster close to the end appear?

It can be said that if it were not for the outbreak of World War II, which pushed the needs of the whole world to the United States outside the battlefield, as well as the crazy influx of massive funds and elite groups avoiding risks all over the world, it would be absolutely not so easy for this country to completely get out of the impact of the great depression and return to its peak.

Another example is the Soviet Union.

The huge empire can't collapse in a short time. As for the Soviet Union, isn't it overnight?

So someone said, the Soviet Union and the United States are different, ah, the system is different, how can it collapse? So, if the system can't collapse, what about the economy?

Back in 1929.

Not overnight!

Why?

Just like the Ukrainian agriculture that Simon learned about a few years ago, in just a few years, Ukraine's grain output can plummet from more than 50 million tons before the disintegration of the Soviet Union to 10 million tons, a decrease of nearly 80%.

The fundamental reason is that the whole modern social operation system, whether in agriculture or other fields, is a huge and closely integrated machine. When a fatal failure occurs in one aspect of the machine, the impact will be quickly transmitted to the whole body, causing a collapsing domino effect. Finally, the whole machine will disintegrate rapidly in a burst spark and disappear.

In 1929, the stock market in the United States collapsed, so the whole country collapsed, and the residents of small towns that had never been exposed to stocks in the depression of the central United States began to starve.

In addition, in the 1990s, the Soviet Union collapsed. Therefore, in the common impression, Ukraine, which has land and can theoretically produce a large number of grain, plummeted by 80% at the lowest point of grain production, so that it used to supply the whole Soviet Union and export to earn foreign exchange to help the granary of Eastern Europe, which is in financial tension, and had to seek international assistance to avoid famine.

In short, there is nothing that lasts forever, and there is nothing big but does not fall. Many times, it is just overnight.

In the restaurant of the rabbled family.

Because the topic was brought up by Simon, Nora register, a standard American in the peak of the sun, certainly could not be regarded as sensationalism. Moreover, Simon took 1929 as an example, which made her unable to refute.

After a little thought, Nora asked, "so, Simon, what problems do you think the Federation faces that could lead to... Well, a repeat of 1929?"

"If you put aside our pride as the world's largest country and study it carefully, you can find 100 problems in a week, similar problems in 100 federations before 1929, because history is always repeating itself," Simon said: "However, if I make a conclusion, I think the biggest problem facing the United States is that no one is willing to make sacrifices."

Simon said that Nora was not the only one. The others at the table paused and looked inquisitively.

Simon didn't wait to ask, Then he said: "If a country wants to solve its internal problems, it needs all levels to reach a tacit understanding and sacrifice some of their own interests. The current problem of the Federation is that the rich are unwilling to pay more taxes to solve the problems, the politicians are unwilling to lose their votes to solve the problems, and even the ordinary people are unwilling to lose even one vote to solve the problems A little bit of self-interest. For example, in the most typical rust belt, in the federal heavy industry center, ordinary blue collar workers received the same high salary as university professors, but they were not satisfied that one person worked and the whole family had to provide medical insurance, and the continuous reduction of working hours was not satisfied. Therefore, under the leadership of the trade union, there was a state of workers' reverse squeezing of capital. As a result, The major auto giants had to move their factories to the South and then overseas, along with the huge supporting industrial chain. In the end, everything they once enjoyed was gone. "

Simon's words fell and everyone fell into thinking.

A moment later, Nora looked at Simon again and asked a somewhat sharp question: "Simon, as the largest capitalist in the Federation, are you willing to make sacrifices?"

"Of course I do," Simon said "In fact, if you look back on history, you will find that many rich people like me are willing. They have publicly called for tax increases for themselves more than once. This may seem hypocritical to some people, but it is not the case. Because we understand that taking more social responsibility can make the country we depend on run better, which is also beneficial to us 。”

Nora remembered that she had done a lot of understanding about the westlow System 3G plan in private, which was indeed a series of projects considered for the future of mankind. Looking at the young tycoon opposite, she didn't doubt each other's words, so she asked, "so, what's the problem?"

Simon smiled: "I just said that no one is willing to make sacrifice. Of course, the 'people' here can not be said to be some individual. To be exact, they should be different groups. The world is not short of soberness. The problem is that when you zoom in to the group level, the selfish nature in the depths of human genes is difficult to be reversed."

Philip caught a point and interrupted, "Simon, you mean 'hard', not absolutely. Then there should be a way, right?"