Chapter 2073： Junkers

William brought Yang Cheng to a German nobleman. Although modern Germany has long since recognized nobles, their status is still indelible in the hearts of nobles, even if he is a Junker.

Many people may have heard of this term-Junker noble, but they don't know that not every noble is willing to be called Junker.

In the spring of 1834, a young Prussian aristocrat failed to graduate from high school, so he was worried that he would not be able to enter the University of Berlin as planned. In a letter to his friend, he imagined what he would be like if he could not go to university:

I will be an officer for a few years, yelling at the recruits; then, marrying a wife, having children, farming, producing distilled wine uncontrollably, and using wine to destroy the morals of my farmers. So, if you happen to come to my hometown in ten years, I will invite you to have fun together, and find a slick, curvy little lady from the manor to have fun.

I will also invite you to drink potato brandy as much as you want. I also invite you to go hunting and have a good time.

At that time, you saw me as a fat native militia officer, with a beard that was raised at both ends, who could shake the mountain by cursing, hating Jews and French, and whipping dogs and domestic servants. At the same time is a strict wife.

I can wear leather pants and make a fool of myself in the Szczecin wool factory. When everyone greets me, Lord Baron, I will gently stroke my beard and give everyone a preferential price.

On the day of the King’s birthday, I will be drunk and scream for his majesty’s birthday. The rest of the time, I will talk regularly. My mantra is: "God! This horse is awesome!"

This young man was the later prime minister Bismarck. Who can imagine that he was once a second-generation Junker? Even many Germans do not necessarily know this fact.

Bismarck was born in a family of Prussian Junkers landlords, and his words made his class sarcasm indefinitely.

Bismarck’s father was a genuine Junker nobleman east of the Elbe. He was staid and very conservative. But his mother was a bourgeois scholar from Saxony. Served as cabinet secretary in the government of King Friedrich.

This is equivalent to the daughter of the university president, married to the local rich man in the village. No matter how you look at it, there are quite a few such things, especially when the Junker nobles prevailed.

Unlike most Junkers, Bismarck was well educated under his mother's precepts and deeds. His life trajectory is different from that of most Junkers, and his evaluation of Junkers is also very negative.

This also represents a majority of Germans’ views on the Junker aristocracy. Junker’s original meaning is "young aristocrat" or "young master". It was used to refer to young or inferior aristocrats in the Middle Ages and early modern times. Like a British squire.

Martin Luther used the pseudonym Junker Jorge while lurking in Wartburg. He also ridiculed King Henry VIII of England as "Junker Heinz". As a low-ranking nobleman, Junker generally did not have a title, just a surname. There are "Feng" or "zu" characters.

In modern times, in Prussia, especially in the area east of the Elbe, the word "Junker" has a special meaning, referring to the landlords in these agricultural areas. Most of them are small nobles, and some are not nobles. Juncker actually refers to Prussian Junker in most cases.

Prussian Junker controlled most of the land in eastern Prussia and drove the peasants to work for them, and these peasants enjoyed much less freedom and rights than the peasants in western and southern Germany.

The natural conditions of Junker’s living environment are not good, the land is marsh and sandy, and the land is barren. The landowners of Junker are generally a poorer gentry class. Their lifestyle and spiritual outlook are different from the wealthy aristocrats in western and southern Germany. Far away, it's simply not a world.

Because of being poor and not well-educated, Juncker is often associated with ignorance. The aristocratic German aristocrats commented on Juncker: they are generally uneducated, they are not well-educated, and even their speech is not coherent. It will connect nouns and nominalized words together, and then add exclamation points.

It can be said that agriculture is Juncker’s core interest. After the establishment of the German Empire in 1871, Juncker occupied an important position in the German ZF, and Prussia has implemented a three-tier election system for a long time. The votes of noble landlords are particularly heavy, so Juncker ZZ in Prussia is very influential.

They use their influence to actively intervene and influence the government's agricultural policies and raise the tariffs on food imports to protect Prussia's own agriculture.

The German conservative dang and the farmer alliance after the 1870s mainly served the interests of the Junkers landlords. They lobbied ZF to provide landlords with financial subsidies, tax cuts, and guarantee higher food prices.

In some more positive descriptions, the landlord Juncker is the head of a family with stern personality, strict discipline, but benevolent.

Not only to his wife and children and immediate family members, but also to servants and farmers, Juncker is also a fatherly figure: a majestic but friendly authority and manager, busy for the livelihood of the family.

However, they do have a relatively positive part. Juncker, who comes from poor mountains and rivers, is often persevering and is a good material for soldiers.

In the first half of the 18th century, Juncker's military service began to become a tradition, so generations of Juncker children have been instilled in this spirit and sense of military honor since childhood, and they have served in the military for generations.

During the Seven Years' War, King Friedrich led Prussia to confront the other three superpowers (Russia, France, and Austria) on the European continent. The Junkers formed close ties with the King of Prussia in the process of bloodshed and sacrifice.

It was this kind of person who helped Prussia win the two wars in 1866 and 1871. Some historians say: It was the alliance between the Hohenzollern family and Juncker that transformed Prussia from an inconspicuous small country. Developed into a modern power, so Juncker's, authoritarian and aristocratic principles were legalized, so that they had a great say in the German ZF and the army.

But such Junkers are completely bound to the army, even when attacked by the enemy.

The images of Juncker in various satirical cartoons of the German liberals in the 1880s and 1990s are often officers wearing straight military uniforms. In the cartoons, Juncker officers are vanity, incompetent, and wear tight uniforms, or inherit themselves. The gamblers who squandered their wealth are either prostitutes chasing women or unlearned.

This gradually became a stereotype, and was often ridiculed and criticized by liberals. "Cabbage Juncker" became a common derogatory term.

They considered the Prussian aristocracy to be a burden to the country because they were too large, mostly poor, and greedy for official positions, salaries, privileges, and all kinds of preferential treatment.

The Junkers are poor, so they can’t receive a good education. They can only go to a military school with a poor level. Because they have no education, they can’t hold senior positions... This large group of people with only poor education needs to ask for it with confidence. ...... At the same time aristocrats and bureaucrats, they are a harm to the compatriots.

Even some influential historians accused the Juncker group of being responsible for the failure of the Second Empire's democracy and the outbreak of World War I, saying that Juncker was an anti-democratic force, yes, an authoritarian.

In short, Juncker is almost equivalent to the bully landlord who was criticized in Country Z in the past, so that many of Juncker’s descendants, after receiving higher education, are unwilling to recognize their identity as Juncker, and they will try their best to become high-level nobles. Move closer.

The person William brought Yang Cheng to see was a Junker who had successfully transformed himself. The other party successfully broke into the Bavarian aristocratic circle and even got to know a Duke of William’s level. From a certain perspective, he was considered a success. .

On the way to the other side’s castle, William said, “My friend is now very powerful in Germany, especially in Bavaria. There are three senior German officials in his family, and there are many people in the business world who are calling for trouble.”

Yang Cheng nodded, and said perfunctorily, "That's pretty awesome~"

William smiled slightly. "You know what he controls. He is now the largest real estate company in Bavaria."

Yang Cheng's eyes fluctuate. Germany is currently one of the most reliable real estate markets in Europe. Affordable financing is driving demand. In Munich, high-quality apartments usually have 20 to 40 potential customers.

In Germany, Bavaria is known as the richest and safest state in Germany, so property prices are also extremely expensive: the average price in Munich is €7,700/m??, while the national average price is €2,700/m?? .

Due to the low profit margins in high-end areas, many investors have turned their attention to smaller cities in Bavaria, the so-called "B districts", where real estate is not as expensive as Munich, but has great potential for appreciation. Look at the fight with the Greater London area.

He knew that William had deliberately mentioned this and looked at William meaningfully and said, "It seems that you are getting more and more used to the job of intermediary."

Don't mind Yang Cheng's ridicule, "Ha, if I have to name me a career, I would prefer to use the word broker. It sounds cool, doesn't it?"

Taking a look at him, Yang Cheng further asked, "Is the London housing market not enough for you to play? Actually turned his attention to Munich again."

"That said, who would think that there is less money?"

Yang Cheng's tone was stagnant, well, it was because he asked a brain-dead question, and deserved to be stunned.

"Well, another question, is your friend having financial difficulties?"

"No, at least from what I know, it is difficult for their family to lack money, but they lack opportunities for expansion."

Yang Cheng thoughtfully, "I see, you have reached a PY transaction."

"What?"

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