"I want all of Chamberlain's public speeches from the past year!" Sheffield, one foot already on the carriage, instructed John Connor, who was waiting nearby. "What kind of governance approach does this colonial minister have?"
"The vast majority of members in today's cabinet are outdated in their thinking, still believing the world is as it used to be and ignoring global changes." After the perceived threat had left, Joseph Chamberlain continued to grumble angrily. "Even the current prime minister is like that. Germany has unified, France has caught up, and the United States is rising, yet they see nothing, nothing at all… Why not take this opportunity to act against the United States and teach them a lesson?"
In the empty living room, only Joseph Chamberlain and his two sons, who would become famous decades later, remained. The latter stayed silent, listening to their father vent his dissatisfaction with the cabinet.
Compared to Salisbury, who had a large forehead and long beard and looked unkempt, the three of them had meticulously groomed hairstyles and wore suits, appearing somewhat rigid. However, Joseph Chamberlain, as the leader of the opposition party, was a well-known new politician in Britain with numerous supporters.
"Father, calm down. In terms of military strength, the United States is indeed a weak country; Germany poses a greater threat," Austin Chamberlain sighed, glancing at his silent younger brother, attempting to console his father.
"In fact, Father is right. The population and land of the United States determine its potential to be far greater than Germany's. It's just not obvious yet. We really should take this opportunity to teach them a lesson," Neville Chamberlain disagreed with his elder brother, his deep eyes indicating he wasn't speaking casually.
"Those old-fashioned men still think the world can be controlled solely by the Empire. In terms of industrial scale, the United States has already surpassed us, and Germany is very close. Moreover, their growth rate is much faster than ours. If we continue with the current colonial policy, loosely managing the territories within the empire, sooner or later, the empire will return to the influence limited to the British Isles. We must transform the empire into a tightly connected, strong imperial entity, similar to the United States, to handle future changes."
It seemed that the reactions of his two sons pleased Joseph Chamberlain, easing his mood somewhat. "Unfortunately, most people are still immersed in past glories, unaware that Britain no longer holds an advantage over other countries. There are two issues facing the empire now: first, we must establish more balanced relations with the colonies, transforming them into integral parts of the empire rather than being inferior to the homeland. Second, we must suppress the most threatening enemy as soon as possible, even if not through war, but through economic and trade means to curb their power."
"Therefore, free trade must end. We need to establish a trade system that benefits the empire unilaterally—homeland first, colonies second, foreign countries last! Currently, the two countries with the most rapid rise are Germany and the United States. Germany has Russia to the east and France to the west, both formidable enemies. As long as the empire appropriately relinquishes some interests, we can form an Anglo-German alliance, guiding Germany into the empire's orbit to establish a world system led by the empire with Germany as a secondary power." Joseph Chamberlain sighed, "The real enemy is the Americans. Germany's harsh surrounding environment means they need us too. If we fail to suppress the United States this time, these bumpkins will eventually ride roughshod over us."
Internally implementing trade protection to support industrial and commercial development, and externally pursuing colonial expansion, had become the mainstream trend. However, British politicians were still clinging to the liberal policies of the era when the British Empire dominated the world. Liberal policies were based on Britain's leading industrial position worldwide, but by this time, the Second Industrial Revolution had begun, and the unification of Germany and Italy, along with the rise of France and the United States, posed significant challenges to Britain. Continuing with free trade policies would be akin to inviting wolves into the fold.
In Chamberlain's view, the vast territory of the United States posed a threat far exceeding that of Germany on the European continent. After all, Germany was flanked by two powerful nations that could restrain it, whereas the United States had no proxies around to support.
"Can this person predict the future?" Upon returning to his apartment, Sheffield quickly obtained various statements from this colonial minister, naturally including the idea of building an imperial entity, advocating for an Anglo-German alliance, and the proposal to abolish free trade. This concept was called the Imperial Preference System. Don't worry if you don't understand it; think of it as the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) established by the black president before the real estate businessman, which can be understood as America's version of the Imperial Preference System.
It excludes countries that might threaten its status and uses advantages in international trade to maintain its position. In 1895, Britain already had someone who viewed the United States as a threat. It must be said that old imperialist powers indeed have something worth learning. Are there really politicians with such foresight?
The Imperial Preference System wouldn't be successfully implemented until Neville Chamberlain did so three decades later, causing quite a stir for the United States.
Fortunately, this era had many powerful countries of similar strength, providing many nations to draw fire for the United States. Otherwise, if only the United States faced the British Empire alone, a single Imperial Preference System could plunge the United States into an economic crisis.
"Prepare to return home!" Facing such a pro-German family, Sheffield also knew that the export of agricultural products from home was doomed. "Send a telegram home saying that the export of agricultural products to Britain is likely to be lost."
Joseph Chamberlain was once the British Empire's trade minister and had significant influence in trade. People like Lord Aston, who introduced Chamberlain to Sheffield, lacked the power to stop this British politician who disapproved of the United States.
Alas! Sheffield clutched his chest, his face full of melancholy. Anne gently placed her hands on his chest, asking with concern, "Is everything alright?"
"We lost money; the effort to protect agricultural exports failed." Sheffield forced a very strained smile. Opening up German agricultural exports definitely meant losing the British share, making him feel terrible.
From the British perspective, combining later history, the Chamberlain family could be considered far-sighted, accurately identifying the United States as the real potential threat to dominate them. Internally consolidating the imperial entity, establishing the Imperial Preference System, and striving to turn colonies into direct territories—if not delayed by several decades until his son became prime minister, the United States would have had a tough time.
But this family was pro-German, and Sheffield was American. What did their foresight have to do with him?
Upon checking the materials, it seemed that the Chamberlain family was indeed quite formidable, much stronger than the fat loser who ruined Britain.
(End of Chapter)