Chapter 171

Although the economic crisis has been temporarily eased, the impact caused by the economic crisis cannot be solved in a short time.

The biggest impact caused is the impact on the industrial and economic markets of various countries.

According to the different causes of the economic crisis, the impact of the economic crisis is also completely different. Take this economic crisis as an example. Because of the economic crisis caused by serious overproduction, the industrial output and prices of various countries have plummeted wildly, which is mainly manifested in the metallurgical industry and metal processing industry.

The world's demand for steel is gradually increasing, and the price of steel is also constantly climbing. But after the outbreak of the economic crisis, the selling price of steel in European countries dropped by more than half, and in some more serious countries, the drop even exceeded 60%.

But under the condition that the selling price of steel is so low, the amount of steel imported by European countries is still not much, much less than before the economic crisis.

After the outbreak of the economic crisis, Spain greatly reduced the import of foreign materials to protect the fragile domestic economy.

Even though countries led by Germany reduced the export price of steel to a level lower than Spain's steel production cost, Spain did not choose to import steel from abroad.

After all, if steel is imported from abroad, the orders that domestic steel mills can receive will become less. In this way, it will not only affect the business of domestic steel mills but also affect more enterprises because of steel mills.

When the economic crisis broke out, all countries tacitly reduced the scale of imports and tried their best to export more materials.

But except for those countries whose industrial scale is not large and rely more on material imports, other countries will not increase the scale of imports.

After all, these industrial finished products are cheap, but they will have an impact on domestic industry and the economy. This cheapness is not so easy to enjoy, and it will also make one's own industry and economy affected by other countries.

Among many European countries, Spain is a relatively special one. Because it has not been affected too much by the economic crisis, the industrial enterprises in Spain are still producing uninterruptedly.

After the government announced the second five-year plan, these private factories were like being injected with stimulants, completely letting go of their hearts, and the production work became more passionate.

But because of the overall decline in European prices, Spain's prices cannot be avoided. Up to now, Spain's prices have dropped by about 10% overall, which is already a relatively good level compared to other European countries.

"Prime Minister Primo, is the impact of the current price changes on various industries large?" At a cabinet meeting, Gao Da asked the question he cared about most.

Prices, that is, the selling price of all goods, have a relatively serious impact on the economy. The decline and growth of prices may cause economic fluctuations and may even cause turmoil in an industry.

"There is a certain impact, but the current impact is not too serious, and it is acceptable to us," Prime Minister Primo replied:

"The most serious decline in prices is in the metallurgical industry and metal processing industry. Under the timely control of the government, it has been effectively eased at present.

After the announcement of the second five-year development plan, our country's prices have warmed up to a certain extent, and at present, compared to other European countries, it is still at a relatively healthy level.

However, the selling price of industrial finished products cannot be restored to the level before the economic crisis for the time being. Currently, our country's steel selling price has dropped by about 15% compared to before the economic crisis, but because the demand for steel has increased rather than decreased, the factories and enterprises in the steel industry are currently running stably, and there are no major problems for the time being."

Prices in Europe are constantly falling, and Spain is certainly not immune.

If Spain's prices remain at a high level, it will lead to a large amount of smuggling. Buying a large number of cheap products from abroad, as long as they can be transported back to Spain, you can earn a lot of profits, which will lead many people to take risks.

However, compared to the price decline in other countries, Spain's price decline is under certain control, and the impact caused is not so serious.

Although the price drop in the steel industry is relatively large, because of the construction demand for railways mentioned in the second five-year development plan, Spain's overall demand for steel is constantly expanding.

With enough demand, it means that steel mills have enough orders. Although they earn much less money than before, as long as there is a steady stream of orders, steel mills can live on these meager profits.

What's more, steel mills are not low-profit enterprises. Originally, the profits of steel mills were frighteningly high. Even if the selling price of steel is much lower now, steel mills will not go bankrupt because of this.

It's nothing more than earning a large amount of money for an order before, and only earning a small amount of money for an order now.

"How is the selling price of agricultural products? Is the impact of this economic crisis on farmers large?" Compared to the industrial aspect, Gao Da cares more about the income of farmers.

No way, most of Spain's population are farmers, and caring about farmers' income is actually caring about Gao Da's throne.

"This is good news. This economic crisis has not had much impact on agricultural products. The selling price of industrial finished products is constantly falling, but the price of agricultural products has been relatively stable, and the overall level remains at the level before the economic crisis," speaking of farmers' income, Prime Minister Primo had a smile on his face and said with a smile.

"That's good." Gao Da nodded and also relaxed.

Don't look at how hot Spain's industrial construction is, it can't change the fact that Spain is currently a major agricultural country.

But if this economic crisis had a greater impact on agricultural products, neither Prime Minister Primo nor Gao Da could show a smile.

As long as the farmers' income is not affected, Spain's basic market is still there.

This is also the reason why this economic crisis lasted for several years, but the final impact was not so fatal.

It did not hurt the foundation, and it only takes a few years to make up for the impact on the industry.

Although this economic crisis effectively curbed the industrial expansion of Germany and the United States, it only curbed it for a few years.

In history, the United States' economy and industrial scale eventually surpassed the British Empire, and Germany followed closely behind, and its industry had surpassed Britain before the First World War.

"How is the construction of the industrial base in Barcelona?" After confirming that agricultural products were not affected, Gao Da set his sights on the industrial base under construction in Barcelona.

In Spain's development layout, Barcelona's importance is second only to Madrid, and it is Spain's future industrial center and economic center, as well as an important port for Spain's product exports.

There are many reasons for choosing Barcelona. In addition to the fact that Barcelona has a large population suitable for industrial development, it is also because Barcelona's geographical location is closer to European countries. After all, Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula and is already on the edge of Europe.

"Currently, the construction of the second phase of the Barcelona industrial base is very smooth, and it is expected to be fully completed and enter the production state next year," mentioning the Barcelona industrial base, the smile on Prime Minister Primo's face did not stop.

The construction of the Barcelona industrial base is also a huge credit to Prime Minister Primo, because this represents Spain's great progress in industry from 1 to 10.

As for the previous Seville industrial base, it is more like summarizing Spain's original industrial capabilities and conducting a small-scale demonstration base.

The Barcelona industrial base is the industrial base with the largest investment and the largest scale in Spain's industrial base construction, and it is also the industrial center envisioned by the Spanish government.

The total investment in the construction of the first phase of the industrial base exceeded 15 million pesetas, and the total investment in the construction of the second phase of the industrial base exceeded 45 million pesetas.

What can such an industrial base with a total investment of more than 60 million pesetas bring to the Spanish government?

Naturally, it is an industrial zone with a total steel output of more than 300,000 tons, expected to accommodate more than hundreds of factories and enterprises, and equipped with dozens of super-large storage warehouses and cargo transportation lines.

The construction of the first two phases can provide nearly 100,000 jobs for the Catalonia region, which will greatly meet the employment needs of the people in the Catalonia region and make the Catalonia region completely an industrially and economically developed region.

You know, the total population of the Catalonia region is only more than 1 million. This also means that after the construction of the second phase of the industrial base is completed, one in ten people in the Catalonia region will have the opportunity to enter the industrial base to work.

It is difficult for a single Catalonia to meet all the employment needs of the industrial base. So after the construction of the second phase of the industrial base is completed, Spain also needs to select suitable workers from other regions to move to the Catalonia region to help the Barcelona industrial base carry out better construction.

Doing so actually has another potential benefit, which is to reduce the proportion of Catalans in the Catalonia region.

After the main population of the Catalonia region becomes Spanish, it will not be so easy for Catalans to make trouble again.

As long as the problem of Catalonia is solved, a single Basque region cannot make any big waves.

Relying on the size of the Basques, they are destined to only submit to the rule of the Spanish government. If any Basque radicals dare to make trouble, what will greet the Basque region is a high-pressure rule policy.

At worst, all these hundreds of thousands of Basques will be transferred to regions outside Spain, and Spaniards will be immigrated to occupy this region.

On the premise that the Basques cannot make any big waves, solving the Basque region is just a question of whether the Spanish government wants to or not.

Hearing the news of the smooth construction of the Barcelona industrial base, Gao Da nodded and then ordered Prime Minister Primo:

"The construction of the industrial base is not in a hurry. We don't have such a large demand for steel output. Also, when the industrial base introduces various factories and enterprises, we should increase the proportion of other industrial industries, such as the chemical industry, shipbuilding industry, and mechanical processing industry.

Remember to remind me when the second phase of the Barcelona industrial base construction is completed, I want to personally participate in the celebration ceremony of the completion of the industrial base construction."

Prime Minister Primo nodded, indicating that he understood.

In fact, not only Gao Da, but Prime Minister Primo also attaches great importance to the construction of the Barcelona industrial base.

This is not only related to the future development of Spain's industry but also related to the Spanish government's layout in the Catalonia region.

When the industrial base construction is completed, it is time for Spaniards to enter the Catalonia region in large numbers and dilute the Catalans.

This is the most hopeful way to solve the Catalonia region in a peaceful way, and it is also the reason why Prime Minister Primo pays close attention to the construction of the Barcelona industrial base.

As a Catalan, Prime Minister Primo naturally knows the problems in the Catalonia region. Although many radical Catalans have been forcibly immigrated, this cannot solve the root of the Catalonia region.

In the final analysis, it is caused by the awakening of national consciousness. Either Spain assimilates this nation before the national consciousness in Catalonia is completely awakened, or it can only reduce the proportion of Catalans in the Catalonia region through subtle ways, so that Catalans completely become a minority in Spain and cannot become the main population of any administrative region.

Prime Minister Primo is currently adopting a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, he strives to assimilate most Catalans through more effective policies, and on the other hand, he attracts more Spaniards to enter Catalonia through the construction of industrial bases, reducing the proportion of Catalans.

After these Spaniards who entered the Catalonia region intermarry with the local Catalans, their descendants can be more easily assimilated into Spaniards.

Coupled with the population growth of the main ethnic group, Catalans will become fewer and fewer in the future, while the proportion and scale of Spaniards will become more and more.

"How are those industrial equipment we purchased from other countries and the production lines of those acquired enterprises handled?" In addition to the development of the industrial base, what Gao Da cares about is those things purchased from foreign countries.

After all, 300 million pesetas of real money were spent by the Spanish government, so naturally, these equipment must be fully utilized to the extreme.

"We took out a part of the equipment and production materials and sold them to major domestic enterprises through auctions. As for those production materials and equipment that are not easy to master, they were sold to state-owned enterprises at low prices.

A large batch of industrial equipment has been transported to the Barcelona industrial base, and they will accompany the second phase of the industrial base construction to expand the factories and enterprises of the industrial base.

It is expected that it will take at least three years for us to fully utilize the production capacity of these equipment. In the next three years, our industrial production will enter a state of relatively stable growth, and those enterprises that have obtained production materials and equipment have the opportunity to continue to expand production," Prime Minister Primo replied.

(End of this chapter)