Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

As these influential experts and professors in the Netherlands defended and attacked monopolies one after another, they not only aroused heated discussions in the Dutch society, but even many people from the lower class took to the streets in the Netherlands. Demonstrate dissatisfaction with monopolies.

This craze even hit European countries, catching them off guard. Even the French Empire in the south had the same effect. Therefore, Napoleon III had to focus his energy from the Far East back to his homeland.

Because in Paris alone, more than 400,000 people took to the streets to protest, and the security of Paris seriously deteriorated, threatening the rule of Napoleon III.

In the face of criticism and suspicion, the monopoly company as the industry leader had to actively defend itself in Paris and even across France in an attempt to alleviate public dissatisfaction, but the effect seemed to be limited.

In addition to the Wilhelm Group controlled by William IV in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Luofe, the boss of Dutch coal mining giant Anfik, stood up and said that before the rise of Anfik Coal Mining Company, the Dutch coal mining industry had been in a state of chaos for a long time. Opened up an orderly and healthy new situation.

He mentioned that the rich should benefit the community and serve their compatriots, but few rich people responded. No matter how clever Luofi said or how noble some monopolies behaved, they all gave reasonable explanations for monopoly.

That's how other experts who have launched the challenge responded.

These people point out that there is no doubt that the huge wealth and powerful influence of monopoly tycoons give them more say than others.

When the influence of critics is insufficient, the views of monopoly tycoons will be accepted by more people.

Even some pastors of some religions believe that unrestricted competition is inhumane, so they openly support the demonstrators and publicly condemn competitive behavior.

At the same time, some new economists began to criticize the laissez-faire that European and American countries, including the Netherlands, firmly believed in, and continued to say that state funding was an important force for social progress.

With the development of monopoly, the conflicts between large enterprises and governments of various countries continue to deepen.

The monopolistic behavior of large enterprises has begun to shake people's belief in fairness and democracy.

If it is not stopped in time, it is likely to cause people to question the legitimacy of the country's government.

Leiden University President Hermann Van Peron, a leading private commentator, warned that in order to maintain stable and orderly rule, the government must take measures against large companies that threaten the development of Dutch democracy. This is a product of the development of the times. It is also a bottleneck.

He called on the Dutch government and parliament to introduce measures to check and balance large companies as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the situation gets out of control, it will be too late.

On October 6, 1867, people at the bottom of society took to the streets in the Netherlands to express their dissatisfaction with the monopolistic behavior of large companies, which affected not only the mainland, but also the Far East. According to statistics, the number of people exceeds 1 million.

As the news from the Netherlands spread, the demonstration effect spilled over to other countries in Europe and the United States, where there were street demonstrations of varying degrees. They all claimed they were dissatisfied with the monopoly of large companies and asked the government to restrict their behavior and give everyone justice. A just society.

Among them, the British and French empires each had a population of more than 5 million.

Among them, Paris and London alone have more than one million people.

It can be seen that the Dutch movement of underclass people to express their voices in unison has synchronized the world.

When large companies from various countries complained about the Netherlands, other countries were also extremely panicked about what was happening in the Netherlands, especially the British Prime Minister Disraeli and the French cabinet government of Olivier. The scale of the demonstration was so large that the scene was on the verge of getting out of control.

Both countries advocate free and uncontrolled trade. It is common for industrial and agricultural products to be priced low by large companies and then pushed up. The lower levels are miserable.

However, it has always been protected by the government, so the people at the bottom are suffering.

What happened in the Netherlands was just the fuse, and the fire was ignited in an instant, and the fire was fierce.

However, the two countries still persisted desperately because of the influence of large companies, which prevented the top leaders of the British and French governments from arbitrarily tampering with them, because these companies had become towering trees, and touching their cake would have consequences for the government. It will backfire and harm the country.

However, can it really withstand it?

On October 15, 1867, the largest monopoly in the Netherlands, the Wilhelm Group controlled by William IV, announced that it would be split into multiple companies and would no longer appear as a whole.

William Plastic Products Company, William Machinery Equipment Company, William Firearms Manufacturing Company, William Warship Company, William Steel Company and William Coal Mining Company, William Innovation Company, William Bicycle Company, William Bearing Company, etc. A series of subsidiaries officially became independent Individual companies.

As soon as this news came out, it shocked the Netherlands and even the entire Europe and America.

Because the William Group occupies almost more than 30% of the production capacity of various industries in the Netherlands, its business scope covers everything from military equipment to daily necessities to industrial equipment.

Even for arms parts suppliers, the figure has reached 60%. Such a giant can be decomposed as soon as it is said to be decomposed. This lets everyone know what the Dutch government will do this time in the face of dissatisfaction from civil society. s solution.

In the original structure of the group, King William IV of the Netherlands himself held more than 50% of the group's shares, and most of the other shares fell into the 17-member board of directors of the original Dutch East India Company, which controlled 25%. The remaining 25% is owned by other emerging consortiums or tycoons in the Netherlands.

The reason for this distribution is that among the investment amount of William Group, at the beginning of its establishment, William IV accounted for half of the total investment in the company when he was still the crown prince, the seventeen-member board of directors accounted for one-quarter, and the remaining one-quarter. Divided into four parts, one sixteenth is occupied by other Dutch consortiums and tycoons.

William Group meets three times a year, and the meetings last at least seven days a week. The work of the William Group board of directors includes the group's annual operating status report, observing the operation of subsidiaries, and preparing accounting books.

This is the most complete group in the world, and even large companies in countries such as Britain and France are imitating it and trying to replicate its success.

Not to mention Britain and France, emerging conglomerates such as the Rockefeller Group and the Morgan Consortium in the Commonwealth of America are trying their best to imitate the William Group, and even the Rothschild family, the largest conglomerate family in the United Kingdom and the world, is here. In the past few years, heirs have also been sent to visit William Group, hoping to learn the group's advanced management concepts. This has been a hot topic among many people recently.

The William Group monopolizes a country's resources and can be called a giant monster in the economic world.

But this kind of existence is now falling apart?

Is the pride of the Dutch gone?

This made the financial groups of various countries feel insecure, fearing that the violent storm of the Netherlands would blow towards them.

But the people at the bottom of various countries became even more excited because of this. It was like taking a shot of chicken blood. The number of demonstrators increased rapidly. In Paris, 1.8 million people protested, and in London it reached a terrifying 2 million, accounting for 15% of the total population of the UK. one part.

The pressure on governments has never been greater.

Governments around the world are glaring at the Netherlands.

On October 20, 1867, Ould Sherman, the Christian leader of the Dutch Senate, led a group of 10 Christian members to jointly propose a bill against monopoly in the Dutch Parliament - the "Antitrust Law", because Sherman Senator Mann proposed it, so it was also called the Sherman Antitrust Act.

With the passage of this bill, the sharp economic and political conflicts in the Kingdom of the Netherlands were alleviated, and the rule of William IV was consolidated. The strength of Dutch entrepreneurs was damaged and their rights were restricted.

This will facilitate the governance of the Dutch cabinet government.

However, the Netherlands has solved it, but what about the world?