Friedrich List

Chapter 9 Friedrich List

The thirty-eight customs barriers of Germany paralyzed internal traffic; they were no different from binding a person's hands and feet, preventing the blood from flowing. Only by abolishing internal tariffs and establishing a unified tax system for the entire federation could national trade and national industry be restored, which would also benefit the working class.

—Friedrich List

Friedrich List, the father of the Zollverein and a challenger to Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, lived a life that could be called legendary. (The full name is used here consistently to distinguish him from the musician Liszt.)

On August 6, 1789, Friedrich List was baptized in Reutlingen.

(Baptisms usually took place on the day of a baby's birth.)

Friedrich List was born into a craftsman's family; his father was a well-known tanner. During his student years, he had to work part-time as a tanning apprentice to help his father.

However, he soon displayed astonishing talent and passed the financial official examination of the Württemberg royal family, becoming a government clerk.

After working in the government for several years, he was sent to a university to become a professor due to his superior work ability.

No one would have guessed that this was merely the beginning of his extraordinary life. Later, Friedrich List left the university and became the president of the Württemberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Following this, he became a member of the Württemberg parliament, at which point he had just turned thirty.

Afterward, he left Württemberg for the New World (the United States). In America, he built a farm, started a newspaper, founded a railway company, and finally used the money he earned to purchase a mine, all while writing Outlines of American Political Economy in his spare time.

He was even appointed by the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, as the U.S. Consul to the German Confederation.

In 1832, he returned to Württemberg and began sketching out a railway network covering all of Germany.

However, his national railway system plan failed due to feudal fragmentation and the narrow, profit-seeking nature of the bourgeoisie.

In the end, he only obtained a castrated version of a railway, 115 kilometers long, running from Leipzig to Dresden.

To build the railway, Friedrich had partnered with others to open a joint-stock company, but the shares that should have belonged to him were swindled away by two friends who had assured him that "Leipziger people" were different from "Yankees" and that Germans would not cheat Germans.

The two swindlers convinced Friedrich List that the remaining matters were merely procedural, so he did not sign the contract.

By the time Friedrich List realized he had been cheated, the other party had already successfully cashed out and vanished without a trace.

Ultimately, this investment not only failed to bring him any profit but instead caused him to lose ten thousand thalers.

Somewhat down and out, Friedrich List had to move into a cheap family inn.

He dragged his exhausted body back to his room, only to find the door left ajar.

He immediately rushed into the room, where an old gentleman was leisurely drinking tea. The attendant standing beside him was quite handsome and burly, eyes fixed straight ahead; one look and it was clear he was a servant of a powerful figure.

The old gentleman set down his teacup and spoke first.

"Mr. List, please sit."

Friedrich List took off his hat, bowed deeply, and said, "Sir, this is my room."

"It is mine now." The old gentleman smiled, took out a piece of paper, and signaled for the attendant to show it to Friedrich List.

Friedrich List took a glance; it was a property deed.

"Then may I take my things?" Friedrich List pointed to the cabinet on the side.

"Mr. List, please do not be anxious. I have come to bring you a gift."

"Are you Santa Claus?" Friedrich List asked.

"If you wish, yes. Let us get to the point. My name is Berg Turner, and I am the butler for Metternich. I have come today for two reasons: first, to deliver a gift and return your losses to you, and at the same time, I have brought two friends."

Berg clapped his hands, and two burly men from outside walked in carrying two sacks, which they dropped heavily onto the floor with a dull thud.

The sacks were then opened, revealing none other than the two swindlers who made Friedrich List's teeth itch with hatred.

Friedrich List immediately stepped forward and kicked them twice. The two swindlers, their hands and feet bound and their mouths stuffed with rags, could only emit muffled groans.

"Are they the secret police of Austria?" Friedrich List asked.

"No, they are just concerned citizens who happened to be passing by," Berg replied calmly, then added, "Mr. List, are you satisfied with this gift?"

"Satisfied. Tell me the second reason." List was a sensible man and naturally knew the other party wouldn't offer favors for nothing.

"My master wishes to see you. He feels you are very talented and should serve His Majesty the Emperor."

"What if I say I won't go?" List asked tentatively, then pointed to the two burly men beside him. "Will they stuff me into a sack?"

"No, Mr. List. My master is a civilized man, but I am not. Whether I call you a scoundrel or a dangerous element, this face of mine is enough to make it true." Berg stood up and straightened his lapels.

"You have convinced me, Mr. Berg."

Vienna, Hall of Mirrors.

Francis II sat high on his throne, while the ministers and dignitaries below each harbored their own thoughts, yet they appeared to be performing their duties in an orderly fashion.

Francis II said proudly, "Child, look. For an emperor, the most important quality is presence. You must first possess an aura of royal dominance, and then you can make them bow down and submit."

Clearly, the old emperor was getting carried away. But Franz still pretended to be full of admiration, using a child's tone to say, "Grandfather, why do the French oppose us in Austria joining the Zollverein?"

"The French are all villains; they fear our prosperity. We in Austria are the chair of the German Confederation and should protect the interests of the German states, so we must join the Zollverein." Francis II wanted to educate his grandson, but accidentally painted himself into a corner.

Seeing the old emperor digging his own grave, Franz gave him another push.

"Grandfather, Grandfather, then are those who hold the same views as the French also villains?"

"..." Francis II fell silent.

Metternich nearly spat out a mouthful of blood; this was truly the savior of Austria. He had not expected that the clearest head in the entire imperial family would belong to a mere child.

However, the dignitaries inside the Hall of Mirrors did not look pleased, especially Prince Windisch-Graetz, who felt the old Emperor's gaze upon him—a look sharp enough to kill.

He hurriedly found an excuse and fled the Hall of Mirrors as if escaping for his life.

Seeing their two leaders—one exiled to Hungary and the other fleeing to the latrine—the other dignitaries lost all confidence, and the crowd scattered like rats from a sinking ship.

Watching the people frantically flee the Hall of Mirrors, Francis II fell into deep thought. How had he failed to notice before that the people he trusted were nothing but a pack of sycophants?

Count Kolowrat felt this was for the best; it seemed his workload would be significantly reduced.

Count Latour continued his work, believing that those fellows would not give up so easily and that they must remain vigilant.

Of course, this also had to do with Count Latour's personal character; after all, he was a soldier, and a single mistake could cost him his life.

Now, Metternich, Kolowrat, and Bruck were all thinking of the same thing: whether they should bring Archduke Franz along to the next council meeting.