农民协会与德意志帝国的农业保护

Bund der Landwirte and Agricultural Protection in the German Empire

在高速工业化和国际贸易快速发展的进程中,以农产品进口换取工业品出口的需要和外来廉价农产品的涌入导致德意志帝国出现了农产品价格与利润双双下跌的状况,使农业保护问题凸显。尽管农业界发出了强烈的保护呼声,但自俾斯麦离职后,新任帝国宰相卡普里维却改变了自1879年以来所实行的农业保护政策。原本与农业界紧密合作的德国保守党,此时也并未坚决支持农业保护政策。在此背景下,德国农业界在1893年创立了农民协会。凭借出色的竞选动员能力和贵族特权地位,农民协会迅速在政治舞台上占据优势地位,并基于农业至上和政府干预理念,提出了以提高关税为核心的一系列农业保护建议。农业危机的不断加剧与农民协会所施加的巨大压力,共同构成了帝国当局决心加强农业保护的主要驱动力。帝国当局不顾工业界反对所推行的农业保护政策,如提高粮食进口关税、禁止粮食期货交易、强化进口畜产品检疫,以及严格控制人造黄油的生产与销售等,有效促进了农业的复苏与进步,有利于德国工农业的协调发展。

In the process of high-speed industrialisation and rapid development of international trade,the need of importing agricultural products in exchange for industrial exports and the influx of cheap foreign agricultural products led to a situation in the German Empire where agricultural product prices and profits both declined,highlighting the issue of agricultural protection.Despite strong calls for protection from the agricultural sector,the new Imperial Chancellor,Caprivi,changed the agricultural protection policy which had been implemented since 1879,after Bismarck's resignation.The Conservative Party,which had previously closely cooperated with the agricultural sector,did not firmly support agricultural protection at this time.In such context,the agricultural sector in the German Empire established the Bund der Landwirte in 1893.With its excellent mobilisation capabilities and privileged status among the nobility,the Bund der Landwirte quickly gained a dominant position in the political arena and proposed a series of agricultural protection measures centred on increasing tariffs,based on the concept of agricultural supremacy and government intervention.The deepening agricultural crisis and the tremendous pressure exerted by the Bund der Landwirte were main driving forces behind the determination of the imperial authorities to strengthen agricultural protection.Despite the opposition from the industrial sector,the imperial authorities implemented agricultural protection policies,such as the raise of import tariffs of grain,the ban of future trading of grain,the strengthening of imported livestock quarantine,and the strict control over the production and sale of margarine.Those measures effectively promoted the recovery and progress of the agriculture,contributing to the coordinated development of the industry and agriculture in the German Empire.