September 23, 2018 Sunday
Bedtime Story
“Carthaginian Peace”
The United States in the early 1900s was
already establishing itself as the global economic powerhouse and it was then
the largest creditor to the European powers.
Moreover the end of the World War I brought
to the end four major world Empires that included Russian, German,
Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman and also gave rise to several revolutions the
key ones being waves of Communist Revolutions in several European countries and
in Germany.
Several newer smaller nations arouse out of
these fallen Empires mainly in Europe all of which weakened the earlier powers
making the United States therefore the single strongest dominating world power
and still on its ascendancy (with the rest on their way down).
The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
became a pivotal milestone with the Treaty of Sèvres (commune in Paris)
dismembering it into Kurdistan, Armenia, British Mandate of Iraq, British
Mandate of Palestine, French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Hejaz.
This dissolution of this Empire eventually
resulted in the creation of what we see today as the Modern Middle East which
is primarily Islamic and the nations of which generally at each other’s
throats.
The major economic downturn would come only
in 1920 and 1921 but that would sweep both the continents still leaving the
primacy of the United States intact.
With this kind of economic clout and the US
President Wilson keen on a harsh peace agreement Keynes proposal was lost.
The terms of the 1919 Versailles treaty was
so disgusting to Keynes – Both economically and morally – that he immediately
resigned from the Treasury and then turned down an offer of Chairman of the
British Bank of North Commerce that promised considerable salary for a meager
morning per week of work.
This truly was not only a man of integrity
but who could afford to be so.
Keynes called this treaty and popularized
the term “Carthaginian Peace” – a brute and forced-upon “peace” achieved by
complete crushing and humiliation of the enemy as imposed by Rome upon Carthage
at the end of The Third Punic War in 146 BC which coincidentally took place on
the same geographical area of land.
After this resignation and declination of
the job offer and on returning from Paris in 1919 as a delegate of the British
Treasury Keynes wrote and published a book in that very same year that proved
to be a bestseller.
Many consider it to be his best work, even
ranking it superior to his magnum opus ‘The General Theory’ that would follow
seventeen years later in 1936.
It was titled ‘The Economic Consequences of
the Peace’ and I dare say that I know of no other book which foresaw and
predicted history (religious scriptures can be safely ignored in this context)
with such astute prescience.
I shall quote some passages from this
remarkable book which almost overnight transformed Keynes from a minor advisor
to a serious economist whose opinion was sought after by many governments.
We shall consider this magnificent book on
the economics of war and peace in the nights to come.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling
chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.com
Good night Mon Ami and my fellow cousin ape.
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Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is
Professor Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an electronic
engineer and a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and
physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, I
recommend this large collection of Halloween Songs for Kids:
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