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Russia would complete the trans-Siberian railway in 1905 under the leadership of "American System" follower Count Sergei Witte. On its maiden voyage the Trans-Siberian rail saw Philadelphia-made train cars run across the Russian heartland, and it is no accident that all of the key players involved in the Alaska purchase were also involved in the Russian continental rail program on both sides of the ocean.
Bismarck's Zollverein
In 1876 Henry C. Carey organized the centennial exhibition where 10 million people from 37 countries came to Philadelphia to see the achievements of the United States in its advancements in machine tool industry, which propelled their economy to the first in the world.
Only three years later, Otto von Bismarck broke Germany's free trade system implementing an American style tariff policy for his nation. The kinship between Germany and the United States became so strong at this time that Otto von Bismarck's speech in the parliament (1879) was quoted by McKinley on the floor in US Congress:
"A success of the United States in material development is the most illustrious of modern time. The American nation has not only successfully born and suppressed the most gigantic and expensive war of all history, but immediately afterward disbanded its army, found employment for all its soldiers and marines, paid off most of its debt, given labour and homes to all the unemployed in Europe as fast as they could arrive within its territory and still by a system of taxation so indirect as not to be perceived, much less felt" Because it is my deliberate judgement that the prosperity of America is mainly due to its protective laws, I urge that Germany has now reached that point, where it is necessary to imitate the tariff system of the United States."
Otto von Bismarck was heavily organising for the building of the Berlin to Baghdad railway, which after much resistance and delay would only be completed in 1940. If this has been accomplished during Otto von Bismarck's life, the Middle East could have avoided the Sykes Picot carving up.
In 1869, Japanese modernizers working directly with the Lincoln-Carey strategists ran the Meiji Restoration which industrialized Japan.
In the 1880s and 90s, Lincoln-Carey Philadelphia industrialists were contracted for huge infrastructure and nation-building projects in China. Hawaiian Christian missionary Frank Damon, having participated in the Carey group's strategies at a very high level, helped instigate, shape, and build the Sun Yat-sen organization that gave birth to modern China.
Sun Yat-sen referred to his admiration of Lincoln's USA as the basis for a new multipolar system saying:
"The world has been greatly benefited by the development of America as an industrial and a commercial Nation. So a developed China with her four hundred millions of population, will be another New World in the economic sense. The nations which will take part in this development will reap immense advantages. Furthermore, international cooperation of this kind cannot but help to strengthen the Brotherhood of Man."
How Did We End Up Where We Are Today?
With such a glorious outlay of cooperation and common interests across the globe united against an economic system of empire, it begs the obvious question "What went wrong? How did we end up where we are today?"
To give one a quick glimpse into the reason why, let us look at some of the major assassinations and soft-coups from the late 19th century and early 20th century of American system proponents:
President Abraham Lincoln assassinated April 15, 1865 (four weeks after second inauguration).
Tsar Alexander II assassinated March 13, 1881.
President Garfield assassinated Sept. 19, 1881.
Otto von Bismarck ousted March 18, 1890.
President of France Sadi Carnot assassinated June 25, 1894.
Tsar Alexander III most likely poisoned Nov. 1, 1894.
President McKinley assassinated Sept. 14, 1901.
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia assassinated Feb. 17, 1905.
Russia's Minister of Interior Pyotr Stolypin (Prime Minister from 1906-1911) assassinated Sept. 17,1918.
President of China Sun Yat-sen forced to step down after less than one year (Jan. 1 to March 10, 1912).
Henry C. Carey stated it best when he described the situation as such, in his "Harmony of Interests" (1851):
"Two systems are before the world; the one looks to increasing the proportion of persons and of capital engaged in trade and transportation, and therefore to diminishing the proportion engaged in producing commodities with which to trade, with necessarily diminished return to the labor of all; while the other looks to increasing the proportion engaged in the work of production, and diminishing that engaged in trade and transportation, with increased return to all, giving to the laborer good wages, and to the owner of capital good profits" One looks to pauperism, ignorance, depopulation, and barbarism; the other in increasing wealth, comfort, intelligence, combination of action, and civilization. One looks towards universal war; the other towards universal peace. One is the English system; the other we may be proud to call the American system, for it is the only one ever devised the tendency of which was that of elevating while equalizing the condition of man throughout the world."
We have yet to conclude the victor between these two opposing systems, the fight is not over and we would be foolish to give up at the finishing line. What we do today will decide the course of things in the future, and whether we live under a true recognition of freedom and prosperity, or whether we are ruled-over and our liberties treated as "privilege," that can be given or taken based on the judgement of a ruling class, remains to be seen.
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