Actually, this chapter of the story isn’t very convincing, because the people were too easily swayed by Furina.
“Fireside Chat” only work when you have enough credibility, and the speech is comfortable and simple enough for everyone to understand.
Furina’s problem is that she became president too quickly and hadn’t built enough public trust.
Their choice was largely due to their dissatisfaction with the previous government, leaving them with no one else to vote for besides Furina.
If the storyline were more realistic, she should have started as Minister of Health, leveraging her knowledge of modern medical science.
Then, once she had built enough credibility through charity and improving people’s living conditions, she could have started running for president.
Actually, if you want to see a fanfic with a proper and interesting “fireplace conversation,” you can read it in the supplementary chapter.
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“Friends,” she began, her voice gentle and warm, carrying a hint of hoarse fatigue, as if she were chatting with a neighbor rather than broadcasting to the entire nation.
“Today, I want to talk to you about what we have done over the past few days, why we did it, and what we will do next.”
“First, allow me to state a simple fact.”
“When you deposit money in a bank, the bank does not just keep it in a safe; it lends that money to factories to purchase raw materials, to farmers to buy seeds, to merchants to expand their businesses, and for home mortgages.”
“In other words, it uses your money for reproduction, keeping this society running effectively.”
“Every penny you deposit keeps the machines of France turning, the fields growing, and provides wages for workers.”
She paused, her voice becoming heavy, as if pulled from the depths of her heart:
“So, what exactly happened in the last few days?”
“Due to the malicious bank runs by reactionaries who held large amounts of francs and demanded gold in exchange, our National Bank’s monetary system was compromised, leading to a cash shortage.”
“To preserve the financial lifeline of France, we had to temporarily suspend gold redemption.”
“But this triggered panic, destroying everyone’s confidence, and causing a rush to cash out deposits.”
“The wave was so overwhelming that the Bank of France could not meet everyone’s demands…”
“I am well aware that you are afraid,” her voice softened, as if speaking to each listener individually; like a mother comforting a frightened child, her gaze swept over every face in the room, lingering on Marie’s trembling hands and in Cole’s despairing eyes.
“I know you are worried that your hard-earned money will disappear, worried about tomorrow’s bread, your children’s tuition, and your elderly parents’ medical expenses.”
“These fears are real and reasonable.
But please, listen to me,” her voice rose sharply, filled with strength, like a wall blocking the flood of panic, her heterochromatic eyes Burning in the firelight:
“This is an arduous struggle, but there is one factor more important than currency and gold—that is your confidence!”
“Confidence is the key to our reforms; you must trust us and must not be defeated by rumors!”
“Those who say we are bankrupt, those who say I have put money into my own pocket—they are the same people who once sucked your blood and sweat!”
“What do they want?”
“They want to make you panic, to trigger bank runs, to make the banks truly go bankrupt, so they can laugh and return to the seat of power to continue exploiting you!”
“Do not let them succeed!”
Her voice resonated through the airwaves, piercing the night sky of Paris with an irresistible contagion.
“Look around you: factories are smoking again, railways are running again, farmers have their own land, and workers have their own factories.”
“All of this has just begun, and all of it depends on your confidence!”
“This is a dilemma we must face together; only by standing united will victory belong to France!”
She paused and looked out the window, as if she could see every family sitting in front of the radio thousands of miles away:
“I promise you that in two days, carriages loaded with banknotes will arrive in every city, every town, and every village.”
“You can withdraw your money, but I implore you: do not take it out to hide it under your mattress; instead, keep it deposited in the bank so it can continue to work for the future of France.”
“I guarantee that every deposit is safe, in the name of all the people of France, by my honor, and by my life!”
Her voice choked up, but became even more sincere:
“I know it is difficult to ask you to believe in me.”
“For the past twenty years, you have been deceived too many times.”
“Politicians made promises and then betrayed them; the Pantalones took everything and then left.”
“But I ask you, please believe in me, and do not be deceived by rumors or incited by reactionaries.”
“This is not just for me, but for yourselves, for your children, and for this France we are building together.”
The broadcast ended.
Furina sat in a rocking chair, the firelight from the fireplace dancing in her heterochromatic eyes.
She felt no sleepiness; since being elected Madam President, she had borne too much pressure, and every step she took was incredibly difficult.
She did not know if this speech would restore public confidence, nor did she know if more deposits or more bank runs awaited her tomorrow.
The people in the room watched her quietly.
Marie stepped forward and handed her a cup of hot tea:
“Madam President, I believe in you.
My husband lost two fingers in the factory, but he said that since you took office, the factory finally gave them protective gloves.
This is the first time in twenty years.”
Cole also stood up:
“I believe in you too.
My shop was robbed, but I saw that those who snatched the bread were truly hungry.”
“If reform can give them work and bread, I am willing to be robbed this once.”
The old widow, Lady Agnes, held Furina’s hand tremblingly:
“Child, I will deposit my money.
Let the young people use it to build factories and ships.”
Furina looked at these ordinary, tired, but kind-hearted people, and tears finally could not help but fall.
She thought of Grandpa Grandpa Pierre, and remembered him saying, “There is light in your eyes.”
She thought of the children who lost fingers in the factories, the old people waiting to die in alleys, and the shells of people queuing at the relief stations.
She stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window was the night view of Paris; among the myriad lights, how many families were listening to the broadcast and making a choice?
“Tomorrow,” she whispered, more to herself, “will be a decisive day.”
But the next morning, a miracle happened.
Thousands of French people flocked to the banks, but this time, they were there to deposit money!
In Paris, a seamstress named Margaret took all her savings, three thousand francs, which she had hidden under her mattress, and walked into the bank.
She said to the bank clerk:
“Madam President said that keeping money in the bank is safer than hiding it under a mattress, and I believe her.”
“Besides, if my savings can help factories buy raw materials and help farmers buy seeds, that is more valuable than lying under my mattress.”
In Lyon, a newly unemployed peddler who had originally planned to withdraw all his savings and flee to the south changed his mind after hearing the broadcast.
He deposited his money into the bank and then headed to the recruitment office of the Public Works Revitalization Agency:
“I want to sign up to build roads.
The President is fighting for us, so I should fight for her too.”
In Marseille, an old fisherman deposited the one hundred francs he had saved from selling fish into the bank, saying:
“I am old and do not need this much money.
Let the young people use it to build factories and ships.”
In just three days, the Bank of France recovered one hundred million francs in gold and 1.6 billion francs in cash.
The big capitalists who had maliciously triggered the bank runs found that the gold in their hands was depreciating.
ecause confidence in the market had been restored, the value of paper currency was recognized again, while the gold lying in their vaults became dead assets that could not circulate.
Furina’s “Fireside Chat” became a classic in the political history of France.
The private bankers’ final counterattack failed completely; the National Bank not only survived the crisis but also established a more robust credit currency system.
Meanwhile, Furina did not go soft on those big capitalists who maliciously promoted the financial order.
She involved the Minister of Justice, Combes, to carry out a severe liquidation of those capitalists who participated in the malicious bank runs and hoarded gold, based on emergency legislation.
Their assets were Frozen, their gold was forcibly repurchased, those with serious cases were arrested and tried, and their illegal gains were confiscated for public works construction.
This move deterred all potential speculators and ensures the smooth progress of financial reform.