Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Everyone Kicks a Man Who Is Down

The evolution of various political systems may seem complex, but ultimately, it is the dissatisfaction of the people with those in power that leads to change.

This actually means that whether it is a monarchy or a parliamentary republic, there is essentially no distinction of good or bad.

The fundamental issue is whether the needs of the people can be met, which evolves into Europeans’ dissatisfaction with those in power and the government, and is the true cause of revolutions.

Had the Spanish Government paid attention to the people’s current situation and implemented policies to improve their lives as much as possible, perhaps such a revolution would not have occurred, and the Spanish absolute monarchy could have continued to exist.

This also indicates that Spain’s problems are actually very severe, and the people could no longer sustain themselves, leading to the outbreak of revolution.

And the report published by Carlo in the newspaper delved into the core issue of Spain, which is the fundamental demand of Spaniards to improve their quality of life.

Eating bread and drinking milk, although this seems like a very normal request, was extremely difficult in the year 1868, over a hundred years ago.

Even reducing it two levels to the simplest demand of having enough to eat and drink, the Government of the Kingdom of Spain could not satisfy this.

Carlo’s goal was to place all the blame on Queen Isabella and the Bourbon Dynasty, to clear the monarchy’s name as much as possible.

A bit later, on November 30, 1868, in Madrid, Spain.

“General, there is a report from Italy that requires your attention.”

Prim, who had been busy all day and was about to finish his hectic work, was interrupted by a subordinate’s remark.

“A report? From Italy?” Prim was somewhat surprised and asked, “What wind could blow a report from Italy to Spain?”

“It is a report about monarchy and republic, General.” The subordinate handed over a newspaper, with a clearly printed headline in the middle: “We want bread, not republic.”

“Interesting.” Prim originally did not intend to accept the newspaper, but after seeing the headline, he took it and opened it to read.

This report was reprinted by a small Madrid newspaper, translated from Italian to Spanish, allowing Spaniards to understand the report.

“How has this report spread in other places?” After finishing the entire report, Prim suddenly asked an odd question.

“Aside from a small-scale spread in Madrid, it has also spread in Barcelona, Valencia, and Valladolid, with newspapers in these cities reporting similar news.”

Prim smiled, with a trace of depth in his gaze, and remarked teasingly, “It seems this report was deliberately placed on my desk.”

“General, I…” The subordinate was about to explain, but Prim interrupted him, smiling as he said, “Alright, I certainly trust your loyalty.

What I mean to say is, perhaps someone has set their sights on Spain at this time. A report from Italy being widely spread in so many cities in a short time proves the enemy is well-prepared.

If it coincidentally met this revolution, so be it. But if our revolution was predicted by those behind it, that is indeed worrisome.”

Seeing the worried look on his subordinate’s face, Prim patted his shoulder to calm his nerves: “Alright, I have no doubts about you. Now, I am entrusting you with a task: go to Italy to investigate the source of this report, and then uncover everyone involved at its newspaper.”

Although he was puzzled about what people were trying to achieve with this report, at present, the report was still quite useful to Prim.

The simplest example cited could not be refuted because, at this time, the powerful European countries were all monarchies.

This also helped Prim to envision the new government as a constitutional monarchy, focusing state power to achieve the reforms he desired for Spain.

Why was Prim opposed to a republic?

Because the republic proposed by farmers and workers was a loose Spanish Federation. This would not only stir waves of independence among already separatist regions of Spain, but also cause the Spanish government to lose control over these areas.

The Reform Faction wanted a stable government to implement reforms, not a decentralized and chaotic one, which is why Prim ultimately chose a constitutional monarchy.

As one of the most powerful figures in the Spanish revolutionary forces, Prim’s opinion had considerable influence.

The Spanish Provisional Government did not stop this report from spreading, and even those big capitalists helped behind the scenes to spread the report to more Spanish cities.

Thanks to the heated discussions sparked by this report, Spaniards began discussing the merits of monarchy and the responsibility of the overthrown Queen Isabella II.

Saving the country from peril was impossible, but those capitalists were too adept at frantically throwing off their own responsibilities.

Since Queen Isabella had already lost her throne, and the Provisional Government had no intention of welcoming back Queen Isabella or Prince Alfonso.

Then why not take advantage of the situation? Should they wait until others blame everything on themselves and that damned queen?

Capitalists would not hold back in protecting their own interests in the slightest.

From December onwards, Madrid’s climate became even colder, at least for those loyal to Bourbon.

Queen Isabella II’s reputation could no longer be described as terrible, as it was already considerably bad before.

The anger of the people was diverted by capitalists and some ill-intentioned nobles towards Queen Isabella, and those factory owners and nobles who crazily exploited Spaniards in the past at least no longer feared getting shot in the back.

But for Queen Isabella far away in France, this was not good, as she was still looking for an opportunity to restore her throne.

However, not all nobles at this time were happy. Those from the same family as Queen Isabella, the Carlist Faction, were not in high spirits.

Queen Isabella’s terrible reputation affected the Bourbon Dynasty, and as a member of the Bourbon Dynasty, “Carlos VII” had no fewer worries than Queen Isabella.

What’s more, after generations, the Carlist Faction was no longer widely recognized by most people.

Specifically, after the Second Carlist War, “Carlos VI” came to power, becoming the leader of the Carlist Faction.

But within a few years, this self-proclaimed King of Spain was arrested by the government forces, and “Carlos VI” was forced to renounce his right to the throne.

The brother of “Carlos VI,” Juan, profited without preparation and became the Carlist Faction’s proclaimed King of Spain, “Juan III.”

However, the Carlist Faction did not greatly support this king who picked up the crown, and with “Carlos VI” soon being released after being forced to renounce the throne, the Carlist Faction ended up with two kings.

An already unrecognized self-entertained king appearing alongside another king, the Carlist Faction’s support continuously decreased.

Even though the heirless “Carlos VI” later died quickly, the so-called throne claimant “Juan III” still did not gain strong support from the Carlist Faction, meaning the Carlist Faction was powerless to stop this Spanish revolution, nor could it elevate “Juan III” to the throne.

Since beginning his media campaign, Carlo had been focused on Spain’s situation.

Upon learning that the report was being widely reprinted and spread throughout Spain, Carlo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, Carlo began to worry anew.

This action differed entirely from history, and surely more than just Carlo contributed to the report’s widespread diffusion in Spain.

If it had a positive outcome, that’s all well and good. But if it impacted Spain’s situation and pushed it towards a republic, Carlo would regret it intensely.

But for now, Carlo had no better solution, and could only hope that General Prim, historically in favor of monarchy, would perform as effectively as he did historically, winning the majority seats in the Spanish Parliament’s elections and becoming Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, thereby controlling the entire Spanish Government.