Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 113: Chapter 102: Labor Policy

As time entered the year 1871, one matter caught the attention of the Spaniards and many European Royal Families: the marriage of King Carlo of Spain.

Now that Carlo has firmly established himself on the throne of Spain and is about to turn 20, he is at the age when European nobles start discussing marriage prospects.

As the King of Spain and a member of the Savoy Dynasty, many European royal families are eager to form a matrimonial alliance with the Spanish Royal Family, including those of major powers.

Firstly, Spain’s geographic location is indeed crucial, and secondly, Spain’s overall national strength is considerable, ranking in the first tier below the major powers.

Moreover, Carlo is the son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, so forming a matrimonial alliance with the Spanish Royal Family is effectively forming one with the Italian Royal Family.

Due to the passing of Carlo’s mother Adelaide, European royal families proactively sought out Carlo and his father Vittorio Emanuele II.

Seeing one letter after another from various European royal families, along with a few photos enclosed, Carlo felt overwhelmed.

Some of the princesses of appropriate age were reasonable, but why were there also girls who had just turned ten? He wondered, looking at a letter his sister Maria Pia had sent him, which even recommended a princess from Portugal.

Carlo rubbed his temples and wrote back to his sister, indicating that he had no current intention of forming a matrimonial alliance with Portugal.

Not to mention, a matrimonial alliance between Portugal and Spain is utterly impossible. The British would absolutely never allow Portugal and Spain to unite, as a united Iberian Peninsula would be a formidable enemy for the United Kingdom in the western Mediterranean.

As the saying goes, “Two tigers cannot share one mountain”; the relationship between the Portuguese and Spaniards has never been particularly friendly. Between 1580 and 1640, Portugal was briefly ruled jointly by Spain, and the Iberian Alliance was established.

But this union was not as smooth as the union over a hundred years ago between the Kingdom of Castile and the Aragon Kingdom. The union of the Kingdom of Castile and the Aragon Kingdom led to the creation of the powerful Kingdom of Spain, whereas the union between Spain and Portugal instead caused mutual hatred among the people’s of both countries.

Furthermore, marrying a Portuguese princess would not align with Carlo’s interests. Even if an alliance could be forged with Portugal, the disadvantages for Spain would far outweigh any benefits.

The United Kingdom would absolutely nail down any alliance between Portugal and Spain, causing Spain to miss valuable opportunities for development and increasing the tensions between the Portuguese and Spaniards due to British intrigues.

Because of Queen Victoria’s hemophilia, Carlo’s potential matrimonial alliances ruled out members of the British Royal Family from the start.

Among all the major European powers, only the royal families of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia remained as candidates for matrimonial alliances with Carlo.

If Carlo had to make a choice, he would be more willing to form an alliance with Germany. Germany itself posed no major issues, and its future performance in World War I was notably strong.

In contrast, Austria-Hungary and Russia were fraught with deep-seated internal issues, which were nearly hopeless.

However, after World War I ended, all three—Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia—abolished the monarchy, reducing the disadvantages of Austria-Hungary and Russia.

Among these three nations, Carlo would certainly prioritize Germany, with Austria-Hungary as a backup option, and Russia last.

Germany and Austria-Hungary were stronger in industrial capacities, and their military technology could help Spain achieve a substantial and effective improvement.

Except for having a larger population and more abundant resources, Russia lags far behind Germany and Austria-Hungary in terms of industrial and economic strength.

Before the outbreak of World War I, the initial alliance was the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria, and Russia. But why did it eventually transform into the Franco-Russian Alliance? Because the French effectively controlled the Russian economy through continuous financial aid.

Currently, however, a problem arises: the Hohenzollern Family and the Habsburg family appear to have very few princesses of suitable age for marrying Carlo.

Fortunately, Carlo is not in a hurry at the moment and can leisurely select his favored candidates while waiting for updates from other royal families.

As time entered February of 1871, the Spanish Government approved a major project—the construction of a railway traversing the entire South Morocco Colony.

Since there were no existing railways within Morocco, this railway required full investment by the Spanish Government, with a total length exceeding 300 kilometers.

The railway starts at the capital of the South Morocco Colony, Agadir, and stretches to the southernmost city, Tantant, passing through smaller cities like Tiznit and Guelmim.

To enhance control over the internal regions of the South Morocco Colony, this railway includes a branch line extending eastward from Agadir, passing through Gruyant and Tata, essentially connecting all major towns and cities within the colony.

Being a colonial railway, the Spanish Government decided against a public tender, opting instead for direct investment and construction.

The good news is that the South Morocco Colony has millions of Moroccans who can be used as laborers for railway construction.

A portion of the reparations from the Moroccans can also be invested in the construction of a railway, which, at a total length of 300 kilometers, will not require too much funding, and generally, this railway is sure to be profitable.

Once the railway is completed, all resources from the southern Morocco region can be easily transported via rail to Agadir, and then shipped to Spain through the port.

Morocco’s mineral resources are relatively rich, as most of the area is mountainous. Southern Morocco also has ample mineral resources, including phosphates used to produce fertilizers.

Speaking of phosphates, a sparsely populated region in southern Morocco, later known as the Western Sahara, also has a significant phosphate reserve.

According to the previous agreement between the Spanish Government and the British Government, the British Government will not obstruct Spain’s colonization in the Western Sahara region, which means that the entire Western Sahara is basically Spain’s for the taking.

It’s understandable why the British would agree to Spanish colonization of Western Sahara. After all, Western Sahara is mostly a desert, with very few inhabitants and minimal economic value.

If this region can be used to attract the attention of the Spanish Government, temporarily halting their expansion into northern Morocco, then it is acceptable to the British.

The British actually care about regions rich in mineral resources and fertile land, and can naturally abandon an area like Western Sahara.

For Spain, however, both Southern Morocco and Western Sahara hold significant importance.

The abundant phosphate mines in these two regions can enable Spain to vigorously develop the chemical fertilizer industry and rapidly promote the use of chemical fertilizers.

While Spain’s land inherently has many disadvantages, large-scale use of fertilizers can increase the overall crop yield for Spain.

A boost in crop yield means the ability to support more people, which is a boon for the Spanish Government.

In Carlo’s future plans, Spain’s population must exceed at least 20 million to have the confidence to reestablish itself as a major power.

If Spain wants to control its destiny and avoid becoming a pawn on the world stage, it must have a population of over 30 million and rank in the top five globally in terms of industry and economy.

This remains a huge challenge for Spain presently, and achieving this might take several decades.

At least within the first decade, it seems unlikely. Completing Prim’s reforms within ten years would already be commendable, and for Spain to strengthen, it might have to rely on opportunities presented by future events like the Boer War and World War I.

As for colonial policy in the South Morocco Colony, the Spanish Government does not plan to take a soft approach.

Though Moroccans are white, they are not considered legitimate Europeans and are destined not to enter Spain’s main nationality.

Aside from a small number of Moroccans who can be assimilated, or are willing to accept Spanish rule, the rest are treated as ordinary African natives.

Beyond generating continuous economic benefits for the Spanish Government, they hold no other value.

Compared to the small number of black natives, Moroccan whites do receive slightly better treatment.

Moroccan white laborers, despite having to undertake rather arduous work, have their work hours limited to 12, with 2 meals provided daily.

Whereas black laborers work over 14 hours daily with only one meal of barely-sustaining black bread.

The so-called black bread is made from flour mixed with sawdust and chaff, extremely cheap to produce and provided by most European countries to natives.

Of course, many capitalists offer it to factory workers, as reducing factory expenses is most important to them. Whether eating such black bread leads to deaths is no concern of the factories.

Prime Minister Prim can also understand Carlo’s aversion to blacks. Such an attitude is not unusual in this era, and Prime Minister Prim himself doesn’t have a good impression of blacks either.

Because of the profound aversion to blacks held by the two most powerful individuals in the Spanish Government, the colonial policy in South Morocco has become a hellish ordeal for blacks.

Since the railway began construction in February 1871, at least double-digit numbers of black laborers die on the job every day, and the death toll keeps rising.

Perhaps it won’t be long before the South Morocco Colony turns into a white-only area, with blacks vanishing completely from this region.