Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 203: Chapter 150: One Nation, One People, One Language (Part 3)

Especially in the context where some radicals in Catalonia and the Basque Region have already been eliminated, promoting the unification of language and nationality becomes even simpler.

Again, the common people at the grassroots level do not harbor such ill intentions. They still considerably recognize the broader national concept of Spain, and with Spain improving as a whole, there naturally aren’t many reasons to oppose.

Although the concept of nationalism has long been budding, it has only truly begun to rise during this period.

In other words, the independence issues of Catalonia and the Basque Region that troubled Spain for a long time afterward were merely in their infancy at this point.

Nationalism, which is just beginning, is bound to gain little support from the majority of common people, who have a rather vague concept of nationality.

Currently, there is not much difference between Spaniards and Catalans; the biggest difference is instead in where they reside.

The concept of Catalan people put forward by some radical nationalists is even more nonsensical, as it includes all the Spaniards residing in Catalonia.

Logically speaking, the differences between two nationalities should stem from language, culture, and customs, and even other minor aspects such as diet show rather noticeable differences.

However, currently, there are not many differences between Spaniards and Catalans. Both sides use Spanish as the main language of communication, and their dietary cultures do not differ much, not to mention their appearances are also similar.

On the contrary, people in the Basque Region and Spaniards have larger differences, making assimilation much harder than in Catalonia.

For the regions of Catalonia and the Basque Region, where nationalism is more severe, Prime Minister Prim has distinctly different attitudes in response.

Born in Catalonia, Prime Minister Prim has a thorough understanding of Catalonia. Most of the populace in Catalonia does not have much nationalist sentiment and is relatively supportive of the Spanish Government.

As long as those radical nationalist provocateurs are no longer there, it is only a matter of time before Catalonia is fully integrated into Spain.

Therefore, in terms of policies for Catalonia, Prime Minister Prim advocates subtly influencing through legal means and forcibly suppressing some more rebellious radicals.

Regarding policies for the Basque Region, Prime Minister Prim advocates stronger legal measures and even more forceful suppression.

He even considers that when assimilation in the Basque Region proves unfeasible, the use of military force to compel Basques to migrate to other regions should be considered.

After all, the total number of Basques within Spain is only a few hundred thousand, and even if they all migrate out, it would not significantly impact Spain.

In fact, after migrating Basques out, the northern regions of Spain would become more stable, and the country’s development would become more efficient.

Compared to Basques, there are more Catalans, and in situations where assimilation is feasible, it is naturally prioritized.

After all, Spain itself does not have a large population; losing the Catalan population would further reduce Spain’s hope of resurgence in the future.

Carlo is also keeping a close watch on the parliamentary vote and the laws ultimately enacted.

For Carlo, it would be ideal if Prime Minister Prim actively stood up to promote the grand unification of language and religion.

Because, in the current view, this has a hundred benefits and not a single drawback, at most offending the radical Catalans and Basques.

But in the future, when nationalism has spread worldwide, would these nations, once expelled by Spain or unified under pressure, reconsider the harm this matter brought to them?

Strictly speaking, this could potentially become a blemish. Naturally, Carlo does not wish to bear this blemish because, as a monarch under a constitutional system, it’s best to stay away from bad reputations to ensure the smooth succession of the throne and the stability of the royal family’s position.

It’s no exaggeration to say, once this bill, passed after parliamentary discussions, is promulgated, tens of thousands of Catalans and Basques will be forced to leave Spain or fall under government military suppression.

This is no joke; after the bill’s promulgation, the government will certainly execute it more forcefully.

Most rather radical nationalist elements cannot survive in such a harsh environment. They either directly instigate rebellion or are helplessly forced to leave home, abandoning Spain which is hellish to them.

Perhaps to demonstrate its firm stance to the outside world, right after the initial draft of the bill was completed in the House of Representatives, the Cabinet Government promptly announced the entire bill and declared it would be officially enforced nationwide three days after its announcement.

This rapidity is somewhat unusual, as generally, a bill is announced for a period, providing the Senate sufficient time for review and suggestions before being submitted to the Cabinet Government for execution.

Though the actions are somewhat swift and resolute, Prime Minister Prim has prepared all sorts of responsive measures.

The already formed two Spanish divisions are stationed not far from Catalonia and the Basque Region, ready to proceed to the two regions via railway at any time.

Based on the current status of weaponry of the Spanish Army, even if another Carlos Faction uprising occurs, the Spanish Army can solve it calmly and without haste.

The artillery equipped in these two divisions isn’t just for show, and the army, once formed, has started long-term target practice and artillery training.

The daily consumption of bullets and shells is unimaginable compared to the previous Spanish Army, and with such a powerful and continuous supply of bullets and shells, the combat power of these already full-strength Spanish infantry divisions naturally continues to rise.

Perhaps it sounds exaggerated, but Prime Minister Prim has had confidence, ever since witnessing the training of the two infantry divisions, that he could use these two divisions, which just reached a soldier size of 25,000, to withstand an attack from the former domestic Spanish army of 70,000.

There’s no way around it; a comprehensive rearmament with rifles, along with significantly increased artillery equipment numbers, is where this confidence stems from.

Moreover, the current Spanish Army, whether soldiers or officers, has seen quality improvements, which the previous Spanish Army did not possess.

As for the few infantry divisions currently in formation, these two earliest formed infantry divisions are specifically designated as the First and Second Spanish Infantry Divisions, with soldiers meticulously selected from veteran troops who were reserved for them.

With the two infantry divisions glaring menacingly, not to mention dealing with a few more radical nationalist elements, even when truly facing the Carlos Faction uprising that once swept across several large regions of Spain, Prime Minister Prim does not feel the slightest panic in his heart.