Empire Rising: Spain

The entire agreement revolves around one theme: in the event of a third country invasion endangering peace in the European region, the two parties to the treaty (i.e., Russia and Austria) should immediately discuss a joint course of action.

In simple terms, it means the two countries are compromising with each other to address other nations’ interference in the Balkan Peninsula’s situation.

Russia’s main concern in this agreement is the British, while Austria-Hungary’s primary goal is to ease the situation and prevent diplomatic isolation.

Each country has its own objectives, making this agreement seem more like a compromise driven by mutual interests rather than a genuine alliance treaty.

Nevertheless, the easing of relations between Russia and Austria-Hungary at this time is beneficial for both sides.

However, the signing of this agreement actually made Germany somewhat uneasy. At this time, Germany’s diplomatic system was established by Prime Minister Bismarck, whose main diplomatic framework aimed to isolate France and create a conservative alliance treaty among the monarchies of Germany, Austria, and Russia.

The rapprochement between Russia and Austria-Hungary caused Germany to worry, fearing that these two countries might exclude Germany, leading to the collapse of Germany’s anti-France alliance system and a new diplomatic crisis for Germany.

One must know, the predecessor of Germany, Prussia, had a hostile relationship with Austria. Along with Germany’s growing power, Russians were bound to worry about the threat from Germany.

If the initial alliance to isolate France turned into one isolating Germany, it would indeed be a big joke.

It was precisely for this reason that after Russia and Austria-Hungary signed their agreement, Germany’s foreign affairs department immediately took action, expressing a desire to join the agreement and collectively maintain peace in Europe among the three countries.

Due to a secret military pact signed the previous month between Germany and Russia, both parties were currently enjoying a honeymoon period.

Russia did not object to Germany joining the agreement, and Austria-Hungary did not express any clear opposition either.

As a result, after some negotiations, Germany officially joined this agreement, marking the first formal establishment of the Triple Alliance.

However, due to the agreement’s nature being a compromise between Russia and Austria-Hungary concerning their interests, its validity period was quite short, only lasting two years.

Although the Triple Alliance was successfully formed, it was not stable, and the alliance could easily fracture due to unforeseen events.

Despite having their own hidden agendas, Russia and Austria-Hungary, the German government was quite satisfied at this time. In the Germans’ view, if the relationship between Russia and Austria-Hungary became too solid, what role would there be for Germany’s intermediary position?

The reason Germany joined this agreement was to seek a mediator status, keeping the relationship between Russia and Austria-Hungary in a delicate balance.

No matter what other countries thought, the Triple Alliance was thus swiftly established.

The Russians breathed a sigh of relief, allowing them to concentrate on handling their conflicts with the British. The Austrians exhaled as well, with Austria-Hungary’s diplomatic crisis being smoothly resolved and ensuring its interests in the Balkan Peninsula.

The Germans also breathed a sigh of relief. After the establishment of the Triple Alliance, France was successfully isolated, naturally becoming the main target of the Triple Alliance.

Carlo observed the entire process of the Triple Alliance’s establishment. However, for Spain at this time, the Triple Alliance was not suitable for Spain to get involved in, and Carlo had no intention of participating either.

The three participants in the Triple Alliance each had their own agendas, making this alliance unstable. History indeed proved that the first Triple Alliance lasted only two years, and the second Triple Alliance signed in 1881 lasted only six years.

Ultimately, along with the decline of the Ottoman Empire, both Austria-Hungary and Russia set their sights on the Balkan Peninsula. This is an irreconcilable conflict that will only intensify with the decline of the Ottoman Empire.

Moreover, England and France would not allow such an alliance to exist, making the dissolution of the Triple Alliance inevitable; it is merely a matter of time.

The Treaty of the Three Emperors Alliance was officially signed by the end of October 1873.

In the following two months, Spain continued with its strategy of buying diverse factories and enterprises from European countries and recruited thousands of talents.

Despite the significant financial outlay, Spain made substantial progress in talent reserves. While Spain’s talent pool might not match other European powers, it has far surpassed smaller nations like Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Even compared with Italy, a lower-tier power, Spain is actually leading in terms of talent reserves.

By the end of December 1873, with the upcoming cabinet elections next year, the ministers of various departments paid close attention to the annual report meeting.

If Prime Minister Prim chose to seek re-election, they could only focus on the cabinet minister positions. However, if Prime Minister Prim decided not to run, they would have a chance to vie for the Prime Minister position in Spain, a role second to none.