Empire Rising: Spain

The construction of warships by Spain and Italy did not trigger a naval arms race in Europe, but when the French also announced a high-profile plan to build six ironclads within the next five years, a small-scale naval arms race in Europe erupted.

The reason for the outbreak of the naval arms race was simple: the French’s high-profile naval expansion aroused the apprehension of other countries.

Perhaps even France did not expect that their move, originally intended to counter the alliance of Spain and Italy in the Mediterranean region, would instead draw the attention of the United Kingdom and Germany in the North Sea region.

With the world’s second fleet, France’s grand expansion of its navy was seen as a clear challenge to the United Kingdom’s naval supremacy.

The British did not hold back at all; a few days after France announced its shipbuilding plan, they announced their own.

Since the French declared a plan to build six ironclads in the next five years, the British naturally decided to follow suit and announced the construction of six ironclads over the same period.

Germany followed closely. When it comes to apprehension towards France, Germany’s concern might be even more severe than the United Kingdom’s.

Prime Minister Bismarck’s policy of isolating France was precisely because the internal apprehension towards France within Germany was quite severe, reaching the level of ”fear”.

Of course, it is not that Germany fears the present France. The so-called fear actually refers to Germany’s fear of France’s retaliation once it recovers.

As a result, the German Government was determined to do everything possible to prevent France’s resurgence, to limit France’s threat to a certain range, and to launch a war to destroy France if prevention fails.

Of course, Germany’s rate of building ironclads was certainly not as exaggerated as the United Kingdom’s or France’s. Given Germany’s large army and the lack of colonial income, its finances were not as affluent as those of the United Kingdom and France.

Like Spain, Germany also announced the plan to build four ironclads in the next five years to enhance its high seas fleet strength.

After Germany, Austria-Hungary also announced its shipbuilding plan. The Austrian Government intended to build two ironclads in the next five years to match the strength of the Italian Navy.

Among all the major powers, if there were a nation with the worst geopolitical environment, besides Germany, Austria-Hungary would also be noteworthy.

In the German scene, to the east and west were the European bulldozer Tsarist Russia and the once European hegemon France, with the north coast facing the United Kingdom across the sea, and the south bordering Austria-Hungary and Italy, with a Switzerland in between, essentially surrounded by great powers.

The situation of Austria-Hungary was not much better. To the north was the powerful German Empire, and to the east lay the formidable adversary, Russia, also situated at a battleground of four fronts.

Although Austria-Hungary possessed an outlet to the sea, its location was worse than Italy, a Mediterranean country. Italy’s navy only needed to cross the Gibraltar Strait or the Suez Canal to reach the ocean, whereas Austria-Hungary’s navy had to travel from the Adriatic Sea to the Mediterranean and then cross the strait or canal.

Even more critical was the fact that the Adriatic Sea was a narrow bay from east to west, long from north to south, flanked by the Apennine Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula.

This means that Austria-Hungary’s navy could be blocked by the United Kingdom at both outlets from the Mediterranean and potentially by Italy from the Adriatic exit.

Austria-Hungary’s drive to build a navy alongside Italy was to prevent an Italian blockade. Even though relations between Austria-Hungary and Italy weren’t too bad, they couldn’t be considered very good either.

If not for the matrimonial ties between the Spanish Royal Family and the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Family, which somewhat eased relations between Italy and Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungary might have been even more vigilant against Italy.

Despite the participation of most European powers in this small-scale naval arms race, there was one country unmoved by various national naval expansions, and that was Tsarist Russia.

After Alexander II was assassinated, Russia became more subdued in Europe. Tsar Alexander III, fearing he might meet the same fate as his father, rarely participated in government decisions, particularly regarding the reforms promoted by Alexander II. Alexander III scarcely offered suggestions, serving merely as an indifferent signing machine.

While this indeed prevented extreme anarchists from assassinating Alexander III, it also led Russian reforms away from Alexander II’s desired direction.

In the short time since Alexander II’s assassination, the Russian Government had already repealed several reform-related decrees, almost outright declaring Alexander II’s reforms unlawful.

In such a chaotic situation, naturally, the Russian Government would not join the European naval arms race. For the aristocrats controlling Russian court politics, the precious treasury could not be spent on the navy; maintaining the current navy size was deemed sufficient for Russia.

Even Carlo did not anticipate that Spain’s mere signing of a contract for two ironclads with Italy would trigger a naval arms race across Europe.

However, this was good news for Spain. According to historical progress, the recent years marked the last glory of the ironclad.

By the last year of the 1880s, namely 1889, battleships would be born, and ironclads would be swept into the dustbin of history.