Empire Rising: Spain

The third five-year development plan did not emphasize much on railway construction, which has resulted in Spain’s current total railway mileage being only around 13,000 kilometers after the plan’s conclusion.

However, considering that most of the land in Spain is sparsely populated, the 13,000 kilometers of railway are already sufficient to cover most cities, fully meeting the transportation needs of Spaniards.

Not to mention that large cities like Madrid and Barcelona have also opened urban rail transit, which not only greatly facilitates the daily commute of city residents but also speeds up the economic circulation and growth of the two cities.

Although only 1,500 kilometers of railway were built by the transportation department over these five years, as the Transportation Minister, Carlos Montoya is not worried at all.

The reason is quite simple: the double-track railways are not counted in the railway mileage, which means the achievements of the transportation department are greater than what the data reflects.

Although only 1,500 kilometers of railway were built over these five years, the transportation department also reconstructed about 1,000 kilometers of single-track railway to double-track railway, greatly improving the efficiency of transportation on that segment.

Besides, the railways built in Spain’s various colonies are not included in this calculation.

The colonies have their own separate algorithm, but those who go to build railways in the colonies are officials of the transportation department.

The entire report meeting lasted for several hours, with all departments of the Cabinet providing detailed reports, and the applause in the venue continued to be heard.

Obviously, the members of the Lower House were quite satisfied with the efforts of the Cabinet Government over the past five years. Even if the achievements reported by each department did not reach excellence, they were certainly above the passing line.

Excluding the unexpected factor of Prime Minister Prim’s assassination, Spain’s Cabinet Government has been relatively stable since Carlo became King.

The three Prime Ministers of Spain also have not committed any major mistakes, and each Cabinet Government has basically completed its term, which has led Spain’s political environment toward stability, allowing all industries to develop positively under stable government decrees.

As for the contrasting example, that would naturally be the tumultuous political scene of France.

France’s industry gradually falling behind the UK, Germany, and America with an ever-growing gap is not without reason. On one hand, French capital prefers external loans more, as loans allow these capitals to return funds quickly, and earn more money than investments, making it a virtually guaranteed profitable business.

On the other hand, it’s the French Government’s turbulence, leaving each Prime Minister with little time to develop industry and economy because even the longest term is only one year, while the shortest ranges from just a few months to a mere one month.

What governmental decrees can be executed within a month? At most, one can assume the position of Prime Minister and meet the members of the French Cabinet Government, familiarize themselves with French political affairs, and that’s about it.

They might not even fully grasp the basic situation of France before the term ends due to a variety of unexpected factors.

For instance, the former French Prime Minister, Armand Fallières, had a term of a solid month. Even though he was temporarily filling in as Prime Minister, with a month’s term, not even Armand Fallières, nor Napoleon reborn, could do anything for France.

Carlo deeply understood the disadvantages of political instability, which is why he set a tone for Spain’s Cabinet Government.

No matter the ability of Cabinet Government officials and Prime Minister, as long as they remain loyal, Carlo will not frequently replace Cabinet Ministers.

A stable situation is more conducive to the industrial and economic growth of Spain; after all, the overall direction is controlled by Carlo. With him personally managing the general direction, no major problems will arise.

Of course, if a disloyal Cabinet Minister were to appear, Carlo would act swiftly and decisively, resolving the problem completely before the situation could spiral into a crisis.

At this time, Spain still needs development time, and during this period, what Spain needs most is a stable situation.