Empire Rising: Spain

From 1869 to 1880, the status of the Cuban Colony underwent a dramatic change.

During the Bourbon Dynasty, Cuba was Spain’s most important colony and one of the main sources of its financial revenue.

At that time, mainland Spain was not developed. Although it had a certain degree of industry and economic scale, most of the taxes were intercepted by the nobility and lower-level governments.

A large number of farmers were attached to the land of the nobility, who directly collected land rent and agricultural taxes from these farmers, and the Church also imposed an additional tithe.

The consequence of this was not only that the Spanish Government could not obtain sufficient financial revenue, but also that the Spanish people bore a heavy burden, living in dire straits and suffering from extremely poor living standards.

After the reforms of Prime Minister Prim and two five-year plans, the situation in mainland Spain greatly improved, and the financial revenue of the Cuban Colony was no longer as important.

Since the last proposal to exchange the Cuban Colony, some time has passed, and judging from the reactions of government officials and the parliament, this matter is not impossible to accomplish.

As long as the Cuban Colony can be exchanged for some land that is valuable or strategically important, it can appease the emotions of the populace.

As for the opinions of government officials and parliamentarians, they can be ignored in certain situations. After all, when Prime Minister Canovas and King Carlo are in complete agreement, other officials and parliamentarians are not qualified to have differing opinions.

With the popularization of electricity and the construction of trams, the Second Industrial Revolution is also in full swing. Under the leadership of Germany and America, the comprehensive national strength of new emerging powers will quickly rise, and the U.S. ambitions toward Cuba will continuously expand.

Although Spain’s comprehensive national strength is also constantly growing, ultimately, its potential is still not as high as that of the United States, a country with an area of millions of square kilometers and a population of tens of millions.

Although Carlo is not afraid of Americans coveting Cuba, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as a thousand days of keeping a thief, so for this hot potato of Cuba, it is wise to let go when the time is right.

More importantly, this time is still in the early stages of the European Powers carving up Africa, and there are many colonies of great value in the world whose worth has not yet been discovered.

If the Cuban Colony can be exchanged at this time, Spain hopes to get some important colonies in Africa or some lands in the Middle East.

Africa is relatively close to mainland Spain, and some colonies hope to connect with Spain’s existing South Morocco Colony, Congo Territory, and Guinea Colony, making it a good choice for Spain.

As for the lands in the Middle East, of course, they need no further mention. As the entire world’s land richest in oil, gaining a piece of land in the Middle East ensures Spain will lack no oil in the future.

Oil is the most important strategic resource for the next 100 to even 200 years. The more oil one controls, the more initiative Spain will have in future international relations.

Of course, sufficient military strength is also needed to guard these oil-rich lands. After all, there is a famous saying that oil breeds American soldiers.

If a small country discovers oil fields, it is often not a good thing. Not only will its oil fields be occupied by powerful countries, but even its domestic affairs will be interfered with by other major powers.

If the Cuban Colony is to be exchanged, then Carlo’s targets are only Africa and the Middle East.

There are not many countries that have colonies in Africa and the Middle East. In practice, only England and France, plus the already declining colonial empire of Portugal, can make deals with Spain.

Although the United Kingdom owns large areas of colonies in Africa, they would never give up essential colonial regions like the Cape Colony.

While the Cuban Colony has certain economic value, it is obviously not worth such attention from the British. If exchanging colonies with the British, the available regions are mainly concentrated in West Africa, including the British Gambian Colony, British Colony of Sierra Leone, and British Gold Coast.

Of course, the British can offer more than these small colonies; there are also areas in the Middle East with equally high economic value.

In theory, the Middle East is still under the control of the Ottoman Empire, but British penetration into the Middle East is already taking shape.

As early as 1861, the British signed a treaty with Bahrain in the Middle East, making Bahrain a British protectorate.

Using Bahrain as a transit point, Britain could exert greater influence over the Middle East and has hopes to completely take over the Ottoman Empire’s sphere of influence in the Middle East once the Ottoman Empire fully declines.

No country in the Middle East can compete with Britain for colonial interests, especially since this land is not far from Britain’s core colony in India.

France, Germany, and Russia, who have the strength to compete with Britain, obviously cannot extend their reach here.

Considering the gains from the Middle East, swapping with the British is clearly the most beneficial. The British can provide more conditions, possibly even including mining rights in Australia.

Australia is rich in mineral resources, including coal, iron, and other mineral resources crucial for industry.