Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 138: At The Mercy Of Others

On September 27, 1872, the train station in the capital of Spain, Madrid, was bustling with activity.

From early in the morning, the train station was filled with guards under martial law, and even the train station had been temporarily blockaded, allowing exit but not entry.

Meanwhile, on a small square nearby, Prime Minister Primó of Spain had been waiting for a long time with several cabinet ministers.

The one who could make Prime Minister Primó come out in person was naturally a guest of considerable status.

The first president of the Third French Republic, the controller of powerful France, and currently the highest leader of the French Government, Louis-Adolphe Thiers.

Just like the chaotic situation within France, the political system of the newly established Third French Republic was also quite chaotic.

France not only had a president but also a prime minister. However, there was no power struggle between the president and the prime minister; instead, there was intense power contention between the president and Congress.

The French president was elected by the people, and the prime minister was appointed by the president. But both the president and the prime minister were accountable to Congress, and Congress had the right to force the prime minister to resign voluntarily through a vote of no confidence.

Unlike the semi-presidential system of the Fifth French Republic, the current Third Republic theoretically still had greater power in Congress. The current French president was not the center of power in France; members of parliament had supervisory power over the government, and they could easily question the government’s decision-making, or even ultimately bring down the cabinet through their own power.

However, in the early stage just after the establishment of the Third French Republic, Thiers, as the first president, still held considerable power in his hands. If one had to describe it, the current Thiers was more like the first monarch in the transitional stage when various monarchical countries in Europe turned to constitutional monarchy.

The powers of the French president were roughly the same as those of a king in a constitutional monarchy, except for the inability to confer nobility titles; he was the nominal highest leader and commander of the army of the country.

Although France had failed in its hegemony struggle with Prussia, it was still an old great power in Europe after all, and compared to Spain, it was still very powerful.

To show respect for French President Thiers, Prime Minister Primó specially borrowed the royal band’s royal band and mobilized a newly reorganized army as guards to maintain order at the scene.

Of course, this was not without purpose. The mobilized army came from the First Infantry Division of the Spanish Royal Army, which was considered the elite of the Spanish Army.

Having this army come to welcome French President Thiers not only demonstrated the Spanish Government’s importance to Thiers but also showcased the strength of the Spanish Army.

Although Spain no longer had its former glory, it was still a great power that ranked high on the European Continent. If the French wanted to win over Spain, they at least had to show their sincerity.

Currently, the initiative was in Spain’s hands. Because of Spain’s important geographical position, Spain was almost an object that various countries vied to win over.

Of course, there were also countries like the United Kingdom that directly occupied Gibraltar, directly controlling the important geographical position in their own hands.

But for France, it was obviously impossible for them to do the same as the British. After all, France and Spain were directly bordering each other; the threat to France was not a certain region, but Spain’s overall geographical position.

“Respected President Thiers, welcome to Spain!” On the square at the train station, Prime Minister Primó met the new French President Thiers and expressed his welcome with a very bright smile.

“It is an honor to come to Spain, Prime Minister Primó.” French President Thiers nodded, also with a very friendly smile, and very proactively chatted with Prime Minister Primó: “Spain is truly a great country; the grandeur of Madrid is not far behind Paris!”

Prime Minister Primó would not believe these words from President Thiers. Although Madrid was the largest city in Spain, it was still quite far from international metropolises like London and Paris.

Just in terms of population alone, it was destined that Madrid’s overall scale and economy could not match Paris. Saying that Madrid was not far behind Paris was actually just friendly pleasantries.

“Madrid is prosperous, but it is far from comparable to Paris. However, Madrid also has its own characteristics, and I hope Mr. President enjoys his time in Madrid.” Prime Minister Primó said with a smile.

Thiers nodded and, under the lead of Prime Minister Primó, headed to the hotel specially prepared by the Spanish Government for foreign guests.

Except for the small-scale welcome banquet that Prime Minister Primó held for President Thiers that evening, the next day, Prime Minister Primó and President Thiers had no open exchanges.

The two seemed to treat this visit by the French delegation as an ordinary trip abroad, without proactively discussing any political affairs regarding the relations between the two countries.

In diplomacy, the one who speaks first often falls into a disadvantage. The one who speaks later gains the initiative, because the one who speaks first often has something to ask for.

Prime Minister Primó knew this well, so he had great patience to wear down the French delegation.

Anyway, this diplomatic visit did not require the Spanish Government to spend too much; it was all France’s money, so there was no need to feel heartache.

The ones with a bad diplomatic environment were the French, and the ones who should worry were also the French. For the Spanish Government, if cooperation with France could be achieved, it would naturally be great, but if cooperation could not be reached, there would be no loss.

For the French Government, however, things were not as wonderful as imagined.

The reason President Thiers had not taken the initiative to speak was precisely because speaking first would make him lose the right to speak.

Although France wanted more to promote cooperation with Spain, President Thiers wanted Prime Minister Primó to speak first even more. Even if the French Government provided more loans and help in industrial technology, it was still better than taking the initiative to speak and falling into a disadvantage.

But from the current situation, Prime Minister Primó was absolutely an old fox in the political arena. If the two continued to remain silent like this, not only would this cooperation likely not be achieved, but to a certain extent, it would push Spain further away.

“The Spaniards must have seen through our purpose; it’s all the fault of those damned Germans, otherwise great France would not face such a situation!” French President Thiers, who had been in Madrid for only a few days, was somewhat losing his composure because the visit to Spain was not going as smoothly as imagined.

“I’m afraid so, Mr. President.” French Foreign Minister Jacques-Victor-Albert nodded somewhat helplessly, sighed, and said: “I’m afraid we must show some sincerity to win over the Spaniards; otherwise, if Germany and Spain reach cooperation, France’s situation will become even more difficult.”

Even the French had to admit that Chancellor Bismarck posed too great a threat to France.

The German region, which had been full of states fighting each other since the Holy Roman Empire period, was integrated in the hands of Chancellor Bismarck and formed the unified German Empire.

It must be known that in this process, the enemies Germany faced were not only within the German region but also strong enemies like Denmark, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and France.

And after defeating France, Chancellor Bismarck not only showed no complacency but also proposed a policy to isolate France, which gave the French a big headache.

“As long as the Germans have not proactively contacted Spain, we still have a chance.” President Thiers rubbed his furrowed brows and said: “At all costs, we must ensure that Spain does not join an alliance with Germany; otherwise, France will fall into an irredeemable situation.

If Spain is determined to get close to Germany, then for the future security of France, we can only protect our country through war.”

On the last day of September, President Thiers broke from his usual routine, no longer maintaining his good mood for sightseeing, but instead sought out Prime Minister Primó early in the morning and straightforwardly stated the purpose of his diplomatic visit to Spain.

“Prime Minister Primó, Spain was once a great country, and I believe Spain’s weakness is only temporary. Future Spain will eventually return to the seat of the great powers.” President Thiers said with a smile: “

France is very willing to help our neighbor become powerful again; there are no conflicts of interest between us, are there?

If your country is willing, we can provide your country with some financial loans and sign a trade treaty to deepen economic cooperation between the two sides.”

When it comes to France, the most impressive might be the glory during the Napoleonic Empire period. Napoleon once conquered most of Europe, almost completing the legend of unifying Europe.

At that time, France was the most powerful country on the European Continent, and it took an anti-French coalition of many countries united to finally defeat France at its height.

But in fact, before the Napoleonic Empire, France was already a well-known hegemon on the European Continent.

Thanks to the grain yield brought by vast plains and a population density higher than other countries, France had been one of the quite famous countries in Europe since the Middle Ages.

France’s glory continued until the end of World War I, ultimately falling due to too many casualties in population during World War I.

France during World War II was indeed not as powerful as during World War I, but it was still among the top five great powers in the world.

However, after experiencing the cruel World War I, the French had grown weary of war, even more weary of France resisting Germany on the front line while other countries reaped the benefits behind France’s back.

Other countries did pay a certain price, but such a price was negligible compared to what France paid.

But there was no way around it. The conflict between Germany and France was originally the main contradiction in World War I, and coupled with the fact that Germany and France were adjacent, the war between them was definitely the fiercest in World War I.

Although the conflict between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia was also a main contradiction in World War I, the military strength of these two countries was obviously a level below that of Germany and France.

It was precisely because it suffered too many casualties in World War I that France chose to give up in World War II and accomplished a task that most countries could not— “It is impossible to occupy Paris before France surrenders forever.”

Facts also proved that France’s choice in World War II was perhaps the wisest for France itself. Other countries in World War II all bore massive casualties, while France, due to its early surrender, actually suffered less loss than other countries.

“If we can obtain aid from your government, it will accelerate the process of Spain’s industrial construction. I, on behalf of the Spanish people, thank the French Government for its help; the friendship between France and Spain lasts forever.” Prime Minister Primó nodded, with a smile on his face, and said: “

However, in terms of basic industry, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has already given us great help. If possible, we hope to import production technology for heavy industry and the chemical industry from your country; would your country be willing to sell it to us?

Originally, our plan was to go to Germany to purchase the technology; if we can import some technology from your country, that would naturally be even better.”

Although Prime Minister Primó’s words expressed joy at the French willingness to provide technical help, to President Thiers, it was actually a blatant reminder that if France was unwilling to provide aid to Spain, the Germans would also be happy to join in.

“Of course, no problem.” The smile on President Thiers’s face looked a bit forced, but it quickly changed back, and he said with a very amiable smile: “

We are both countries on the European Continent, so we should naturally help each other. Prime Minister Primó, we are of course willing to provide your country with technical data on heavy industry and the chemical industry to help your country better build its industrial system.

But as you know, for this matter, government approval alone is not enough; it also requires Congress’s approval.

If possible, I hope we can sign an alliance treaty; we will provide this part of the aid to your country in the form of an alliance.

I believe Congress will not obstruct an alliance between France and Spain; we are natural allies, and we are also partners who fight side by side.”

President Thiers’s meaning was also very clear. Aid could be given; after all, the French were still wealthy. But the French’s money and technical data were not given for free; the Spanish Government needed to give a clear guarantee, binding Spain to France’s war chariot through a military alliance.

As for whether Spain would tear up this military alliance later, President Thiers was not too worried.

First, his presidential term was only five years, and a small half had already passed. After his term ended, the development of relations between Spain and France would have nothing to do with him.

Second, France could also bind Spain to France by providing large amounts of loans, industrial equipment, and technical data to Spain.

The more French technology and equipment Spain adopted, the deeper the ties with France. When economic exchanges between the two countries became increasingly close, it would not be so simple for Spain to sever ties with France.

After all, Spain’s industry was built on the basis of massive French aid; if it severed ties, where would Spain find substitutes for the French industrial equipment used in those industrial systems?

“This might be difficult to achieve, President Thiers.” Prime Minister Primó showed a troubled expression on his face and explained: “As you know, Spain is a country that loves peace.

We are unwilling to participate in military competition among European countries; we yearn more for a stable peaceful environment.

Precisely because of this, we do not plan to join military alliances with any country. If possible, Spain is willing to sign an economic cooperation treaty and a customs union treaty with France to strengthen economic ties between our two countries.”

The alliance mentioned by the French was a military alliance, which was also what Prime Minister Primó wanted to avoid most strenuously.

For Spain, it could indeed profit from the pulling and tugging of various countries by relying on its superior geographical position.

But the problem was that a military treaty would completely bind Spain to France, which also meant that Spain would find it hard to obtain aid from Germany in the future.

To put it bluntly, for current Spain to develop better, it was undoubtedly more cost-effective to play the field.

Such a military alliance was more like an engagement, tightly restricting Spain to France’s war chariot. Countries like Germany, which opposed France, would stay away from Spain, which was unfavorable to Spain’s future plans.

Hearing that the Spanish Government, as Prime Minister Primó said, could only sign an economic cooperation treaty and customs union documents, President Thiers immediately became somewhat annoyed.

To put it bluntly, the attitude of the Spanish Government was that it did not plan to cooperate closely with France, more like wanting to freeload off France’s aid.

If Spain freeloaded this aid and then joined an alliance with Germany, wouldn’t President Thiers become a clown?

This matter directly concerned his own interests, so President Thiers could not easily relent: “Prime Minister Primó, merely an economic cooperation treaty and a customs union cannot persuade the French Congress.

If your country wants to cooperate with France, a military alliance is a more stable guarantee of relations; what do you think?”

“No, President Thiers.” Prime Minister Primó still shook his head, sticking to his opinion: “Spain will not join military alliances with any country; we only accept alliance treaties in economic aspects.

However, I can guarantee to your country that Spain has no intention of being enemies with France. As long as your country does not regard Spain as an enemy, Spain will not proactively join any blockade against your country.

What we need is a peaceful development environment; we are not interested in any conflicts or competitions. Please rest assured, Spain will not join military alliances with any country, whether France or Germany.”

Although French aid was very attractive, if it meant completely boarding France’s war chariot for France’s industrial aid, it would be somewhat not worth the loss.

In the current European environment, the conflict between Germany and France was the fiercest contradiction, followed by the conflicts between Britain and France and between Austria and Russia.

Beyond Europe, there were conflicts between the United Kingdom and Russia; the relations between several great power countries in Europe were quite complex.

Under such circumstances, Prime Minister Primó indeed had no intention of letting Spain join these competitions. For Spain, reform was the most important thing, followed by developing industry and economy.

As for participating in the competitions among these great power countries, that was a matter for much later. Current Spain did not yet have that strength; forcibly joining would easily turn it into cannon fodder in the hegemony struggles of various countries.

Hearing Prime Minister Primó say that Spain would not join military alliances with either France or Germany, President Thiers’s expression improved a lot.

The main purpose of this trip was still to ensure that Spain would not join the blockade against France; Prime Minister Primó’s promise still carried weight.

However, whether Spain was a military ally of France also affected the extent of France’s aid to Spain.

If Spain was a military ally of France, President Thiers would not mind providing Spain with more favorable industrial aid to help Spain return to the seat of European great powers.

But since Spain was unwilling to conclude a military alliance treaty with France, the aid France provided to Spain would naturally not be too generous.

After all, this was just an interest exchange between the French Government and the Spanish Government, ensuring Spain’s neutral stance in the Germany-France competition through industrial aid.

Since it was just an ordinary interest exchange, there was naturally no need to offer France’s more advanced industrial technology; using some already outdated industrial technology to make up the numbers would suffice.

Prime Minister Primó seemed to understand President Thiers’s thoughts; before President Thiers could speak, Prime Minister Primó proactively said: “

But sometimes things do not develop as expected. You know, Mr. President, although Spain is a constitutional monarchy, Parliament’s power is greater than His Majesty the King’s.

If in Europe’s competition, the Spanish people choose to support one side, it will greatly influence Parliament’s opinion.

The cabinet government is elected by Parliament, so to a certain extent, Parliament’s opinion represents the cabinet government’s opinion. Although current Spain will not conclude military alliance treaties with any country, if your country wins the support of the Spanish people, I am also willing to follow public opinion.”

The smile on President Thiers’s face stiffened again.

Prime Minister Primó’s words seemed to be explaining the Spanish Government’s situation to President Thiers, but in reality, it was still a reminder to President Thiers that if France lacked sincerity in cooperation with Spain, Spain might lean towards Germany.

In Spain’s political system, Parliament indeed had great power. The cabinet government was elected by Parliament, and the king only had the power to appoint after Parliament selected candidates.

But the problem was that most seats in the current Spanish Parliament were controlled by Prime Minister Primó. President Thiers was no fool; before visiting Spain, he had already understood most of the Spanish Government’s situation.

Rather than saying the Spanish people’s opinion influenced Parliament, it was better to say that Prime Minister Primó could control Parliament’s decision-making.

If Prime Minister Primó felt that France’s aid lacked sincerity, then perhaps the Spanish Parliament would lean towards Germany, which was exactly the reminder in Prime Minister Primó’s words, or rather, a hidden threat.

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