Empire Rising: Spain

From 1878 to 1880, the British Empire was undoubtedly the busiest country in the world.

First, the United Kingdom intervened with a strong stance in the Russo-Turkish War, ensuring the safety of Constantinople and the stability of the straits.

Then, the United Kingdom successively launched the Anglo-Afghan War and the Zulu War, continuously expanding its colonial scope, which was quite rewarding.

However, it was these continuous wars that put a strain on the UK’s finances, forcing it to raise income taxes on the bourgeoisie.

This caused the British Government to instantly lose the support of the bourgeoisie. The once highly popular Prime Minister, Disraeli, was condemned for his aggressive foreign policy and eventually lost the new round of Cabinet elections.

In mid-1880, former Prime Minister Gladstone, who portrayed himself as an ardent protector of weak nations and used every opportunity to criticize and oppose Prime Minister Disraeli, finally seized the opportunity to win the election and once again ascended to the Prime Minister’s seat.

During the election, Gladstone cunningly posed the question, ”Do you approve or condemn Disraeli’s aggressive policies?”, which helped his Liberal Party win a large number of votes.

Gladstone, who opposed the aggressive policies, was also seen by the British public as the hero opposing Disraeli’s conservative expansionist government and was acclaimed as a friend of the Balkan Slavs.

After taking office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gladstone knew he could no longer continue the wars initiated by Disraeli’s government.

These wars not only plunged the British Government into a financial deficit but also sparked anti-war sentiment among the British public.

Ending the war promptly was the slogan Gladstone proposed during the election, and he couldn’t go back on his word after successfully becoming Prime Minister.

Under the new Prime Minister Gladstone’s orders, the United Kingdom quickly ended the Anglo-Afghan War and announced that the British Empire would welcome a long-awaited period of peace.

Although peace prevailed, Gladstone’s ambitions were no less than Disraeli’s. Since expansion through war was not possible, the British Empire’s goal shifted from aggression to colonization, as the ultimate outcome would be no different.

In mid-August 1880, with the fermentation of news about the Cuban colony, the British Government also paid attention to news about the Spanish Colony.

After all, the UK had always maintained high attention on Spain, even during Spain’s weakest period, the British Government never reduced its focus on Spain.

The reason was naturally that Spain’s geographic location was too important; it was the only outlet in the western Mediterranean and a crucial thoroughfare connecting Europe and Africa.

Spain’s geographical position was similar to that of the Ottoman Empire; both were connecting points between Europe and Africa and both had outlets on both shores of the Mediterranean.

The United Kingdom, through operational means, acquired the majority of shares in the Suez Canal, which allowed the UK to actually control this very important traffic thoroughfare.

However, the UK was not without opponents. Including France, many European countries needed to pass through the Suez Canal to reach their colonies.

It was only because France was still isolated that it had not yet raised objections to the Suez Canal.

This was also why, despite being isolated by the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria, and Russia, the British made no move because the Anglo-French conflict remained quite intense, with hatred between the two being no less than the hatred between Germany and France.

If it were only a simple colonial uprising, the British Government wouldn’t pay excessive attention. But what was reported along with the news of the Cuban colony uprising were rumors that the Spanish Government might be forced to abandon the Cuban colony.

Although it was just a rumor, it did have some reasoning upon careful consideration.

Even the mighty British Empire would one day be brought down by war. The Anglo-Afghan War and the Zulu War, although small-scale, led to serious financial losses for the British Empire, forcing it to raise corporate income taxes, which ultimately led to Prime Minister Disraeli completely offending the capital class.

The difficulty for Spain in suppressing the Cuban rebellion was lower, but the problem was that Cuba was thousands of miles away from Spain’s mainland.

Perhaps the military expenses required by Spain to suppress the Cuban colony were much less than the war expenses required by the UK, but don’t forget that the overall national strength and economic scale between Spain and the United Kingdom were also not proportional.

Military expenses that could bankrupt Spain might be insignificant to the British Empire, while expenses that could drag down the British Empire could directly bankrupt Spain or lead to a severe economic crisis.

”Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear your thoughts. If the Spaniards might abandon the Cuban colony, what attitude should we maintain in this event?” The newly appointed Prime Minister Gladstone looked sharply at the Cabinet Ministers, posing the first question of this Cabinet meeting.

Gladstone was the leader of the Liberal Party, and the Liberal Party government he formed was a government entirely biased toward the bourgeoisie.

To gain the support of the bourgeoisie, Gladstone, on his first day as Prime Minister, announced the abolition of the former Prime Minister Disraeli’s decree, canceling the additional income tax levied on capitalists.

This action, while reducing a significant source of income for the British Government, indeed won the favor of the bourgeoisie. In return, the bourgeoisie launched a public opinion offensive, quickly garnering substantial support for Gladstone from the public and workers.