Yes. Given that Spain is now formed by the entire Iberian Peninsula, it does not make much sense to live one hour after the sun hour.
The Legacy of the Glorious (Milarqui's Cut)
- Thread starter Milarqui
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Wait, in this timeline Pierre Tirard is the Premier of France in the time of Portuguese Civil War. He served that position from what year?
And also, who were the Ministers of War and Navy in the year 1890?
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Really interesting, I went through the entire thread non-stop. Hope to be reading more from you soon. My congratulations to Milarqui and Linense.
Haven't seen Verano Azul ever, so I cannot tell. In fact, I can't even tell if there will be something similar to Verano Azul in this TL.
In other news, update advances VERY SLOWLY. I am a bit stuck, and overwhelmed with my personal and academic life, so I have been unable to write a lot.
Let's say that Mariano José de Larra would find less reasons to complain about them...
Well, it's been... wow, nine months since the last update? Damn, sometimes I hate my life...
However, I do have good news for you, and that's that this story is not dead yet. I've been working (yes, slowly, but something) in the End of the Century update. I have already finished Part I, which deals with the state of the many nations of the world (the most important, at least) at the end of 19th Century, as they prepare for the 20th. Part II, which is at about 25%, is specifically about Spain, its numbers and other information, such as Territorial Organization, International Relations, the Armed Forces or the Culture. Part III will be about some people I consider should be known about (the fate I have in place for Nikola Tesla and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov will be interesting!), and Part IV will talk about several important ideas and/or technologies that are appearing in the world at large.
Now, I have a deal with you: you can wait until I finish writing the entire thing to post it all at once, or you can have Part I now and let that feed your need for speed... sorry, for The Legacy of the Glorious while I finish with the rest of the End of the Century update.
What's going to be? (If I get more than 5 votes in favor of it by the end of the next week, I'll post Part I!)
However, I do have good news for you, and that's that this story is not dead yet. I've been working (yes, slowly, but something) in the End of the Century update. I have already finished Part I, which deals with the state of the many nations of the world (the most important, at least) at the end of 19th Century, as they prepare for the 20th. Part II, which is at about 25%, is specifically about Spain, its numbers and other information, such as Territorial Organization, International Relations, the Armed Forces or the Culture. Part III will be about some people I consider should be known about (the fate I have in place for Nikola Tesla and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov will be interesting!), and Part IV will talk about several important ideas and/or technologies that are appearing in the world at large.
Now, I have a deal with you: you can wait until I finish writing the entire thing to post it all at once, or you can have Part I now and let that feed your need for speed... sorry, for The Legacy of the Glorious while I finish with the rest of the End of the Century update.
What's going to be? (If I get more than 5 votes in favor of it by the end of the next week, I'll post Part I!)
End of the Century, Part I
An End Of The Century Summary
In the last thirty years, since the proclamation of Leopold zu Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Spain, many things have changed, some for the better, some for the worse, but nonetheless changed. In this summary, we will speak about the current status of the world: its most powerful nations, people that were or will be influential in the coming century, cultural and scientific developments of the end of the century, and, of course, Spain.
Part I: The Nations that Control the World
Europe
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is still the most powerful nation in the planet. Ruling over territories in every continent that account for a quarter of Earth’s landmass, a robust economy thanks to the many resources they have access to, and a large population that accounts for nearly a fifth of the world population, they can certainly boast without lying about that. This, combined with the powerful force that is the Royal Navy, the largest navy of the world, means that their capacity to project power anywhere is certainly powerful. However, if there is one weakness to be pointed out, it is the British Army, much smaller than that of their fellow European powers, but this gets partially compensated thanks to their intense training. While their diplomatic power remains strong, it has weakened in sight of the events that have taken place in the last decade, particularly the Portuguese Civil War, but also the still on-going Boer Wars, where the British have used scorched-earth tactics and internment camps to defeat the Boers’ guerrilla campaigns. Although successful, the many deaths caused by this system among the civilian population that was interned in those camps have been met with great criticism abroad and at home. As Victoria’s time as Queen of the United Kingdom approaches its end (at age 81, even she knows her death is nearby), the United Kingdom looks towards the 20th Century as the time where their power may either remain uncontested or be challenged by up-and-coming nations.
One of these nations is the German Empire. Although it is the second youngest nation in Europe (just behind the United Empire of the Spains), Germany is probably the most influential nation in the continent due to the dual victories of the Hohenzollerns’ War of 1870 and the Berlin Conference of 1885, both of which placed the nation, and Otto von Bismarck with it, at the center of European diplomacy. Currently, Germany boasts of having the most technologically advanced, most powerful army in the world, capable of fighting any enemy in the world, although this does get compensated with the lack of a great navy capable of fighting their rivals in the west, that their Spanish and Italian allies are more than capable of helping with. Their economy, although having suffered some downturns in the last decade, remains strong and capable of working for the good of the country. The influence of Emperor Friedrich III has been widely noted in most spheres: in the time since his crowning, the Emperor has worked to turn the German Empire into a more liberalized country, taking advantage of Bismarck’s retirement in 1892 to lead the reform of the Imperial Constitution and turn the German government into a British-style cabinet, thus reducing his role in politics to that of constitutional monarch, as well as championing for the increase of rights for the main population of the Empire. This has made him very popular among the low and middle classes in the Empire, although some in the most conservative sectors of society fear that this might eventually fire against them. Meanwhile, The German Empire does now face the 20th Century with the conviction that becoming the most powerful nation in the world is at their hand.
Opposed to them remains the Third French Kingdom. Revanchism remains part of the French psyche, even after two coups and subsequent changes of type of government. The loss of territories that they consider theirs to their neighbors has heavily weighed in their minds, even three decades after the end of the Hohenzollerns’ War, particularly because it also indirectly caused the loss of Corsica in a rebellion. However, this, fortunately for the French people, has not meant that the government is concentrated exclusively in that issue. While the economy has slowed down in the last years, it is still going strong, a collateral effect of the economic policies France had to carry out in the 1870s. The expansion of the colonial empire has been a source of national pride for the French people, although the de facto independence of Corsica remains a large affront to their pride, along with the Dreyfus Affair, that has divided society and all but drove the Jewish people out of France. Still, the presence of King Philippe VIII at the helm of the nation has kept things relatively stable, and with everyone doing their best to work for the improvement of their nation, they hope to see, in the 20th century, how their enemies may be defeated and France restored to its former glory.
One nation that has a very uncertain future is the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The attempts of past years of keeping the Empire together through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 have slowly eroded away any sense of unity between its two halves, with Austria and Hungary now joined only by the figure of the Emperor and its joint economic, foreign and military policies, while keeping everything else separate, something many politicians understand may cause great trouble in the times that are coming, particularly considering Emperor Franz Joseph's authoritarian nature. While their economy grows quite well, thanks to their industrial development, it remains behind that of other nations due to the lateness of its initiation. One important matter that has surged in the last years is the appearance and growth of a new political faction that seeks the integration of the Empire into one political entity by looking at the successful efforts carried out by the Spanish government in integrating the Spanish and Portuguese people in the framework of a newly unified nation, not to mention what has been done to ensure the permanence of such disparate elements as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines within their empire. The new century may be either the death of the Dual Monarchy or its salvation.
A country that would love to see such a thing happening is the Kingdom of Italy. Although, nominally, they are allied to Austria-Hungary, the Italians see their continued possession of Trieste and the Trentino as an insult to their national pride, particularly in the eyes of the Irredentists, who also look towards Savoy and Nice with the wish that the Count of Cavour had not had to allow referendum to take place in both cities. They see their relation with the German Empire and the United Empire of the Spains with warmer eyes, though, as both nations have supported her in important matters such as the colonization of Africa, and they, in turn, have returned that support, which was seen especially in the Santiago Conference of 1892 that saw the recognisance, by the United Kingdom and France, of the United Empire of the Spains' legitimacy. Looking towards the Ottoman territory of Tripolitania and the Kingdom of Ethiopia with avid eyes, they hope to be able to continue expanding their colonial territory in Africa and increase their status in the eyes of the world. With King Umberto at the helm, they enter the 20th century between the eagerness for a war that may return Italy to the glory that was Rome.
The last three decades have been most kind to the Russian Empire. The reforms initiated by Tsar Aleksandr II, nicknamed “The Liberator” and “The Great” by the Russian people, have transformed the old Empire of the Rus into a nation that none of his ancestors would recognise. The Duma, created in 1881 as a consultive body, by the end of the century has become the parliament of all Russians and the minorities, some of which have also been granted autonomy by the Tsars, such as Finland or Poland. Industrialization has brought modernity to many parts of the Empire. The political power of the nobles has been severely curtailed by the reforms of 1889, and their economic power, although still strong, has been challenged by the rising bourgeoisie and the former serfs. The democratization of the country has allowed the legalization of many political parties, such as Narodnaya Volya, which, even after the attempt to kill Aleksandr II by one of its extremist wings, has survived to become a powerful political force. The colonization of Siberian lands has allowed for easier communication with the Pacific coast and the city of Vladivostok. However, tensions remain with other powers, such as Germany in the west and Japan in the east. With their entrance into the 20th century twelve days later than in the Western world, will Russia continue to be great or will it end up dying in spite of the efforts of so many people?
The Ottoman Empire, as much as some people within would like to think otherwise, remains the “Sick Man of Europe” with great reason. The timid attempts of reform at the beginning of Abdul Hamid II's reign in the Empire had been crushed by the suspension of both the Ottoman parliament and the Kanûn-u Esâsî (“Basic Law” in Turkish) of 1876 by the Sultan, who has reigned as an absolute monarch since 1878. The few steps taken by Abdul Hamid II to modernize its nation, such as the reform of the bureaucracy or the first steps to connect Istanbul with Mecca by railway, have been unable to help the Ottomans recover from the large territorial losses they have suffered in the Balkans. The improving relationship with the German Empire has helped in the improvement of the army and the navy, although this has not corresponded by the appearance of a great local industrial sector that would signify an actual modernization of the Ottoman economy. The massacres of people belonging to Armenia or to other minorities have also done great damage to the Ottoman Empire in the international sphere, which looks at them with horror at the brutality by which the people who sought equality within the Empire were instead killed without remorse. The many disturbances that have hit the Ottoman Empire do not seem to have an ending, and it is an expanded belief that, unless something happens that drastically changes the situation, the Ottoman Empire will die at some point, but soon, within the 20th Century.
Other European nations continue with their lives, falling into either the British-French or the German orbits, or simply trying to remain independent in the middle of what some think is the unavoidable approach to another great war in Europe, on the level of what happened during the Napoleonic Wars. Corsica’s attempts to fortify its independence from France are becoming successful, as trade with Spain and Italy are bringing in everything Corsica cannot produce internally, and the conquest of Tunisia was finalized by an army personally led by Napoleon IV in 1896. In the Balkans, Serbia remains committed to the possibility of joining all Slavic nations in the south under a same flag, and has sought the support of Russia, while Romania remains tied by links of friendship and family (as its king, Carol I, is Leopoldo I of Spain's brother) with the Alliance formed by Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy, especially considering the Russian bear looking at them as a possibility to continue expanding towards Constantinople. Elsewhere, nations such as Belgium or the Swedish-Norwegian Union remain neutral to the alliance system that has started to develop in the continent, while benefitting from that by selling natural resources to both sides.
Asia
The last few years have shown the Qing Empire of China to be a weak nation, in spite of its great size and glorious past. The recent defeats in wars against European nations (the Opium Wars and the Sino-French War) and against the Japanese have opened the way to other nations to enforce unequal treaties on the Chinese government. All nations with power projection into the Pacific, have managed to gain enclaves and ports in China, allowing them to sell the products of their factories to the Chinese people at lower prices. However, winds of change are blowing through the nation. Following the death of Empress Dowager Cixi in strange circumstances in 1895, the Guangxu Emperor, allied with a growing progressive faction in the Grand Council and the most moderate conservatives, has started a series of reforms aimed at modernizing the nation, ensuring that, eventually, it might be able to stand up to the foreign invaders, perhaps at some point in the next century (by European standards, of course).
The Empire of Japan, as if a mirror to China, remains the most powerful Asian nation, and almost a Great Power by itself. Its powerful army and navy are not only capable of defending their land, but also of projecting beyond the Home Islands. Korea, for example, is slowly falling further and further within their sphere, as Japanese companies exploit the peninsula's resources and Japanese advisers control their armed forces. Japan remains a friend and ally to the Spanish and the Germans, a friendship still going strong after several years, although there have been some friction over the fact that several factions within the Asian nation regard Spanish and German territories in the Pacific as necessary for the further development of their nation. This, and the Japanese ambitions to become the most powerful nation in Asia, ensure that they will eventually have a struggle with an European nation within the next century.
Other Asian nations, the few that are not colonies, are nonetheless affected by the ambitions of the Great Powers and their allies. Afghanistan and Persia have been the main battlegrounds of the Great Game for decades already between the British and Russian Empires, which, in spite of being nominally allied, still desire to have the most influence over both nations, particularly Persia thanks to its strategical position and the potential sources of petroleum therein. The Emperor of Siam, knowing that it was but a matter of time before an European nation became interested in them, decided to cut through the chase and get support from the Empire of Spain, the one nation with power in the region that had proved able to fight back against the French that took over Vietnam: Siam has become a Spanish protectorate, although on better terms that other protectorates due to their willingness to accept such position.
America
The United States of America, the most powerful nation in the Western Hemisphere, is clearly interested in the events that have taken place, not only within their own sphere of influence, but also elsewhere in the world. Although isolationist, the most recent events have awakened their leaders to the dangers of remaining so. Already in 1897 they had annexed the Republic of Hawaii at the behest of its leaders and the orders of newly elected President Thomas Brackett Reed and Vice President Henry Cabot Lodge, who desired for the nation to become more powerful. Under their direction, the United States Navy has begun to build new ships, knowing that they might have to enter a war in the future in order to fulfill their Manifest Destiny. As the British Empire remains one of its biggest trading partners, they are eying the Caribbean and Mexico, both to their south, as potential paths to expand towards, and each of them have their advantages and disadvantages. What is clear, though, is that they intend to make sure that the 20th Century is when the United States of America proves its mettle to the world.
In the United Mexican States, there is unrest and danger. Porfirio Diaz's rule, more than twenty years old by now, has clearly become a full-on dictatorship. While it is true that Mexico has prospered as a whole on the economical and the cultural levels, this has not spread to the general population, as the economic inequality between the high class terratenientes and the lower classes has become more pronounced, and the political repression has reached levels unseen as more and more people realize they deserve better. It is but a matter of time before their feelings coalesce in a rebellion that might last for years into the new century.
The Empire of Brazil has also seen changes in it. Emperor Pedro II's reforms, while well-meaning, caused several problems to the Empire, starting with the Republican Rebellion of 1889, but also the large concentration of former slaves in the outskirts of the industrialized cities, while the plantations where they came from became unfeasible as costs rose. Several economic reforms, as well as the opening of new markets, became the salvation for the latter, while the former was solved by trying to get them to return to their former jobs (but being paid) or dispersing them towards other cities. Friendship with Spain provided also a trading partner in its allies, with Germany and its main businessmen having new factories built. The wealth brought by this has also allowed them to expand their control and influence in South America.
The Argentine Republic is right now just coming from the hard civil war that resulted from the Revolution of the Artillery Park, initiated by a sector of the Armed Forces and associated civilians agglutinated in the Civic Union that wished to put an end to the practices of the Partido Autonomista Nacional, which controlled the government and kept itself in place through the use of many systems, such as electoral fraud or intimidation of the voters. After two years of war, the two sides signed an agreement that would ensure the amnesty for soldiers and civilians on both sides of the fighting, and instituted many of the reforms demanded by the Civic Union. Faced on the north with the power of Brazil, and on the west with a resurgent Chile and Bolivia, Argentina must now ensure that the 20th century means the establishment of their dominance in the Cone.
For Chile, the defeat in the Second War of the Pacific meant a hard hit to their national consciousness. Losing almost direct access to the mineral resources in Antofagasta had also become a hard thing for the Chilean industries to eat, although they are still efficient and work well, and the copper deposits in the Andes have ensured a great source of revenue in this time when electricity is becoming more widespread with time. Still, the Chilean people wish that the shame brought to their country due to the defeat be washed up, and as such they are gearing towards what might be, undoubtedly, another war in South America, one that, considering the many changes brought by the passage of time, might be even more cruel than the previous one. Still, Chile, entering the 20th Century, intends to make sure that they are given their due.
Peru and Bolivia have seen much change in their nations. The victory over Chile, giving Bolivia control over the phosphates in the region of Antofagasta, has allowed both nations to prosper, particularly as both Spanish and local factories keep spreading, and new roads are built. The use of phosphates also helps prosper in the agricultural front, thanks to the greater number of fertilizers available to the farm laborers, and mining of other resources in the Andes and exploitation of rubber trees in the region of Acre also helps in the diversification of the economy. This prosperity, and the benefits of their alliance, have meant much to the people, so much that there is talk between both governments to revive the short-lived Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation, increasing their influence in the region and becoming more capable of defending themselves against others as the new century begins.
The rest of America keeps on, trying to live their lives while standing either the warlord of the day or trying to stave off as much foreign influence as possible. Venezuela, in the middle of a civil war between the pro-democracy Constitutionalists and the Gomecistas (the supporters of dictator Juan Vicente Gómez), can barely pay attention to what’s going on outside its borders. Colombia is currently looking for potential investors for the Panama Canal left untouched since Lesseps’ failed attempt several years ago, while in Nicaragua a Spanish-German team is currently working to ascertain the best path a possible canal could follow, after the Liberal Revolution of 1891 established a new constitution based on the United States' and Spain's Constitutions. In the Dominican Republic, the damage caused by the war against Spain has been reversed, and the stability of the region has improved thanks to them, but this has been balanced by the greater influence the Motherland now has, and many rightfully fear that the referendum imposed by the Treaty of Santiago might spell the end of their independence, or perhaps even war...
Africa
Africa remains mostly controlled by the European powers and the Ottoman Empire. The only independent nation in the entire continent, Ethiopia, is currently struggling to maintain its independence from Italy, whose attempts to get them to accept a protectorate status have so far been unsuccessful. The British colony of South Africa is in the middle of the Second Boer War, an attempt by the Dutch-origin settlers to preserve their independence from the British Empire, although it seems that their efforts are bound for failure. The Belgian Congo prospers, thanks to the efforts of Belgian settlers that attempt to ensure civilization reaches the local people, although this is not without compensation, for the rubber plantations have easily become a large source of this material in a growing market, among other of the great resources the territory contains. British control over the protectorate of Egypt still allows them to control the Suez Canal, although nationalist movements that have begin to spread around the land have started to become a headache for the government, both the British and the Egyptian government. The Ottoman Empire's situation has made their last territory in Africa, Libya, look like a very appetizing colony for the Italian Empire. And, in Madagascar, French rule has brought many plantations, reforms and the exile of the Malagasy Royal Family to Réunion after the French-Malagasy War where the latter tried to avoid becoming a protectorate of France.
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