Ricardolindo
Banned
Was it possible for Spain to have joined the Scramble for Africa? If so, what could they gain?
Was it possible for Spain to have joined the Scramble for Africa? If so, what could they gain?
Not without some pretty radical changes to the domestic situation in Spain itself. The 19th century for Spain was a period of bleeding red ink, unstable governments, a dubiously loyal military, and next to no diplomatic clout with which to make any claims in Africa stick. While she can hold onto what she has and make minor gains, conslidating rule over any major areas is likely going to be next to impossible as they aren't going to enjoy a period of internal stability and solvency in order long enough to do so. Issues closer to home will have to be prioritized.
How could we get a more stable Spain? A better Ferdinand VII?
I think a POD 100 years before the scramble would easily butterfly it away. No American Revolution might mean no French Revolution (or at least a very different one) changing European history unrecognisable and an English North America would change colonial history unrecognisable.I think a Britain winning and getting at least parts of the Philippines in 7 years war and having no American revolution might work as a POD.
O'Donnel goverment had an imperialist agenda and the Spanish empire even invaded what was the old French Conchinchina for France as the the Phillipines were a good place to launch an invasion. The same happened with the Spanish North Africa in some way or another.
We also have to remember that Fernando Poo and Equatorial Guinea were alredy part of Spain so an expansion towards Gabon or Cameroon wouldn't be far fetched if the Spanish goverment had wanted to expand the borders of its colony it wouldn't have been really hard and I doubt that either France or the UK would have minded at all that a country like Spain had a couple of strips of land in Africa. If you twitch a bit O'Donnel's foreign policy you can get a bigger Spanish presence in Africa
O'Donnel invaded Morocco,part of the COnchinchina and aided the French invasion of Mexico. The war of the Conchinchina was just an excuse of getting chinese slaves,the "culis" for Cuba. If you need slaves for Cuba instead of invading the Conchinchina O'Donnel could have tried and getting more African land to send more slaves to CubaO'Donnel's governments were also either out of power, bankrupt, or facing a mutiny of the officers every other week, and I doubt they'll find a big market for a new issuing of bonds that are already considered garbage for the sake of funding expeditions to try to settle the African continent in force. Such a change in polcy would require resources and a consistenancy of political effort mid-19th century Spain can't pull off unless you start with a POD basically before the Isabellist regeime.
O'Donnel invaded Morocco,part of the COnchinchina and aided the French invasion of Mexico. The war of the Conchinchina was just an excuse of getting chinese slaves,the "culis" for Cuba. If you need slaves for Cuba instead of invading the Conchinchina O'Donnel could have tried and getting more African land to send more slaves to Cuba
60,000 "slaves" entered in Cuba even after Spain promised Britain it would stop doing it.Transatlantic Slave trade? The Royal Navy says hello. The Intervention in Mexico was meant by Spain as a small scale quick action to seize Vera Cruz and its customs revenue to insure payment of debts. To really be part of the Scramble for Africa you're going to need more than that.
60,000 "slaves" entered in Cuba even after Spain promised Britain it would stop doing it.
The only thing that changed was how the slaves entered into Cuba,once they were in Cuba they were sold as usual.
Slavery was not abolished in Cuba until 1886, 20 years after O'Donnels goverment,and the Cuban slave trade was one of the main sources of income of the Catalonian bourguoise.
If O'Donnel could wage wars in places like Peru,Cambodia,Morocco and Mexico simultaniously I don't know why an expedition from Equatorial Guinea towards Gabon on Cameroon is out of the table when the people in those lands were much easier to subdue than peripherical western countries like Peru,Chile or Morocco
Spain taking control of the Congo an option?