Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 403 Century Work Report
Besides the Panama Canal Convention signed by Britain, France, and Spain, another major event in 1899 was the Convention for the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes signed by European and American countries.

This treaty, signed in The Hague, Netherlands, was initiated by Tsar Nicholas II.

The points emphasized in the Convention on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes are quite clear: to resolve various international disputes and conflicts peacefully, thereby avoiding a super war involving multiple powers.

The reason it was proposed by Russia is mainly because Russia's internal contradictions are quite obvious, and compared with other European powers, Russia has significantly more weaknesses.

On the one hand, the dispute between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans has become quite intense, which is one of the reasons for the decline in relations between Russia and Germany.

On the other hand, Russia also had significant conflicts with Britain in Central Asia and the Far East. It was unclear whether the Franco-Russian alliance could win if war actually broke out, but the Russians would most likely lose.

Tsar Nicholas II's idea of ​​peacefully resolving international disputes quickly gained the support of many European countries.

Regardless of whether superpowers like France and Germany are afraid of a super war, other non-superpower countries are certainly terrified of super wars.

A super war would determine life and death between the great powers, and when these powers were teetering on the brink of extinction, they would not care about their relations with neighboring countries.

As long as neighboring countries can provide resources and industry, what difference does it make if one occupies those countries? This also means that in the event of a super war, no country in Europe will be absolutely safe.

Given the chaotic situation in Europe, the British government quickly expressed its support for the Russian government's idea of ​​peacefully resolving international disputes.

Don't misunderstand, this doesn't mean Britain intends to reconcile with Russia. The main reason is that Britain, like Russia, is currently in a situation where it has made enemies on all sides.

The Boer War a few years earlier had significantly diminished Britain’s international prestige and influence. Conflicts with Russia in Central Asia and the Far East, as well as historical grudges with France and Spain, had made Britain somewhat uneasy.

If Britain does not find a way to de-escalate the conflict between the two major military blocs in Europe, it will be impossible for it to remain unscathed when the two blocs engage in a super war.

At that time, a Britain with a particularly powerful navy and an excellent industrial environment will either become a guest of honor of one military bloc or a thorn in the side of two major military blocs.

With Russia initiating the discussion, Britain responding, and many small and medium-sized countries supporting it, a debate on the peaceful resolution of international disputes was quickly convened in The Hague, Netherlands.

Many countries participated in this discussion, encompassing dozens of countries and regions across four continents: Europe, America, and Asia.

This also shows that these countries are concerned about the potential outbreak of a super war, not only because of previous reports about a possible super war in Europe, but also because of the current chaotic and tense situation in Europe.

Europe is undoubtedly the most developed and prosperous region, and changes in Europe profoundly affect the rest of the world. Given the generally strong military capabilities of European countries, other nations do not wish for a major war to break out in Europe.

After all, the fluctuations of such a war could very well cause an innocent country to suffer terribly.

As a powerful nation in Europe, Spain was naturally among the invited countries to this conference, and its ranking was not low.

Although this is an international conference, the seating arrangement of representatives from different countries is clearly based on national strength.

As the responders and initiators, Britain and Russia had their diplomatic representatives seated at the very top of the list. Next to them were the powerful nations of France and Germany, followed by the Spanish diplomatic representative.

This distribution of positions also reveals one thing: in the view of the major European powers, Spain was already at the level of superpowers like Britain, France, Germany, and Russia, and was a level above Austria-Hungary and Italy.

Austria-Hungary and Italy had no objection to this ranking. On the one hand, Spain's naval strength was indeed formidable, which indirectly increased Spain's military power.

On the other hand, Spain had relatively good relations with Austria-Hungary and Italy, so they naturally had no objection to such a division of positions, since it did not bring any practical benefits.

Below the five great powers of Britain, Russia, Germany, France, and Spain were the remaining three great powers: Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the United States.

Although the United States has a very strong economy and industrial power, its diplomatic representatives are ranked at the very bottom of the list of great powers, which also shows the European countries' disdain for the United States.

Below the eight major powers were diplomatic representatives from dozens of different countries across four continents. Colombia, due to its civil war, did not send a diplomatic representative to the conference.

However, quite a few South American countries still sent diplomatic representatives, since they have already participated in international affairs through the Spanish-speaking Economic Union, and naturally need to stand up for Spain at this time.

Spain brings these Spanish-speaking countries together in order to have them boost its image and increase its votes at international conferences.

Of course, such a conference on the peaceful resolution of international disputes would be largely unnecessary, because Spain is not a key player at such a conference.

Spain was not involved in the competition between the two major military blocs, and had relatively good relations with most of the countries in both blocs, so it naturally did not need to worry about their wars affecting it.

Spain's geographical location is also far from the center of the European continent. As long as Spain is determined not to participate in the European super war, other countries have no way to force Spain to participate unless they directly declare war on Spain.

But declaring war on Spain directly is something these countries would never do unless they've gone to the very last resort.

Spain's strength did not come from industrial power and economic development like the United States, but from the continuous accumulation of military power.

With the world's third-largest navy and a top-five army, such military strength wouldn't have guaranteed a 100% victory over Spain, even at the height of other superpowers' power.

Not to mention when a super war breaks out, unless absolutely necessary, for most countries, having one less enemy is definitely better than having one more.

After weeks of discussions among diplomatic representatives from dozens of countries, a treaty was finally agreed upon that was reasonably satisfactory to the representatives of all countries.

Most of the treaties concern the maintenance of peace and mediation in the event of conflict. They also stipulate that one or more countries unrelated to the dispute may, when circumstances permit, offer mediation or conciliation to the parties involved in the dispute.

To make mediation and conciliation fairer, diplomatic representatives from various countries also agreed to establish an international arbitration court in The Hague to help countries resolve their conflicts peacefully and amicably.

Although the conference on the peaceful resolution of international disputes went very smoothly, the representatives of the major powers participating in the conference knew that doing so could at most resolve the surface conflicts, or even only the disputes between small and medium-sized countries.

Given the fierce confrontation between the two major military blocs in Europe, neither international arbitration courts nor intervention from other major powers would have any effect.

If any major power dared to intervene in the confrontation between the two military blocs, it could very well lead to a situation where the two military blocs jointly besiege the major power.

Even a powerful nation like Britain wouldn't dare to mediate the conflict between the two major military blocs, let alone other major powers.

After the meeting ended, it was already late 1899.

As the 19th century drew to a close and the new century approached, Carlo still had many thoughts to share.

Since Carlos became King of Spain, Spain has not only reversed its decline but has also made further progress, steadily advancing towards becoming a superpower.

Judging from the achievements Spain has made so far, Carlos's political record during his many years as King of Spain is still very impressive.

If the 30 years under King Dowager Siddhartha Gautama represent Spain's golden age of development, then from the beginning of the 20th century, Spain would gradually bid farewell to this golden period and enter a highly challenging era. If it could seize the opportunities presented by World War I and World War II, Spain had a strong chance of becoming a true superpower, and even a global hegemon.

However, if Spain had not seized the opportunity, it might have suffered the same fate as Germany and Russia after World War I, with its monarchy overthrown and the country plunging into a long period of chaos.

Carlo certainly didn't want his throne to be overthrown, nor did he want his country to descend into chaos. Therefore, for Carlo and Spain, finding their proper place in the impending world war was crucial.

Carlo wouldn't be in a hurry to take sides until there's a clear advantage or disadvantage in the confrontation between the two military blocs.

Carlo would only consider joining the other side if Britain had chosen to join one side before Spain.

For Spain, whether it was annexing Portugal or recapturing Gibraltar, it would require a war with Britain.

Rather than fighting Britain alone, it would be better to use the allies of the military bloc to deliver a fatal blow to the British.

As 1899 drew to a close, the Spanish government was preparing its own report of the century. This report, addressed primarily to all Spaniards, outlined the government's achievements over the past hundred years.

Of course, the main focus is on reporting the achievements of the past 30 years. The previous 70 years were a relatively dark period in Spanish history, which can be glossed over in the report.

This type of report not only informs the Spanish people about the development of the Spanish government, but also enhances their sense of national honor and pride, making them more acclaimed for their country and government, and more devoted to their king.

Because this report needs to cover Spain's progress over the past 100 years, all data must be accurate.

Carlos also specifically requested the government not to exaggerate Spain's recent achievements, but to report Spain's current accomplishments to the Spanish people in a factual manner.

Because of Carlo's request, the Spanish government dared not alter the report in the slightest and strived to obtain accurate data at each point in time.

As the year drew to a close, on December 31, 1899, Carlos, along with the Spanish government, solemnly reported to the Spanish people on the achievements of the government in the century in the square outside the Royal Palace in Madrid.

The most prominent description focuses on the achievements since Carlos was crowned King of Spain in 1869, as well as the rise of Spain's international standing.

At the time when Carlos had just become King of Spain, the Spanish government's population count was only 1661 million.

Thirty years later, the population of Spain has grown to 3386 million, more than double that of 30 years ago.

In 1869, Spain's total steel production was less than 0.3 tons and pig iron production was less than 1 tons, making it a clearly weak industrial nation with no industrial foundation or resources.

Now, Spain's annual steel production has reached 121 million tons, and its pig iron production has exceeded 200 million tons, making it one of Europe's industrial powerhouses. Its total steel production ranks only after the UK, the US, Germany, France, and Russia, and the gap with France and Russia is not significant.

In terms of the economy, in 1869, the Spanish government's total annual fiscal revenue was only about 3 million pesetas, while its fiscal expenditure was as high as 4.2 million pesetas, resulting in an annual deficit of more than 1.2 million pesetas.

Looking at the Spanish government's annual financial statements today, according to the Ministry of Finance's estimates, Spain's total fiscal revenue in 1899 was 15.326 billion pesetas, total fiscal expenditure was 15.028 billion pesetas, and fiscal surplus was 2980 million pesetas.

Spain's total fiscal revenue has increased fivefold. In addition to industrial and economic growth, the main reason for this is that Spain has expanded into many African colonies, which have also generated considerable profits.

Of course, there are also the taxes paid by royal businesses. The Royal Mercedes-Benz alone pays tens of millions of pesetas in taxes annually, not to mention the many other royal businesses that together pay over a hundred million pesetas in taxes.

Although the Spanish government made money, it was different from the previous Spanish government. After Carlos became King of Spain, the Spanish government invested most of the money it earned into the following year's fiscal expenditure.

This year, Spain's total fiscal revenue exceeded 15 billion pesetas, and its total fiscal expenditure also exceeded 15 billion pesetas, which is why Spain's industry and economy are able to develop better and better.

The government's massive investment stimulated industrial and economic growth, which in turn boosted government revenue, creating a virtuous cycle.

As long as there is no economic crisis, this cycle of development will make Spain's industry and economy stronger and stronger, and will also increase the fiscal revenue of the Spanish government.

Even if a world war were to break out, the Spanish government would have sufficient funds to invest in the war effort. Of course, if it were to profit from the war, the Spanish government would become even wealthier.

Regarding the economy, another point worth mentioning is Spain's per capita annual income.

The reason why the first 70 years of 19th-century Spain are called the dark ages is because the average annual income per capita in Spain was pitifully low at that time.

When Carlos first became King of Spain, the government's statistics showed that the average annual income per capita was only 87.32 pesetas, a figure that was only a fraction of that of other European powers.

Such meager income already shows how miserable the lives of the Spanish were at that time. There are various reasons for the small population of Spain, the main reason being that the native Spanish people were living in poverty, and a large number of people migrated to South America or other colonies.

Now, Spain's per capita annual income has reached a high level of 337.86 pesetas, nearly four times that of 30 years ago.

While this per capita income isn't high by European standards, it's no longer at the bottom. For most Spaniards, this income is enough to meet their daily needs; at least, starvation is practically nonexistent in Spain.

To provide relief to the extremely poor, Carlo also established various relief centers in the name of the royal family.

These relief centers distribute food and supplies daily to help those with extremely low incomes survive.

Larger cities also have nursing homes and orphanages to take in elderly people and children who have no children to support them or parents to care for them.

The policies regarding nursing homes and orphanages have also been widely praised by Spaniards. The children who have emerged from these orphanages have an unparalleled level of loyalty to the royal family and identification with Spain.

Currently, many children who have left orphanages have entered military academies and joined the Royal Army and the Royal Guard of Spain.

As the relevant systems are improved, more and more people will become loyal to the royal family in the future, and with their support, the royal family's position will become more stable.

Thanks to the Spanish government's soaring annual fiscal revenue, Spain has completely paid off all its debts several years ago, including interest-free loans from the royal family.

The current Spanish government can be said to be debt-free, and can easily promote the country's development simply by using the annual fiscal budget.

In recent years, the Spanish government has had an annual fiscal surplus of tens of millions of pesetas. With years of accumulated wealth, the Spanish treasury has built up an additional budget of nearly 10 billion pesetas.

The money the government has saved will be used for military and medical production in the future, stockpiling a large amount of weapons, equipment and medical supplies to sell to participating countries when war breaks out in the future.

After the outbreak of war, the prices of all kinds of goods will skyrocket. Spain is absolutely not losing money by stockpiling weapons, equipment and medical supplies now. No matter how much money is invested, it will earn several times or even dozens of times the amount in the future.

　This is the first update of 5000 words; another update will follow shortly.

　　Today's update is 10,000 words long. The second update may be postponed until after 12 o'clock, but it will not be later than 2 o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)