Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 421 The Second Portuguese Civil War
The sudden outbreak of civil unrest in Portugal was unexpected by European countries. What surprised them even more was that the unrest in Portugal quickly involved two major powers.

In late June 1904, after the Iberian Party denounced the Republican Party for its inaction and internal strife that had led to a prolonged economic decline in Portugal, the Republican Party quickly launched a counterattack against the Iberian Party.

Cristino Santos, the leader of the Republican Party and the current president of Portugal, publicly expressed his opposition to the Iberian Party, saying that the data presented by the Iberian Party was nonsense and that their incitement of the people to resist the Portuguese Republican government was the real cause of the civil unrest.

The Iberian Party is a traitor to Portugal. On the surface, they want Portugal and Spain to unite, but in reality, they have become Spain's lackeys. Their real goal is to have Portugal annexed by Spain.

Admittedly, the Republican Party's strategy was shrewd. They knew they couldn't refute the data provided by the Iberian Party, because the data was accurate; Portugal's economy and industry had indeed been declining in recent years.

However, acknowledging the accuracy of the data provided by the Iberian Party would be tantamount to admitting their own guilt. After all, the Republican Party has been the dominant force in Portugal for the past few years, and it is also the Republican Party that has led Portugal into a long period of decline.

Since they cannot refute the Iberian Party on this issue, they can only try to divert public attention from the fact that Portugal's economy and industry are declining under Republican rule, and instead focus on what many Portuguese people are worried about: whether a union between Portugal and Spain would result in Portugal being annexed by Spain.

This really hit the Iberian Party where it hurts, which is also the weakest point of Pan-Iberianism.

A union between two countries can indeed create a more powerful nation, but if the two countries being united are not on the same level of strength, it is not so easy to distinguish whether it is a union or an annexation.

Iberia should understand that this is not a question they can answer, because they cannot represent the attitude of the Spanish side.

The Spanish government is unlikely to step forward and guarantee to the Portuguese that if Portugal and Spain unite, Spain will absolutely not annex Portugal.

If the Spanish government were to take the initiative to intervene, it would seem like they're trying too hard to hide something. Regardless of the Spanish government's stance, they can only observe the ongoing controversy in Portugal from the sidelines.

In an effort to undermine the Republican Party's dominance in Portugal, the Iberian Party launched a ruthless attack by detailing the achievements of all Republican presidents in Portugal over the past 12 years and comparing them with those of former King Charles I, who was deposed.

In the propaganda of the Republican media, the Portuguese people viewed Charles I, who was deposed from the throne, as an incompetent and foolish monarch. They believed that it was his incompetence that led to the economic collapse of Portugal and ultimately the republican uprising that overthrew the royal government.

But when the actions of so many presidents were compared with those of Charles I, who was deposed from the throne, the people were surprised to find that their actions seemed to be no different.

The people's income did not change with the arrival of the republican government; they still had a mountain weighing on their heads, only this mountain had a different name.

Previously, it was the nobility and the church that oppressed the common people; now it is the Republican bureaucrats who oppress them. Large landowners and the church have not completely disappeared in Portugal, and their exploitation of the common people has not ceased at all.

In this light, the Republican president seems no different from the previous kings. Apart from having changed their names, they are equally incompetent and unable to stop Portugal's continued decline.

This comparison did not actually harm the Republican Party, but it made the Portuguese people realize that the republican government they longed for could not change Portugal, and the Republican Party was definitely not Portugal's savior.

Since the Republican Party has failed to save Portugal, is it still necessary for them to continue to hold political power? Public trust in the ruling party has wavered, giving hope to other opposition parties, including the Iberia Party.

During the previous propaganda war between the Republican Party and the Iberian Party, other opposition parties did not help either party.

But when they keenly realized that the Republican Party had lost public support, these opposition parties, large and small, quickly jumped out and kept publishing their ideas in the news to attract the support of people who shared the same views.

The Iberian Party was naturally among them. Although it had support from Spain, it still needed a solid popular base to gain power in Portugal.

Only by gaining popular support can the Iberian Party, like the original Republican Party, find a suitable opportunity to seize power in Portugal through armed uprising.

These opposition parties saw the crisis facing the Republican Party, and the Republican Party naturally recognized its own predicament.

The Republican Party itself is a party that seized power through armed uprisings, so they are well aware of how fatal the loss of popular support would be to them.

To prevent these opposition parties from following the same path to their rise, the Republican Party quickly mobilized Portugal's military forces and decided to launch the most brutal attack on the Iberian Party, the culprit behind this situation.

On July 3, 1904, a Portuguese Republican member of parliament submitted a proposal to the National Assembly. The proposal detailed the Iberian Party's alleged involvement in instigating unrest in Portugal and colluding with foreign anti-communist government forces. It demanded that the National Assembly declare the Iberian Party illegal and arrest its leaders.

This proposal caused a huge uproar within Parliament, and opposition parties of all sizes gained control of a portion of the seats in the Portuguese Parliament.

However, it is clear that the Republican Party, as the ruling party in Portugal, holds the most seats and has a huge advantage, which is why they are able to control the Portuguese presidency.

These opposition parties understand the principle of mutual dependence, but they cannot veto the proposal put forward by Republican lawmakers.

The proposal was quickly passed with 114 votes in favor, 46 against, and 12 abstentions. A few hours later, the current Portuguese president, Cristino Santos, publicly announced the parliamentary vote and signed a presidential decree declaring the Iberian Party illegal and deciding to arrest all Iberian Party leaders.

The Republican Party's tendency to overturn the table when it can't win has been despised by many opposition parties, and has also made them worry about their own situation.

It's clear that the Republican Party holds a dominant position in Congress. If the Republicans don't like them, they can also vote to declare their party illegal and arrest these high-ranking opposition figures.

This is fatal for these opposition parties, as it means their lives are in the hands of the Republicans, and they could be cut in two at any moment.

Some smaller opposition parties chose to compromise; even if they were dissatisfied, they had no power to oppose it. These smaller opposition parties only held a few seats in parliament, and the number of Portuguese people supporting them was insufficient to launch a large-scale armed uprising.

Those who cannot oppose the Republican Party through either peaceful means or force might as well accept their fate and pray that the Republicans won't be ruthless towards them. As for the larger opposition parties, they naturally cannot tolerate being so easily manipulated by the Republicans.

When the Republicans launched their armed uprising, these large opposition parties all provided support. Without the support of the various opposition parties in Portugal, large and small, the Republicans alone probably wouldn't have been able to overthrow the massive royal government.

Now that the Republicans are kicking them while they're down, they naturally can't just give up and relinquish the high positions they've already secured.

Other large opposition parties that were not implicated shared similar ideas, not to mention the Iberian Party, which was the target of the proposal.

When they chose to confront the Republican Party, the Iberian Party leadership already understood that the Republicans would not easily forgive them.

Having chosen to stand against the ruling party in Portugal, the Iberian Party was prepared for the latter to overturn the table. After all, the Republican Party, ostensibly, controls most of Portugal's armed forces, and as the ruling government, they can openly mobilize the army, which is precisely the Iberian Party's disadvantage.

Fortunately, the Iberian Party has gained the support of Spain. Although Spain cannot directly support the Iberian Party in its fight, providing it with a batch of weapons and ammunition is not a problem at all.

Moreover, the Iberian Party had already gained some popular support at this time. These people were quite dissatisfied with the current republican government and were willing to take up arms to resist the dictatorial republican military government.

The day after the Republican government declared the Iberian Party illegal, on July 4, 1904, the Iberian Party published "A Message to All Portuguese" in newspapers under its control. The message detailed the crimes of the Republican Party and stated that the Republican Party could never save Portugal and that their dictatorship would only lead Portugal into the abyss.

The Iberian Party stated that they would absolutely not stand idly by while the Republicans destroyed this great country of Portugal, and they would fight the dictatorial and brutal Republican military government to the very end.

At the same time, the Iberian Party also called on all Portuguese people to actively participate in the fight against dictatorship and brutal rule.

Perhaps the union of Portugal and Spain, as advocated by Pan-Iberianism, is not the best way out, but such an outcome is certainly brighter than the Republican Party continuing to govern Portugal.

If the Republican government continues to hold political power in Portugal, Portugal will never achieve its goal, and the Portuguese people will forever be oppressed by Republican bureaucrats, large landowners, and the power of the church. These are the three mountains weighing on the Portuguese people under a republican government, and they are the Portuguese people's eternal burden.

This emotionally charged address to all Portuguese people immediately attracted the attention of many Portuguese and other opposition parties upon its publication.

The Iberian Party's heroic resistance against the Republican Party was expected by everyone, as such a large political party would never surrender without a fight.

What's surprising is that even as the Iberian Party decided to rebel against the Republican Party, it was still stirring up public opinion and popular sentiment.

Does the Iberian Party's tactic of inciting public opinion and public sentiment work? The answer is, of course, yes.

Those Portuguese citizens who had reservations about Pan-Iberianism were fine, but those who had no reservations had by then fully believed the Iberian Party's claims, regarding the Iberian Party and Pan-Iberianism as Portugal's last hope for revival, and the Republican Party as a dictatorial military government that held political power, believing that they were no different from the original royal government.

After publishing its final inflammatory message, "To All of Portugal," the Iberian Party simultaneously launched an armed uprising, intending to catch the enemy off guard.

As one of the largest opposition parties in Portugal, the Iberian Party has a considerable number of supporters. During this period, Spain also provided the Iberian Party with a large amount of weaponry, including tens of thousands of rifles, millions of rounds of ammunition, and dozens of artillery pieces and machine guns.

While these weapons and equipment may not seem like much to Spain, for Portugal, a country with a population of just over 500 million, this amount of weaponry is enough to arm a powerful army.

If this army has a strong fighting spirit and a unified belief, their combat effectiveness will be even greater.

Although the number of armed troops was far less than that of the Portuguese army, it was more than enough for the Republicans.

With weapons and equipment provided by Spain, the Iberian Party armed an army of tens of thousands of people and launched a massive armed uprising.

Although the Republican Party had been prepared for a possible armed uprising by the Iberian Party, they did not expect that the Iberian Party would be able to arm so many troops in such a short period of time.

What was even more unexpected was that the Iberian Party's armed uprising quickly received strong support from some opposition parties.

The Liberal Party of Portugal publicly supported the Iberian Party's uprising and stated that Portugal's recent decline was due to the Republican Party's authoritarian rule.

The Liberal Party decided to join the Iberian Party in launching an armed uprising to overthrow the Republican Party's dictatorship and find new hope for Portugal's revival.

While the Republican Party was somewhat prepared for the Iberian Party's armed uprising, it had little to no preparedness or countermeasures against the other opposition parties' support for the Iberian Party.

During the 12 years that the Republican Party has held political power, other opposition parties have formed alliances, but these alliances have been ineffective.

While there's certainly infighting within the Republican Party, the relationships between these opposition parties aren't much better. Perhaps the Republican Party could still believe they could reach some kind of cooperation on matters of mutual benefit.

However, the Republican Party doesn't really believe that they would unite for the sake of the Iberian Party, disregard their own party interests, and launch an armed uprising.

After all, the Republican Party currently controls most of Portugal's military power. If the armed uprising fails, the leaders of these opposition parties will be purged, and their parties will be declared illegal by the Republican Party, just like the Iberian Party, and then forcibly dissolved.

The fact that the Republican Party would follow the Iberian Party in launching an armed uprising under such great risks was something the Republican Party had never expected. This caught the Republican armed forces off guard, and they were successfully ambushed by the insurgents.

(End of this chapter)