Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 558 League of Nations
Because Spain did not border any of its allied nations, it was unable to expand its territory during this world war.

Of course, this statement is not absolute. Because between Spain and France, there was another small country with little historical presence: the Principality of Andorra, located in the central Pyrenees Mountains.

The Principality of Andorra has a land area of ​​only 468 square kilometers and is not a truly independent sovereign state.

Records of the Principality of Andorra begin with the Inauguration of the Uher Cathedral in 839 AD, which refers to Andorra as the territory of the Count of Uher.

From the 11th century onwards, the authority of the Bishop of Uher gradually extended to the whole of Andorra, and in 1133 Andorra became his diocese.

In the 13th century, the Count of Fauré of France and the Bishop of Uher fought for sovereignty over Andorra, resulting in several wars. Finally, in 1278 and 1288, they reached two agreements to jointly govern Andorra and to divide their respective powers in economic, legal, and military matters. Andorra thus became a principality, marking the beginning of the era of joint French and Spanish rule.

With France becoming a republic, French sovereignty over Andorra was transferred to the president, and the Spanish Bishop of Ugel and the French president jointly became the Grand Dukes of the Principality of Andorra.

This system continued into later generations until March 14, 1993, when the Principality of Andorra held a referendum and adopted its first constitution since its founding, achieving true independence. However, it retained the tradition of the French president and the Spanish bishop of Ugel jointly serving as the Grand Duke of Andorra.

The constitution of the Principality of Andorra would not be introduced for several decades, and at that time, sovereignty of the Principality of Andorra was still controlled by France and Spain.

Since Spain could not acquire land from Germany or other allies, France, the country that benefited the most, naturally had to make concessions to Spain in some areas.

The Principality of Andorra was part of the concessions made by France. Although France and Spain fought a war over Andorra, it was not a war at the national level, but rather a war between local bishops and nobles.

For France and Spain, the Principality of Andorra was not that important, and its fate could naturally be decided in a brief conversation.

France did not consider handing over sovereignty of the Principality of Andorra to Spain to be a great loss, nor did Spain consider acquiring the Principality of Andorra to be of much benefit.

Therefore, this exchange of benefits went unnoticed. Apart from the people of the Principality of Andorra learning that their country's sovereignty had been completely annexed by Spain, even many Spaniards were unaware that Spain's territory had unknowingly increased by several hundred square kilometers.

The annexation of the Principality of Andorra did not change much for Spain, after all, the Principality of Andorra had a population of only a few thousand, less than the number of soldiers who died in a single day during the World War.

However, this is also good news. The Principality of Andorra itself has a small population. After Spain annexed Andorra, it can firmly control this land and completely incorporate it into the Spanish territory without worrying about any future changes.

Today, Spain has truly unified the Iberian Peninsula and become a highly sought-after superpower in Europe and even the world.

However, such a small achievement clearly could not satisfy Spain's appetite. During the Paris Peace Conference, diplomatic representatives from Spain, France, Great Britain, and Italy met in Paris for a highly confidential conference to discuss the future of Europe after the World War.

Although Britain was a defeated nation in the World War, its own strength had not been significantly weakened, so France and Spain still attached great importance to it.

Putting aside other matters, the League of Nations proposed by the Allied Powers would certainly require the participation of the British.

On the one hand, it was to prevent Britain from causing trouble for Spain and France outside the League of Nations; on the other hand, it was to unite European forces as much as possible to guard against the two threats from Russia and the United States.

The British government was also very interested in the League of Nations, which was being hotly debated within the Allied Powers. Although Britain was not a member of the Allied Powers, this was not a big deal to the British.

As long as we can join the League of Nations, we're willing to give up everything, even our dignity, let alone face.

After all, it was clear to everyone that this international alliance, which united the four Allied powers, would play an extremely important role in the future situation in Europe and even the world.

If Britain were unable to join the League of Nations, it would essentially be isolated by the Allied powers. While Britain's overall strength was not significantly affected, this did not mean that Britain could dominate Europe.

On the contrary, the gap between Britain and other European countries has been further narrowed, making it even more impossible for Britain to influence the European situation through regional balancing policies as it had before the World Wars.

Spain, in particular, has narrowed the gap with Britain dramatically through this world war.

Compared to Great Britain, Spain held a clear advantage in the army, and its navy was not inferior. Although its industrial and economic scale was slightly smaller, Spain far surpassed Britain in terms of growth rate.

Based on the current growth rates of industry and economy in both countries, Spain has the potential to catch up with the UK in terms of industrial and economic scale within the next 10 to 20 years.

Once Spain surpasses Britain in both industry and economy, Britain will no longer have any advantage and will be powerless to resist Spain.

If this had happened before the World War, Britain would certainly have tried everything to prevent the rise of Spain.

But now that the world war is over, Britain is powerless to start another large-scale war, let alone guard against the rise of Spain.

With Spain's rise to power already inevitable, Britain could only try to ease tensions with Spain and guard against potential Anglo-Spanish conflict after the World War.

From the British perspective, the best course of events in Europe after the World War would be for France and Spain to compete, with Britain standing by and helping the relatively weaker country.

As a victor in the World War, France was destined to plunder vast amounts of resources and industrial equipment from Germany. These gains would enhance France's overall strength, making it more competitive with Spain.

Spain, needless to say, was arguably the only beneficiary of the World War. Its population, industry, and economy all increased during the war, a feat unmatched by any other European belligerent nation.

Because the United States was not deeply involved in the World Wars, it was able to achieve this as well. However, European countries were well aware that in terms of military strength, the United States could not compare with Spain in any way, unless it could gain a lead in crucial military technologies such as tanks and aircraft.

Gaining an edge over Spain in tanks and aircraft was no easy feat. Even Britain and Germany at their peak before World War II, let alone the United States with its relatively weaker military research capabilities, couldn't achieve this in a short time. This also reflects the fact that after World War II, the United States remained in a similar pre-war position, neither particularly powerful nor weak, with little say or influence in Europe.

The meeting between Spain, France, Great Britain, and Italy lasted a long time, but no country other than these four major powers knew anything about it.

As the saying goes, important matters are discussed in small meetings, and minor matters in large meetings. These meetings among the four major powers were enough to determine the course of the European situation after the World War.

The purpose of this conference was quite clear: on the one hand, to discuss the formation of the League of Nations after the World War, and on the other hand, to discuss the status and power of the four major powers in the League of Nations and the aspects they controlled.

The first point to clarify is the relationship between the four major powers and the League of Nations.

It was the four great powers that granted the League of Nations the power to control the situation in Europe, not the League of Nations that granted the four great powers the power to control the situation in Europe.

This point needs to be clarified in advance, as it is the most fundamental means of determining the status of the four major powers in the League of Nations and controlling the future situation in Europe.

In the original discussions involving Spain, France, and Great Britain, Italy was not initially invited to participate. However, considering the possibility that Great Britain and France might unite against Spain, Carlo ultimately decided to invite Italy to participate, aiming to control the League of Nations through the participation of the four major powers.

There should have originally been five major powers, but Russia, due to its civil war, was not very interested in the League of Nations that was about to be formed.

As the saying goes, "to fight external enemies, one must first secure internal stability." If Russia cannot even win a civil war, then its status as one of the five great powers of the League of Nations is of little use to it now.

Even with only four parties involved, the process was quite fast. The formation of the League of Nations and its specific framework were quickly determined after discussions among the diplomatic representatives of the four major powers.

Of course, this is also thanks to the importance that European countries attached to the Paris Peace Conference. Because of the great significance of this conference, European countries sent delegations headed by their prime ministers and presidents.

These people are all leaders of their respective governments, so they naturally don't need to contact their governments separately; they can determine some important matters on their own.

If only the Foreign Minister or a Cabinet Minister participates in the meeting, it will still be necessary to contact the domestic government to finalize some important terms.

To demonstrate the importance of the four major powers in the League of Nations, after the League of Nations was established, the four major powers would serve as permanent members of the League of Nations Council, possessing the highest voting power in the League of Nations, and could veto any proposal put forward by a member state of the League of Nations, that is, the veto power.

In addition to their veto power, the permanent members of the Security Council also have four votes to force approval. Simply put, if all four major powers agree to a proposal, they can enforce it even if they do not have a majority vote in the League of Nations.

These two powers alone greatly enhanced the status of the four major powers within the League of Nations. Fortunately, the four major powers were not united; otherwise, the League of Nations would have been nothing more than a appendage of them.

In addition to the four permanent members of the League of Nations, the League of Nations would also establish a number of member states to help the four major powers manage the League of Nations and properly handle European affairs.

Member states are elected uniformly by the League of Nations for a five-year term, after which new elections are held. Member states cannot serve consecutive terms, but there are no other restrictions on elections.

Under the League of Nations, five major institutions were established: the International Court of Justice, the International Diplomatic Court, the War Mediation Commission, the European Relief Fund, and the European Academy of Sciences, as extensions of the League of Nations' power, to handle European diplomatic, military, and other disputes.

These five institutions each play their respective roles as their names suggest. The International Court of Justice is used to try criminals who endanger peace in Europe and even the world, such as the German leaders who instigated this world war.

The International Diplomatic Tribunal is used to mediate diplomatic disputes between countries in Europe and around the world. Conflicts between countries are quite frequent, and the main purpose of the League of Nations is to avoid war, especially wars like the World War, which must be avoided in advance.

The War Mediation Commission and the International Diplomatic Tribunal are a single entity, both dedicated to mediating competition and conflict between states.

However, the War Mediation Council has another, even stronger power: with the consent of the four permanent members of the Security Council, it can forcibly intervene in wars in Europe and even the world to ensure world peace.

Finally, there are the European Relief Fund and the European Academy of Sciences. The former aims to showcase the civilization and advancement of European countries, acting as a savior to alleviate poverty in Europe and the world, helping them improve their lives and thrive.

The latter aims to leverage European research capabilities to exert greater scientific influence in the civilian sector, thereby driving progress in Europe and the world through technology.

The so-called European Academy of Sciences certainly does not involve military technology, and even if various countries achieve results in this area, they are destined to keep it secret.

However, cooperation is still possible in the field of civilian technology. After all, technologies like electricity, if improved and promoted sooner, can indeed benefit all of Europe and even the world.

After these detailed rules were finalized, the framework of the so-called international alliance was essentially established.

The four major powers were generally satisfied with the powers held by the four permanent members of the Security Council. Italy, in particular, was quite pleased and delighted to have secured its permanent seat on the League of Nations Security Council.

Although Italy was a member of the Allied Powers and a victor in the World War, it was well aware that, in terms of its status and influence within the Allied Powers and its presence in Europe, Italy was at the bottom of the great powers.

To put it bluntly, even though Germany lost a lot of territory in this war, its overall strength was still greater than Italy's.

Not to mention Russia, which was embroiled in civil war, yet its overall strength still far surpassed that of Italy.

Under such circumstances, Italy's ability to remain a permanent member of the League of Nations is entirely due to Spain's efforts.

The Italian government was aware of this, so after the secret meeting, the Italian diplomatic representative immediately approached Spanish Prime Minister Andreu to express gratitude and hope to renew the alliance treaty with Spain to maintain the good alliance between Italy and Spain.

(End of this chapter)