Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 561 America's Concessions

Before the troops of the League of Nations could assemble in Romania, a large-scale war broke out between the United States and Great Britain.

It was a war between two great powers. With the World War already over, the war between the United States and Great Britain certainly had enough to attract the attention of Europe and even the world. Who would win became a hot topic of discussion among the people of various European countries.

Although Britain had just suffered a defeat in the World War, in the eyes of the European public, only Britain could win this war.

The United States may have a strong industrial base and economy, but war is not about industry and economy, but about military strength.

Industry and economy can only provide military potential, not sufficient military strength. Simply comparing the military strength of the United States and the United Kingdom, it is clear that the United Kingdom is stronger.

Leaving aside Britain's powerful Royal Fleet, the sheer number of troops Britain mobilized during the World Wars is enough to convince one that Britain was the ultimate victor.

To date, the British government has not been able to complete the evacuation of its troops. Millions of British troops remain on German soil awaiting evacuation, ready to be deployed to combat against the United States.

While the British Army may not be the top-tier fighting force in Europe, it is certainly among the best. The British Army is renowned for its superior firepower; if all of these troops were deployed to fight against the United States, the Americans might not be able to withstand it.

Although the United States has a population of hundreds of millions, which can provide millions or even tens of millions of troops, the combat effectiveness of an army that has been on the battlefield of a world war is vastly different from that of an army that has not been on the battlefield.

This is no exaggeration, and it is the biggest reason why the British military has achieved a comprehensive lead in both the army and the navy.

Given the situation of the war, the United States had little hope of winning without Allied assistance.

Events unfolded much as predicted. After Britain withdrew from the World War through a peace agreement, it began preparations for war against the United States.

The British Royal Fleet sailed in a grand procession to the Americas, attempting to wash away Britain's shame in the World War with a resounding victory.

Although it was suppressed for a long time by the Allied Powers led by Spain during the World War, the British Navy was undoubtedly still the best in the world.

While the United States' naval strength is by no means weak, ranking fourth in the world in terms of total naval tonnage alone, there is a significant gap between fourth and first place. The United States is not Spain, and it is impossible for it to surpass Britain in terms of main warships through the modernization of dreadnoughts.

Under such circumstances, the outcome of a clash between the British and American navies was practically inevitable.

The U.S. Navy's crushing defeat demonstrated to the world that Britain remained the powerful global superpower. In World War I, Britain sank five U.S. battleships and one dreadnought, sacrificing only three dreadnoughts and six cruisers of its own, fully showcasing the strength of the Royal Navy.

This naval battle also made the world realize that it was not that the British Royal Navy was weak, but that the Spanish Navy was simply too extraordinary, able to defeat the Royal Navy, which had been painstakingly built up over a long period of time, something no other country could do except the Spanish Navy.

The U.S. Navy's crushing defeat signaled to the U.S. government that all of its plans for war against Britain had failed.

Not to mention the Panama Canal stake that the US government has always coveted, even the Cuban colonies and the Bahamas that the US already controls still face the risk of being reclaimed by Britain.

On land, the continental United States is also at risk of invasion. This would be absolutely devastating news for the United States, far worse than the impending loss of its Cuban colony and the Bahamas.

The US government at this time did not want to repeat the same mistake. If the White House were burned down by the British and Canadians again, the United States would be completely nailed to the pillar of shame.

Even if the White House were painted whiter, it wouldn't wash away the shame on America. More importantly, if the American mainland were to fall to British forces again, America's self-perceived strength would be exposed by European countries, potentially leading to a new round of partitioning of the United States.

European countries suffered enormous losses as a result of the world war. Under these circumstances, they would not mind alleviating the pain of war by partitioning the United States.

America’s wealth is known throughout Europe. More importantly, the United States was not affected by the World War. On the contrary, it took over a large number of European immigrants during the World War, and its industry and economy grew rapidly.

Faced with such a tempting prize, if the United States shows too much fatigue in its war with Britain, it may not be able to stop Europe from coveting the United States.

The good news is that the current US President, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, is in Paris attending the Paris Peace Conference. Upon learning of the defeat of the US Navy by the British Navy, President Wilson immediately visited Spanish Prime Minister André and French President Poincaré, who were also attending the conference, hoping that Spain and France could mediate the war between Britain and the United States and prevent further casualties.

US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson also had ample reason to be dissatisfied with this war.

Although the Anglo-American War was instigated by the United States, it had received promises from Spain and France before launching the war.

If it weren't for Spain and France's promise to aid the United States in the war and to tie Britain down through the world war, the United States would not have dared to declare war on Britain.

Surely we can't just tear up our promises now that the world war is over? The United States was, after all, a member of the Allied Powers and contributed to the war effort. President Wilson didn't think Spain and France would be so heartless.

Indeed. While Spain and France certainly wanted to sabotage the United States, they couldn't openly remain indifferent to the Anglo-American war.

Regardless of when the United States joined the Allied Powers, it was indeed a member of the Allied Powers, a fact recognized by many members, including Spain and France.

Although the United States did not contribute much to the World War, it did transport a large amount of supplies to Europe and, to some extent, helped the Allied Powers tie down Britain.

Although the United States is acting in its own self-interest, Spain and France cannot simply ignore the United States when its actions benefit the Allied Powers.

However, how and when to manage it is ultimately up to Spain and France.

Given the contributions the United States made to the Allied Powers, Spain and France, once the two most important Allied powers, would certainly have wanted to mediate the war between the United States and Great Britain.

However, according to the commitments signed between the United States, Spain, and France, Spain and France would at most provide diplomatic support and would not directly intervene in the war between the United States and Britain, nor would they send any troops.

This alone is enough to give Spain and France a comfortable position. It's just diplomatic support, isn't it? Not only can Spain and France provide it, but all the Allied Powers could. Furthermore, as former allies, Spain and France can also provide the United States with substantial amounts of weaponry, strategic materials, and food supplies.

After the end of World War II, both France and Spain were to reduce their military strength. Large quantities of weaponry and equipment at the front lines, as well as weapons and equipment produced and stored in the rear, could be sold to the United States.

Even some of their naval warships can be resold to the United States, which is the maximum support Spain and France can offer the US.

It's important to understand that even in the most critical moments of the World War, the support Spain and France provided to Russia was roughly the same.

This also demonstrates the sincerity of Spain and France; without directly intervening in the Anglo-American war, this is all an ally can do.

This is assuming the United States still wants to fight the war. If the United States is unwilling to continue fighting Britain, Spain and France could indeed act as neutral countries to mediate the war.

However, both Spain and France actually wanted the war to continue.

After all, selling weapons and equipment can indeed clear out inventory and allow Spain and France to earn foreign exchange, which can then be used to reduce military spending and save on some fiscal expenditures.

After learning of the attitudes of Spain and France, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson was quite frustrated.

He knew he had been tricked by Spain and France, but he also understood that the United States had indeed reached relevant agreements with Spain and France, so he couldn't blame Spain and France at all.

The blame lies with Britain. Who could have imagined that Britain would be so decisive as to abandon Germany and sign a peace agreement directly with the Allied Powers?
Making this decision came under immense pressure for the British government. In its efforts to extricate itself from the World Wars, Britain not only lost several colonies but also Ireland, which was originally part of its homeland.

In addition, Britain was burdened with a huge debt, and all it got in return was an end to the war.

President Wilson asked himself if he were the British Prime Minister, and he probably wouldn't have had the courage to so decisively withdraw Britain from the war.

After all, Ireland alone is enough to give the British government a headache, and with its huge debt, Britain's future development is destined to be greatly restricted.

This is why President Wilson held the British government in high esteem. Although Britain's withdrawal from the war came at a great cost, the benefits were also quite evident.

Firstly, Britain was not treated entirely as a defeated nation. In fact, it successfully joined the League of Nations, formed by the Allied Powers, and became one of the four permanent members of the League of Nations Security Council, a position higher than that of Russia, which was also an Allied Power.

Secondly, Britain preserved most of its strength, which is one of the reasons why it was able to become one of the four major powers of the League of Nations.

Although Ireland was lost, the more important England and Scotland remained unaffected, and colonies such as India, Canada, and South Africa also survived, forming the core of the British Empire.

By retaining these territories, Britain, after a period of quiet development, will still have the strength to once again contend for dominance in Europe and even the world.

Looking at Germany, which persisted until the very end of the war, its current state is pitiful. It is certain that Germany has absolutely no hope of becoming a superpower again within the next twenty years.

Even before the Allied powers had finished discussing how to deal with Germany, Germany had already lost a considerable amount of territory. It was foreseeable that by the end of the Paris Peace Conference, Germany would be one of the most devastated nations in the World War.

Because of the starkly different postwar situations of Britain and Germany, and after confirming that Spain and France would not intervene in the war, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson also considered withdrawing in time.

The fact that the United States is thousands of miles away from Britain gives it confidence in negotiating at this time.

While Britain's overall strength is certainly greater than that of the United States, a practical issue must also be considered: Britain is too far away from the United States.

Crossing the entire Atlantic to fight in the United States would have incurred enormous transportation costs for Britain, placing a huge burden on logistical support.

In its heyday, Britain could easily have fought across the ocean. But this was Britain, fresh from a world war, and it had taken nearly a decade to recover from the losses it suffered in the Boer War.

After the brutal World War II, Britain was indeed not in the mood to launch a large-scale counter-offensive against the United States.

In fact, the British government's actions reveal their attitude. The British government most likely also wants to conduct peace negotiations with the United States. However, considering that the party that initiates peace negotiations will be at a disadvantage in peace negotiations, the British government chose to remain silent, forcing the United States to take the initiative to propose peace negotiations.

When US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson informed Spain and France of his hope that the two countries would mediate the war and allow Britain and the United States to hold peace talks, Spanish Prime Minister André André and French President Poincaré were both quite disappointed.

If a large-scale war were to break out between the United States and Great Britain, Spain and France would not only be able to clear out their large inventories, but also make a fortune in such a war between great powers.

However, if the two countries end the war through peaceful negotiations, it will have little to do with Spain and France, regardless of who has the upper hand in the negotiations.

But there was nothing they could do; with the US wanting peaceful negotiations, Spain and France had no way to force the US to continue fighting.

Fortunately, Spain and France, as neutral witnesses to the peace negotiations, were able to guide the peace talks between Britain and the United States to some extent.

Regarding this peace negotiation alone, Prime Minister Andrew and Carlos share the same attitude: they do not want the United States to gain too many benefits, and the United States will definitely have to give up Cuba and the Bahamas, which it previously occupied.

Between the United States and the United Kingdom, Spain was certainly more wary of the United States. Britain's power was based on its colonies and sea power, the most important of which was its naval power.

Spain already had enough strength to challenge Britain's naval power, so it naturally didn't need to be too afraid of Britain's strength.

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(End of this chapter)