Chapter 200: The General Election and Industrial Development

Starting from December 1875, the election atmosphere in Spain's major regions became exceptionally lively.

Because the election results of each regional parliament determine the representatives for that region, the electoral competition in every region was extremely fierce.

For the three major parties currently in Spain, this election is also quite important. Only by winning more than 60% of the seats in the Lower House can the three major parties rely on their own strength to form a government and appoint a Prime Minister.

If they cannot secure more than 60% of the Lower House seats, the three major parties will have to consider cooperating with other parties to form a coalition government.

During the rule of Prime Minister Primo, the Spanish Lower House was controlled by the Progressive Party. Out of a total of 208 Lower House seats, the Progressive Party held over 51%, amounting to as many as 106 seats.

Next was the Conservative Party, occupying 25% of the total Lower House seats with 52 seats. The Liberal Party had the fewest seats among the three major parties, but still exceeded 20%, holding 42 seats.

The control the three major parties held over the Lower House seats was evident. Aside from the three major parties, only 8 of the 208 former Lower House seats belonged to other parties or independent individuals.

The reason for such a stark disparity was largely a result of the revolution at the time.

The revolution promoted Spain's constitutional government and established a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with the parliament as the main body.

In order to push for reforms, Prime Minister Primo had no choice but to strengthen control over the government and parliament. This also led to the Lower House having a large number of Progressive and Liberal Party members, while the Conservative Party could only settle for second place, with seats similar to the newly established Liberal Party.

However, according to the actual situation in Spain, the number of Conservative Party members and independent individuals should be higher.

As the largest influential class in Spain, the vast majority of the nobility were either Conservative Party members or independent individuals leaning toward the Conservative Party.

This also means that in Spain's new Lower House, the proportion of Conservative Party members and independent individuals will see a certain degree of growth, thereby widening the gap with the Liberal Party.

In Gao Da's own estimation, the proportions of the Progressive Party and the Conservative Party should both be around 30%, meaning 100 seats each.

And the proportion of the Liberal Party should be around 10%; having 30 seats would be quite good.

The number of independent representatives might be higher than that of the Liberal Party, occupying about 20% of the Lower House seats, with nearly 58 seats.

Although the support for the three major parties varies across the major regions, this proportion is a reasonable estimate of Spain's overall political environment.

After all, Prime Minister Primo, who supported the Progressive Party, has already announced his withdrawal from politics, and Spain's current Prime Minister, Grand Duke Serrano, and Deputy Prime Minister, Count Canovas, are both members of the Conservative Party.

The reason Gao Da feels the Liberal Party will occupy no more than 10% of the Lower House seats is that the current Spanish Liberal Party lacks an important figure to lead the overall situation.

The Progressive Party has Prime Minister Primo, and the Conservative Party has Grand Duke Serrano and Count Canovas.

The Liberal Party currently lacks any particularly outstanding leaders. The only one with a certain reputation in the government, Praxedes Mateo Sagasta, although a member of the Liberal Party, has political stances more like those of the Progressive Party, or rather, the Progressive Liberal Party under the rule of Prime Minister Primo.

Mateo is also quite famous in Spanish history. He formed a cabinet seven times and could be considered a peer to Canovas.

Especially during the nearly 13 years from 1884 to 1897, the position of Spanish Prime Minister rotated between Canovas and Mateo, realizing the goal Mateo pursued: establishing a limited monarchy where the King and parliament share power to ensure political stability and peace.

The period during which he and Canovas alternated in power was also a relatively stable stage of development for Spain.

It is a pity that both Canovas and Mateo died around the turn of the 20th century. Canovas died in 1897, and Mateo died in 1903.

After their deaths, the Spanish regime stepped into chaos step by step, eventually leading to the birth of the Second Spanish Republic.

Gao Da actually appreciates Mateo quite a bit. He was not extreme; instead, he supported the establishment of a limited monarchy.

On this point, Mateo and Prime Minister Primo held the same attitude. The government they envisioned was not one completely controlled by parliament, but one where the King and parliament shared power, with the government alternating between several parties to ensure that no single party or force could control politics, avoiding the occurrence of dictatorship in the Spanish government.

It is precisely because of this that Gao Da ultimately decided to let the Liberal Party continue to exist, hoping that Mateo could lead the Liberal Party to become one of the three major Spanish parties truly on par with the Conservative and Progressive parties, rather than just having the status of the third-largest party by relying on supporting reforms.

The elections in Spain's major regions are in full swing, and at the very center of Spanish power, the government building, a long-lasting cabinet meeting is also taking place.

This cabinet meeting was called by Grand Duke Serrano in his capacity as Prime Minister, and Gao Da, as the King of Spain, also attended this meeting.

Unlike during the period when Prime Minister Primo was in power, Gao Da only had the power to listen to the meeting's content at that time and did not have the power to issue orders to the cabinet government and cabinet ministers.

But during Grand Duke Serrano's tenure, Gao Da already possessed such power; at the very least, the other cabinet ministers would not dare to ignore Gao Da's opinions.

During the stalemate in the meeting's discussions, Gao Da's opinion even became an important way to end the deadlock. Although this meeting was called by Grand Duke Serrano, the person in charge of the meeting had already become Gao Da.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Prime Minister. According to the latest news from various European countries, I believe that the economic crisis is very likely to make a comeback in the new year." Ewald Bartel, the then-Minister of Finance of Spain, expressed his opinion during the meeting, saying with a very serious expression.

Gao Da nodded, looked at this capable Minister of Finance who was deeply trusted by Prime Minister Primo, and asked, "Is there any relevant evidence?"

Gao Da certainly knew that this economic crisis erupted in two waves and affected European and American countries for several years.

But the result is completely different when someone else brings it up versus when Gao Da brings it up. Gao Da does not need such foresight to add a sense of mystery to himself; preventing and avoiding the impact on Spain in advance is what Gao Da should do.

Ewald nodded, took out the materials he had prepared in advance, handed them to Gao Da, and then continued to speak: "

This is the industrial production scale and market price situation of various European countries; from this aspect, one can also see a certain connection.

Although the impact of the economic crisis this year has weakened a lot compared to the previous two years, this does not mean that the economic crisis has ended.

On the contrary, I believe that the British economy is very likely to have a trend of collapse. If they cannot save the London market before the economic crisis makes a comeback, I fear the next one to erupt will be the London economic crisis.

During the economic crisis, at least one-quarter of the steel mills and factory enterprises in European countries were forced to stop work, and in severe cases, it even reached one-third of the scale.

But in London, the number of factories affected is far from reaching this figure. Considering that Britain is far from the European continent, I believe the impact of the economic crisis has a lag.

And this year, the bankruptcy of British factories is still continuing. For a country like Britain with an extremely developed industry, the impact of the economic crisis is the most severe.

If the crisis is ignited, it is very likely to evolve into a new round of economic crisis no less than the last one. I think it is very necessary for us to make preparations in advance to deal with the new wave of crisis that is very likely to spread to Europe."

Gao Da looked at the data prepared by Ewald, and it was indeed as he said. In the previous round of economic crisis, the most severely affected were Germany and Austria. (US data is incomplete)

But theoretically speaking, as the country with the most developed industry, Britain should have been the most severely affected.

The reason Britain has not yet been affected on the scale of Germany and Austria is partly because Britain's industrial and economic development in recent years has not been as rapid as that of Germany and the United States.

Another reason is that Britain has a more massive colonial empire, which also represents a huge market. Britain does not face the relatively serious problem of overproduction like Germany and the United States, so naturally, it could hold up in the early stages of the economic crisis.

But the impact of the economic crisis is comprehensive; Britain's industry and economy are the strongest in Europe, so naturally, it cannot be spared.

Because of the outbreak of the economic crisis, the industrial finished products in Europe have dropped significantly. Especially for metal products related to steel, the price drop is extremely exaggerated.

The decline in overall European prices has forced British factories to face greater pressure. Either they lower their selling prices, or they have to face competition from low-priced European industrial goods.

Coupled with the fact that various countries have reduced the scale of imports during the economic crisis, this also puts British industry at a certain risk.

With several risks accumulated together, even though British industrial development is not as hollow as that of Germany and the United States, this does not mean it is completely safe.

Although Gao Da's attitude was to agree with guarding against the second round of the economic crisis, this does not mean that Gao Da would directly express his own point of view.

As the King of Spain, what Gao Da needs to do is not to express his own point of view straightforwardly, but to let the cabinet meeting express its attitude toward the handling of this matter.

On one hand, it is to mobilize the enthusiasm of the cabinet members. There is a fundamental difference between Gao Da giving an order directly and the cabinet ministers discussing a solution.

If they come up with the solution themselves, they will have more motivation when executing it. If Gao Da ordered them directly, it might be fine for a short time, but in the long run, it might cause dissatisfaction among some cabinet ministers.

Another reason is to mobilize the cabinet ministers' enthusiasm and ideas for handling methods, so that the Spanish government does not become too rigid.

Although Gao Da can straightforwardly put forward his own opinions on the economic crisis, this does not mean that Gao Da can decisively find reasonable solutions for every problem.

The active discussion of cabinet members becomes particularly important. Not only can they pool their wisdom to find a better way, but they can also make the cabinet ministers feel more involved through this brainstorming method, shaping a more democratic Spanish government.

Of course, there is another relatively important point, which is to find a scapegoat when things fail to be resolved.

If the King himself puts forward a proposal, the one responsible is certainly the King himself. But if it is a proposal put forward by other cabinet ministers, even if the final execution fails, the King will not have too much responsibility.

This is also the way of being a monarch that Gao Da has realized. Although Gao Da wants to shape a government that obeys his orders, this does not mean that everything in the Spanish government must rely on Gao Da's orders to run.

Gao Da will only lead a relatively correct direction; the execution of specific small details still depends on the cabinet government itself.

Seeing that Gao Da did not express an opinion, Grand Duke Serrano paused, then turned his gaze to the Minister of State, Canovas, and asked, "Count Canovas, what do you think?"

Regarding economic development, Grand Duke Serrano is really not good at it. Since Gao Da has no intention of expressing an opinion, Grand Duke Serrano can only ask the Deputy Prime Minister who has more experience and ability in this regard.

Anyway, the official title of the Deputy Prime Minister is Minister of State; to put it bluntly, he is the cabinet minister who helps the Prime Minister handle state affairs.

Since Grand Duke Serrano cannot make up his mind, asking Count Canovas is also quite reasonable.

"I think it is somewhat necessary." Count Canovas expressed his opinion, but did not give a relatively affirmative attitude, instead saying quite tactfully: "I think we can hold a vote. If everyone feels it is necessary to guard against the second round of the economic crisis, then naturally it is better to be prepared."

During the nearly two years that Canovas served as Minister of Industry, he deeply realized the impact of the economic crisis on industry and also had a certain understanding of the losses suffered by European countries during the economic crisis.

But understanding is understanding; Canovas would not be stupid enough to make a final decision directly in front of Gao Da. Gao Da had not expressed an opinion, so what would it count as for him, a deputy, to make a final decision directly?

Letting the cabinet ministers vote is clearly the most conservative choice, but also the best choice. Regardless of whether the result of the vote is in favor of responding in advance or not believing at all that there will be a second round of economic crisis, in short, this vote is participated in by all members of the cabinet, and there will be no suspicion of overstepping authority in front of Gao Da.

The cabinet members voted quickly, and most of them supported responding to the economic crisis in advance.

Actually, there was nothing much to vote on; after all, responding to the economic crisis does not require the Spanish government to pay too high a price.

It was mainly because Grand Duke Serrano could not make up his mind, and Count Canovas was unwilling to overstep his authority too much in front of Gao Da, which led to this vote that was originally unnecessary.

However, the result was always good, which also met Gao Da's expectations.

"Although we may face the threat of a second round of economic crisis in the new year, it is not all bad news for us." Minister of State Canovas stood up with a smile after the vote ended and said to Gao Da and other cabinet ministers: "

As long as we can avoid the impact of this economic crisis, we can take advantage of this economic crisis to accelerate development, thereby narrowing the gap with countries like Britain, France, and Germany.

According to our current industrial and economic development speed, this is very easy to achieve. Currently, we have sufficient funds to deal with the risks brought by the economic crisis; for us, this may not be a crisis, but an opportunity for accelerated development."

The other cabinet ministers also nodded, and they were quite in agreement with this statement.

Although the economic crisis had an impact on Spain, the impact was not large, or rather, not fatal. During the economic crisis process where the industrial production of European powers was seriously affected, Spain's industrial production did not suffer too serious an impact.

When the economic crisis broke out, Spain's industrial scale was really limited, and the number of bankrupt factories could be counted on one's fingers.

Even during the economic crisis, Spain's industry achieved positive growth. This was quite rare during the period when the industrial production scale of other countries was constantly declining due to the economic crisis, and it also proved that the efforts of the Spanish government during the economic crisis were not in vain.

"Being able to avoid the impact of this economic crisis, the cabinet government should take the primary credit." Gao Da also nodded and expressed praise for the efforts of the cabinet government: "

After this economic crisis ends, I will reward everyone according to their merits. But before that, we must still do a good job in responding to the second round of the economic crisis, and at the same time, try our best to find opportunities in the economic crisis to make up for the gap between Spain and other European powers."

Mentioning the matter of rewarding based on merit, everyone present also showed joy and expressed anticipation for it.

After all, Spain is a monarchy, and the nobility still carries a lot of weight in Spain. Whether it is the Progressive Party, the Conservative Party, or the Liberal Party, they are naturally not repelled by becoming a noble.

This not only represents an improvement in status and position but also represents an improvement in political influence. What's more, in addition to the reward of titles, nobles can also receive other rewards including land, funds, and factory shares.

Although the new-style nobles ennobled by Gao Da cannot obtain the land, castles, and manors possessed by traditional landed nobles, they can also obtain a portion of funds and other benefits; in short, there are many benefits.

The nobility is also the largest force within Spain. Becoming a member of the Spanish nobility means that one has already become an upper-class person in the Kingdom of Spain.

"Since that is the case, why don't all departments report on the achievements made this year, and by the way, formulate tasks for next year." Grand Duke Serrano said with a smile: "

If a second round of economic crisis really breaks out next year, this also means that next year's development is very important for Spain.

It is very necessary to formulate a development plan in advance, and I also hope that all departments can successfully complete the development plan and make our country more powerful."

The so-called reporting of achievements is actually to let Gao Da know exactly what each department has done, and by the way, understand the merits of the ministers of each department.

The cabinet ministers with more merits will receive more generous rewards. Grand Duke Serrano is already at the very top of the Spanish nobility, and he has no desire for rewards anymore.

But other nobles are different. Most of the cabinet ministers are not nobles, and they are relatively eager to become a real noble.

After excluding Ruiz from the current Spanish government, all the ministers in the current cabinet government support the monarchy.

"Your Majesty, the development status of the industrial department is very good. The construction of our Barcelona industrial base is going very smoothly, and there is hope that it will initially be put into production at the beginning of the new year."

As of now, the country has added over 786 large and small factories throughout the year, among which 472 factories have capital exceeding 50, 00 pesetas, and 133 have capital exceeding 100, 00 pesetas.

Currently, there are 34 large-scale factories in various regions of our country with a value exceeding 1 million pesetas or employing more than 1, 00 people, mainly concentrated in Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona.

The Industrial Department plans to invest over 12. 5 million pesetas in the new year to promote the development of factories and related enterprises nationwide, and to introduce more factories to the Barcelona industrial base.

Originally, without the impact of an economic crisis, the number of new factories in our country was expected to reach a new high in the new year. But since we must guard against the impact of an economic crisis, perhaps the number of new factories in the new year will decrease to around 500.

However, the Industrial Department plans to invest over 15 million pesetas to help factories cope with the potential economic crisis, which can further reduce the impact of the economic crisis on our country's industry.

Currently, our country's total steel production has cumulatively exceeded 950, 00 tons, and there is hope to officially break the one-million-ton scale in the new year.

Among this, our country's annual steel production exceeds 270, 00 tons, and annual pig iron production exceeds 680, 00 tons, both showing good growth compared to last year.

But considering the impact of the economic crisis, the Industrial Department has set the projected growth target for steel production in the new year at 1 million tons, with steel production at 300, 00 tons and 700, 00 tons respectively."

Canovas reported in detail on the situation of the Industrial Department and its development for the coming year, setting a good start for the other cabinet ministers.

In the two years since Canovas took over the Industrial Department, the development of the Industrial Department has been quite rapid.

This is also the reason why Carlo is satisfied with Canovas's evidence and plans to have him serve as the new Prime Minister of Spain. Although he is a member of the Conservative Party, Canovas's personal ability is quite good.

With Carlo setting the general direction for Spain's development, plus Canovas controlling the details of the minor directions, Carlo is confident in witnessing a new golden period of development for Spain.

Of course, the Spanish Prime Minister cannot be held by Canovas forever. For talents like Ma Teao, Carlo does not mind giving him a certain amount of time to grow.

If there are truly capable people who compete with Canovas, and provided their loyalty is confirmed, Carlo is certainly willing to see more people competing for the Prime Minister position to avoid the same person sitting in the Prime Minister position for too long.

Carlo's intention in maintaining Spain's three major parties is actually to have the Prime Minister candidates alternate between these three parties, letting the three parties compete with and supervise each other.

The three parties can also avoid the phenomenon of the two-party struggle seen in the Yingguozheng Prefecture, where they oppose just for the sake of opposing. Coupled with Carlo's central control, it can also ensure that the King of Spain possesses sufficient power and is not hollowed out into a mascot by the Prime Minister or the parliament.

6, 00-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!

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(End of this chapter)