Pushing Down the Wall

The evolution of various political systems, though seemingly complex, ultimately stems from the populace's dissatisfaction with those in power.

In essence, this means that whether it's a monarchy or a parliamentary republic, there's no fundamental difference between good or bad.

The most crucial issue is whether the people's needs can be met. This leads to European discontent with rulers and governments, and it's the true reason behind revolutions.

If the Spanish government had paid attention to the people's current situation and implemented policies to improve their lives as much as possible, perhaps such a revolution wouldn't have occurred, and Spain's absolute monarchy could have continued to exist.

This also indicates that Spain's problems were already severe; the revolution erupted because the people couldn't get enough to eat and could no longer sustain their lives.

The reports Carlo published in the newspaper delved into the heart of Spain's problems, addressing the most fundamental demand of the Spanish people: improving their quality of life.

Eating bread and drinking milk, while seemingly normal requests, were incredibly difficult in 1868, over a century ago.

Even simplifying it by two levels to the most basic need of having enough to eat and drink, the Kingdom of Spain's government couldn't satisfy it.

Carlo's objective was to place all blame on Queen Isabella and the Bourbon Dynasty, whitewashing the monarchy as much as possible.

A little later, on November 30, 1868, in Madrid, Spain.

"General, there's a report from Italy that requires your attention."

Primo, who was preparing to end his busy day, was interrupted by his subordinate.

"A report? From Italy?" Primo asked, somewhat surprised. "What wind blew an Italian report all the way to Spain?"

"It's a report about monarchy versus republicanism, General," the subordinate replied, handing over a newspaper. Clearly printed in the center of the paper was a headline: "We Need Bread, Not Republicanism."

"Interesting." Primo had initially intended to decline the newspaper, but upon seeing the headline, he took it and opened it to read.

This report had been reprinted by a small newspaper office in Madrid, translating the Italian into Spanish so that Spaniards could understand it.

"How has this report been spreading elsewhere?" Primo asked a peculiar question after finishing the entire article.

"Besides a small-scale spread in Madrid, it has also seen limited distribution in Barcelona, Valencia, and Valladolid, with newspapers in those cities reporting on this news."

Primo chuckled, a hint of knowing amusement in his eyes. He said mockingly, "It seems this report was deliberately placed on my desk."

"General, I..." the subordinate began to explain, but Primo cut him off with a smile. "It's alright, I trust your loyalty, of course.

What I mean is, someone is likely eyeing Spain right now. The fact that an Italian report could spread so widely in so many cities in a short period proves that the enemy is well-prepared.

If it just happened to coincide with this revolution, that would be one thing. But if our revolution was foreseen by the people behind this, it's truly concerning."

Seeing his subordinate's worried expression, Primo patted his shoulder to comfort him. "Alright, I have no doubts about you. Now, I'm giving you a mission: go to Italy, investigate the source of this report, and find out everything about the people at that newspaper office."

Although he was curious about who was behind this report and what their intentions were, the report was currently quite useful to Primo.

The simplest example cited was irrefutable, as powerful European nations at the time were all monarchies.

This also benefited Primo in steering the new government towards a constitutional monarchy, allowing him to implement his vision for Spain's reform by concentrating power within the national government.

Why did Primo oppose republicanism?

Because the republican system proposed by the farmers and workers was a loose Spanish federation. This would not only trigger waves of independence movements in the already secessionist regions of Spain but also cause the Spanish government to lose control over these areas.

Reformers wanted a stable government capable of enacting reforms, not a fragmented and chaotic one. This was why Primo ultimately chose constitutional monarchy.

As one of the most influential figures in the Spanish revolutionary movement, Primo's opinion carried significant weight.

The Spanish Provisional Government did not prevent the spread of this report; in fact, the major capitalist class even aided in its dissemination to more Spanish cities.

Thanks to the heated discussions sparked by this report, Spaniards began debating the merits of monarchy and the responsibility of the overthrown Queen Isabella II.

Saving the nation in its time of crisis was impossible, but the capitalists were masters at deflecting blame and shirking their responsibilities.

Since Queen Isabella had lost her throne, and the provisional government had no intention of welcoming her back or Prince Alfonso, why wouldn't they kick her while she was down? Were they going to wait until others shifted all the blame onto themselves and that damned Queen?

For their own benefit, the capitalists would show no mercy.

From December onwards, the weather in Madrid grew colder, at least for the loyalists of the Bourbons.

Queen Isabella II's reputation couldn't be described as merely bad; it had already been quite terrible before.

The public's fury was redirected by capitalists and some ill-intentioned nobles towards Queen Isabella. The factory owners and nobles who had once ruthlessly exploited Spaniards were at least no longer worried about being shot in the back.

However, this was not good news for Queen Isabella, who was in France, still hoping to find an opportunity to restore her throne.

But not all nobles were happy at this time. The Carlists, who shared the same lineage as Queen Isabella, were in a rather unpleasant mood.

Queen Isabella's tarnished reputation affected the Bourbon Dynasty. As a member of the Bourbon Dynasty, "Carlos VII" was facing as many troubles as Queen Isabella.

More importantly, after generations of transmission, the Carlists were no longer recognized by most people.

Especially after the Second Carlist War, "Carlos VI" ascended to power as the leader of the Carlists.

However, within a few years, this self-proclaimed King of Spain was arrested by government forces, and "Carlos VI" was forced to renounce his claim to the throne.

"Carlos VI"'s brother, Juan, benefited from this, unexpectedly becoming the Carlist-proclaimed King of Spain, "Juan III," without any preparation.

However, the Carlists did not strongly support this "king" who had stumbled upon the crown. Furthermore, after "Carlos VI" was forced to renounce his claim, he was quickly released, leading to a situation of dual claimants to the throne within the Carlist faction.

With a self-proclaimed king who was already not widely recognized, and now a situation of dual claimants, the support for the Carlists continued to decline.

Although "Carlos VI," who had no heirs, soon passed away, the so-called claimant "Juan III" still did not receive strong support from the Carlists. This resulted in the Carlist faction being powerless to stop this Spanish revolution or to place "Juan III" on the throne.

Since initiating his public opinion campaign, Carlo had been closely watching the situation in Spain.

Carlo finally breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the report had been widely reprinted and disseminated throughout Spain.

But soon, Carlo began to worry again.

Such an action was completely different from history, and it was certainly not Carlo alone who contributed to the report's widespread dissemination in Spain.

If it had a good effect, that would be fine. But if it affected Spain's situation and pushed Spain towards a republic, Carlo would regret it terribly.

However, Carlo had no better solution at the moment. He could only pray that General Primo, who historically supported monarchism, would be as effective as in history, winning the majority of seats in the Spanish parliamentary elections and becoming the Prime Minister of the Spanish government in one fell swoop, thus controlling the entire Spanish government.

Seeking monthly and recommendation votes, seeking follow-up reads and investments.