Capitalist Riots

"Very good." Carlos VII nodded in satisfaction, the impatience in his eyes nearly spilling over. "Now all we have to do is wait for those disgruntled factory owners to jump out on their own and deal Primo, that man who disrespects the Bourbon Dynasty, a fatal blow.

Only the House of Bourbon is the master of Spain. Savoy should stay in Italy; they are unworthy of laying a finger on Iberia."

Spain's situation had now become exceedingly clear. Everyone believed that those capitalists who regarded money as their lives would never give up resisting. They would absolutely stop at nothing to protect the wealth in their hands.

And that was indeed the case.

The factory owners and capitalists' counterattack came swiftly.

On January 19, 1870, the Madrid Workers' Gazette published an article condemning the government.

The article never once mentioned that the Labor Law was meant to guarantee workers' incomes. Instead, it denounced the government for disregarding the revenues of factories and businesses and blindly demanding that they shoulder additional expenditures.

At the end of the article, it further claimed that if the government did not promptly repeal such a mistaken decree, large numbers of factories and businesses throughout Spain might go bankrupt, causing mass unemployment and thereby affecting workers' incomes.

The article appeared reasonable, but it could not withstand the slightest scrutiny.

The additional expenditures mentioned in the article were, in truth, simply wages that factories and businesses should have paid their workers in the first place.

If paying workers the wages they deserved would drive a factory or business into bankruptcy, then what need was there for such a factory or business to exist?

Before Carlo could strike back with his own public-opinion tactics, the capitalists' second move arrived.

On January 20, the Spanish Sun, whose momentum was at its peak, was attacked.

The attackers first smashed the newspaper office's windows with stones and other hard objects, then climbed inside and destroyed some of the equipment used to print newspapers.

The capitalists' utter lack of fear toward the government and royal authority angered Carlo, and he resolved to remove big capital from Spain's ruling class.

On January 21, the Spanish government swiftly passed the "Spanish Labor Law" bill and announced that its provisions would be strictly enforced from that day onward. All factories and businesses within Spain were required to pay workers weekly or monthly wages; those who withheld wages would be fined tenfold, while serious offenders would have their factories or businesses sealed.

The moment this decree was announced, it immediately stirred up a tremendous uproar among the capitalist class.

The capitalists had originally thought Primo and Carlo would back down. They had not expected them to choose a firm confrontation with capitalism.

To protect their own purses, the capitalists chose to unite. They wanted to imitate Primo's earlier actions and once again push for a revolution in the Kingdom of Spain.

On January 22, factory owners and business owners around Madrid joined forces, inciting some workers and radical Republicans to launch a large-scale demonstration in the streets of Madrid.

It had to be admitted that the capitalists' brainwashing of the workers was effective. After hearing the newspapers claim that factories would collapse if they had to bear additional expenses, some workers began to worry about whether they would lose their jobs.

Although most workers remained rational, a small portion chose to stand with the capitalists under the weight of such worries.

After the demonstrations broke out, Primo ordered the army to suppress them while secretly mobilizing troops to maintain order in Madrid.

The capitalists' objective could not possibly have been limited to demonstrations, and Primo could not allow his attention to be wholly drawn by those marching crowds.

To Primo, who was well versed in military affairs, the capitalists' petty maneuvers could not escape his eyes at all.

Sure enough, as the demonstrations were being suppressed, another smaller procession, carrying all manner of weapons and equipment, marched in a mighty stream toward Madrid Palace and Parliament.

In the eyes of those capitalists who had once participated in the Spanish Revolution, revolution was still very simple. They merely needed to seize the Spanish Royal Palace and the government amid the chaos, and the King of Spain and government officials would be helplessly captured.

They would not even need to act themselves. The Royal Palace guard and the Spanish Army would voluntarily defect to their side.

When these people approached the Royal Palace in a mighty stream, they were completely dumbfounded.

The Royal Palace was not as chaotic as it had been during the previous revolution, and what awaited them was not a Spanish Army coming to surrender.

As they looked at the palace guard standing ready in formation in the distance, many people in the rioting force swallowed hard, as though they had finally seen the situation clearly.

"By His Majesty's command, if you lay down your weapons and surrender now, His Majesty will pursue only those who initiated the rebellion. If anyone dares take one step forward, it will be regarded as rebellion against His Majesty and Spain, and you will be executed on the spot!" Giotto, captain of the palace guard, sat astride a black steed, holding a rifle made in Italy as he shouted at the rebel force not far ahead.

"Do not let him deceive you! No one will forgive us, not even God. Our only choice is to storm the Royal Palace and make Spain a true republic. God will bless us!" Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, one of the leaders among the rebels hurriedly incited the crowd, trying to salvage their collapsing morale.

"The purpose of the Labor Law is to protect your interests. Those greedy factory owners will not go bankrupt merely because they pay you your wages. Wake up, my people, and look behind you. Those greedy capitalists are the enemies of all Spaniards!

In the name of God, and in the name of the King of Spain, I guarantee that you will not lose your jobs, nor will you be held accountable because of what happened today.

You have been deceived, your eyes blinded by evil capitalists. But now is not the time to repent before God. We must defeat all of Spain's enemies together—those insatiably greedy capitalists—before we speak of anything else.

Please believe me. For Spain, lay down the weapons in your hands." Seeing that the rebels' morale was beginning to crumble, Carlo naturally would not let such a good opportunity pass. He shouted toward the crowd in the distance.

Hearing Carlo's call, many among the rebel crowd were moved.

Not many in the rebel force were wholeheartedly serving the capitalists unto death. What the workers feared was whether they would lose their jobs. If their jobs could be guaranteed, why would they stand up against the government and the King of Spain?

As for those radical Republicans, they naturally would not switch sides at the last moment because of a few words from Carlo.

But this was a good thing for Carlo. Those unwilling to lay down their weapons were naturally best sent to meet God at once.

After thinking it over carefully, many workers were still willing to believe their King of Spain. After all, the few things this new king had done since taking office had all benefited them. Was he not more trustworthy than those capitalists who docked their wages?

With this in mind, many workers who had been deceived into coming laid down their weapons one after another and unconsciously moved farther away from the capitalists' lackeys and the radical Republicans.

"Very good, my people. Those who have laid down their weapons may come over. I swear by God that you will still be citizens of Spain; this matter has nothing to do with you." Seeing that many people on the other side had already put down their weapons, Carlo nodded in satisfaction and spoke to the crowd opposite with a smile.

Hearing Carlo say this, the workers on the other side hurried toward the palace guard. Some of the capitalists' lackeys also gave up their weapons after seeing no chance of victory, disguising themselves as ordinary workers and surrendering to the palace guard.

First update, please support!