Through a small-scale war, Germany successfully forced Spain to accept its terms in humiliation. Spain not only ceded Gibraltar, which it had only just recovered, to Germany, but also handed over the Balearic Islands, which had originally belonged to it. In addition, it had to pay Germany as much as one billion marks in war reparations. For the Kingdom of Spain, this was undoubtedly a crushing burden.
Of course, compared with actually being destroyed by Germany, this outcome was already far better. Given the German military's combat strength, a single army corps could have wiped out the Kingdom of Spain.
Germany successfully took control of Gibraltar and also expanded its territory in the Mediterranean Sea. Although the Balearic Islands covered only a few thousand square kilometers, once Germany began deploying military forces there, it would be no good thing for the countries along the Mediterranean coast. This was especially true for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which proclaimed itself the world's second military power. That was right—after the end of the World War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the Allied Powers' second strongest nation, had begun calling itself the world's second strongest power. Of course, that was merely its own claim. Very few recognized that status. The Austro-Hungarian Empire's boast was nothing more than a way to amuse itself.
As the most powerful nation along the Mediterranean coast, the Austro-Hungarian Empire undoubtedly possessed enormous interests in the Mediterranean Sea. Especially after it had nearly swallowed the entire Balkan Peninsula in one bite, its coastline had been greatly extended. It was no longer trapped in the Adriatic Sea as it had been before. This also made the Austro-Hungarian Empire eager to achieve a breakthrough in the Mediterranean.
But now that Germany controlled Gibraltar, it effectively controlled one exit of the Mediterranean Sea. Once Gibraltar