Chapter 634 - 299: The United Kingdom’s Concession

The Berlin Conference was convened six months earlier than in history, indicating that the colonial progress of the European Powers in Africa is quite different from historical events.

After trading all their West Africa Colonies, the British colonies in Africa are reduced to just South Africa and North Africa, namely the Cape Colony and the Egyptian Colony.

This has made the Cairo-Cape Town line far more important than it was historically, and the British Government would never choose to compromise on this matter.

As a result, the Berlin Conference, which was originally thought to be completed within less than a month by attending representatives, surprisingly continued for several months without conclusion.

Of course, this is not necessarily bad news for Spain. The longer the Berlin Conference lasts, the less satisfied the European Powers are with the current proposals for the partition of Africa.

The result is that countries with less power have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and gain their own colonies in areas neglected by the Powers.

The first issue that the Berlin Conference must resolve is the conflict over land in Southern Congo, primarily between Powers led by the United Kingdom and Spain.

The British side’s demands are to occupy the Baloselan Kingdom, Mwata Kazemb Kingdom, Malawi Kingdom, and Yeke Kingdom, ensuring a link between the British Cape Colony and Egypt.

With Spain’s support and under domestic pressure, the Portuguese Government did not give up these lands and claimed that they were obtained during colonial exchanges with Spain, and Britain had no right to engage in such distant colonial actions.

The Portuguese Government’s argument is quite credible. While the Southern Congo land is indeed on the British Cairo-Cape Town route, the issue is that the southernmost border of Baloselan Kingdom is over 1100 kilometers from the British Cape Colony, and the northernmost Yeke Kingdom is over 1000 kilometers from the British-controlled Sudan Colony.

No matter how powerful the British Empire is, it cannot engage in such leapfrogging colonial actions. Furthermore, Spain was the first country to establish colonies in the Congo River Basin, and Spanish colonial posts have long been spread across this territory.

The sovereignty of this land originally belonged to Spain, and since Spain traded it to Portugal, it naturally belongs to Portugal, having no relation to the United Kingdom.

Such remote land demands from the UK are clearly too aggressive in form, and this is why the Portuguese Government absolutely cannot agree to the British Government’s propositions.

Agreeing to the British Government’s proposal at the Berlin Conference would spell doom for the Portuguese Government’s Prime Minister and Cabinet if citizens were to learn the details.

Even Louis I himself could potentially be affected by public fury; in a situation where citizens are intensely focused on the Berlin Conference, the Portuguese Government cannot openly make concessions to the British Government.

After all, they know what’s more important. Anyway, colonial disputes have become part of the Power-involved Berlin Conference, and unless the British Government wants to provoke wrath, they wouldn’t start a war with Portugal during the Berlin Conference.

Although Portugal is one of the contenders, in the negotiations at the Berlin Conference, the Portuguese representatives did not express much.

The main debate was between the United Kingdom and Spain representatives, as countries under the Powers have limited say.

At this time, the British Government finally paid attention to the Spain they had long underestimated, as Spain made them feel as troubled as dealing with the Russians.

Despite both being Powers, there are differences among the Powers. For example, the British Government does not fear Italy at all.

Without Garibaldi, the ultimate hero, the fighting strength of the Italian army is extremely poor. Despite King Umberto I continuously promoting military expansion, the British Government never took Italy seriously.

As a Mediterranean coastal country, Britain only needs to blockade the two eastern and western Mediterranean outlets, rendering the Italian Navy’s strength useless as they cannot reach the ocean or threaten the British mainland.

The land forces are even less of a concern; Italy is immensely distant from Britain, and coupled with Italy’s poor army combat strength, even two Italys wouldn’t be considered by Britain.

Spain is different.

Though Spain is also a Mediterranean coastal country, half of its coastline is on the east Atlantic coast.

This means it’s difficult for Britain to completely blockade the Spanish navy in the Mediterranean, and they do have the capability to threaten the British mainland.

More importantly, Britain’s means of blockading the Mediterranean is by controlling the two outlets, and the western outlet, Gibraltar Strait, previously belonged to Spain.

If a war breaks out between the United Kingdom and Spain, Spain could easily use their army to reclaim Gibraltar, thereby gaining control of the Gibraltar Strait.

Once Britain loses control over the two Mediterranean outlets, the situation along the Mediterranean coast becomes more unpredictable, and the Suez Canal—at tremendous effort brought under British control—will lose at least half of its strategic value.

If Britain were to go to war with Spain, Portugal might be the first country to be annexed.

A completely unified Iberian Peninsula would become akin to Britain, powerful and able to drift outside the European Continent, unaffected by the continent’s chaotic affairs.