Chapter 740 - 342: Arms Trade

Although the continued expansion of the war was effectively prevented by successive statements from the United Kingdom and Spain, it was evident to any discerning eye that after Germany and Russia entered the war, there had been a dramatic change in the European situation.

The Triple Alliance had completely become a thing of the past, followed by confrontation between the German-Austrian alliance and Russia.

Although Germany, Austria, and Italy had well-protected the Treaty of the Triple Alliance, the relationship between Italy and Germany and Austria was no secret.

Not only Spain but also many European countries, including France, Russia, and even the United Kingdom, believed that Italy had secretly signed an alliance treaty with Germany and Austria.

The purpose of this alliance treaty was simple. Germany and Austria aimed to fill the void left by their loss of Russia, as Italy was also a major power.

Meanwhile, Italy was looking for a major power to lean on, given its widely known military performance in the eyes of European countries.

Despite Italy having a much larger population than Spain, in the matter of influence on the European Continent, Italy was no match for Spain.

The main reason for this phenomenon was the relatively weak combat capabilities of the Italian army. Even in the final phase of Bourbon Dynasty rule, the combat effectiveness of the Spanish army was considered above average.

After numerous reforms by Carlo and improvements in weaponry, the current combat capabilities of the Spanish Army were not the top in Europe but certainly among the strongest of the armies of European countries.

Although Italy’s army had weaker combat effectiveness, it wasn’t without benefits for the German-Austrian alliance to draw Italy in.

Firstly, the agricultural and industrial scale of Italy was worth acknowledging. Although its industrial scale didn’t match that of other European Powers, it was quite superior compared to non-major power states.

Italy was adjacent to Austria-Hungary, which in turn was adjacent to Germany. This geographic proximity was extremely significant because it meant that during wartime, Italy’s supplies could be transported to Germany through Austria-Hungary.

It was previously mentioned that Germany was located at the crossroads of conflict in Central Europe, flanked by two powerful major powers, France and Russia, with the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Denmark to the north.

Moreover, Germany’s naval power did not pose an advantage relative to its opponents, leading to a situation where Germany could easily have its logistics cut off and be isolated during wartime.

Italy, clearly, was a great addition. Although it couldn’t offer much military assistance to Germany, it could demonstrate its foundation as a major power in other aspects.

Facing the emerging Triple Alliance, the Germans, even if they disdained Italy, could not help but seek other allies for the sake of the Triple Alliance.

Although warning from the United Kingdom had discouraged France from joining the war, it was unwilling to abandon its growing engagement with Russia.

Instead, it could refrain from forming an alliance treaty in this war but surely draw closer to Russia during it.

If Russia won this war, it might slow down the pace of forming the Franco-Russian Alliance. But if the German-Austrian alliance won, corresponding clauses might already exist in the alliance before the war’s end.

Unlike those who either had or sought allies, the United Kingdom and Spain were in rather awkward positions regarding alliance matters.

Of course, the true awkwardness lay with the United Kingdom.

Due to significant contradictions with both France and Russia and the German-Austrian-Italian alliance involving three major powers, the United Kingdom couldn’t join any side. They were more likely to balance the power gap between the two military groups, thereby ensuring more influence for the United Kingdom, as a unique entity.

As for Spain, it could join any military group, should it choose to do so.

Firstly, Spain’s geographic importance was too great. Secondly, Spain’s overall strength wasn’t weak—in fact, it was even stronger than Italy’s, approximately on par with Austria-Hungary.

Austria-Hungary was impacted in its comprehensive strength by the limited number of dominant nationalities and the strong independence of States like Hungary.

If Austria-Hungary’s population of several million were all Austrians, the country’s overall strength might not be weaker than Germany’s.

Spain’s flaw was just having a relatively small population, even less than this rising star, Italy.

Spain had been a long-standing power in Europe for centuries, whereas Italy unified the country only after Carlo became the King of Spain.

Logically, Spain’s population should have been more than Italy’s. But in fact, Spain’s population not only lagged behind other major powers but also far behind Italy’s.

However, due to its inherent overall strength, the population difference is largely ignored by other countries.

Compared to Spain, the British position was slightly more awkward.

While the United Kingdom was undoubtedly the world’s most powerful nation, its policy of magnificent isolation had increasingly estranged it from the European Continent.

Moreover, possessing the world’s most colonies, including the most affluent colony India, had created a significant rift between European countries and the United Kingdom.

Among European Powers, there really wasn’t any country with a favorable relationship with the United Kingdom. The contradictions between England and France, and England and Russia certainly didn’t need further elaboration, and there was deep-seated enmity between the United Kingdom and Spain.