El Nuevo Siglo: Plus Ultra? (A short HPM Spain AAR)

As the twilight years of the 19th century make way for the dawn of the 20th, Spain still stands. Considering the tumultous past century, this is more then some other nations might say. After the Peninsular War left Iberia scarred, and the loss of the American colonies, civil war and strife followed. The House of Bourbon was deposed in favour of the House of Savoy, then the Bourbons were restored, then the Carlist pretenders seized the throne, then they were toppled by a republican revolution , which then re-invited the legitimate line of House Bourbon.

It was a ride. But Spain stands.

Hispania remains the heartland of the Kingdom, as it has been since the Moors were driven out.

Great importance had been placed on repairing our relations with Portugal, after our unhappy marriage and the confusions arisen during the Napoleonic Wars.

Going into 1900, Portugal stands as Spains closest ally. Some already are talking about a Iberian customs union like the Germans established decades ago, but as of now these voices are still barely noticeable.

And despite what the Morrocans think, Al-Rif is an integral part of Iberia.

The Caribbean was the only region of the Americas that was prevented from sucessfully declaring independence. Since then Haiti had been brought under Spanish sway.

In the last decade however a significant legal change has taken place in the region. As per the Integration Act of 1893 Cuba is no longer considered a colony of the Kingdom of Spain, but a part of said Kingdom.

The other principal overseas territory of the Kingdom are the Philippines. Their main strategic purpose over the last century was as a springboard for expeditions against Qing China.

Spain participated in the Scrambly for Africa. It has by no means the largest African dominion, but the four territories it possesses are a source of pride for the kingdom.

Spanish Morocco is a long stretch of territory along Africa's northwestern coast, including both Alaouite Morocco as well as the Protectorate of the Western Sahara, the main export of which is sand.

Dahomey is a thin stretch of land continuing inland from the coast of Guinea up to the bank of the Niger.

The heart of the Spanish African Empire however is Spanish West Africa, a large collection of land gained in the 1880s and 1890s.

Original plans to advance up to lake Chad were unfortunately thwarted by the Dutch.

The smallest Spanish territory in Africa is the Djibouti protectorate. Although it may seem puny,its position at the mouth of the Red Sea allows Spain to exert influence all over the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean from it.

Bahrain was seized in the 1850s to exert influence over Persia and Mesopotamia. In the 1870s Spain advanced into Doha.

During the 1880s British rule in southern India collapsed as the country was busy fighting in the Great War. Spain exploited this moment of weakness to established a presence in the Cicars.

Two expeditions against the Chinese were undertaken in the last century. Officially to ensure the rights of Spanish citizens within the empire, but in truth to expand Spanish influence and make the Chinese pay the Spanish bills.

There are some islands in Micronesia under Spanish flag. The length of this sentence is appropiate for their strategic importance.

The final overseas territory of the Spanish Empire may be its smallest possessions, but it is also its most important and prestigeous: the Panama Canal. A testament the Spanish ingenuity, it connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and opened the Pacific to European trade vessels.

And finally, there is Uruguay. Spain intervened against the Communist Regime in Montevideo during the 1880s and has since kept the small country on a tight leash. A military detachment of 27,000 men is permanently deployed to the region as has supported Spain's allies against the communist regimes in Bolivia and Ecuador.

These allies are basically anyone else south of Panama.

Internally, Spain remains divided. The largest movement, the Socialist, are staunchly republican, the liberals are split among republicans and supporters of the monarchy. The reactionaries are staunchly monarchical - but largely support the line of Infante Carlos. Only the various conservative parties are true allies to the royal family.

And here they are, the people that reign in Spain, pictured in ,1897. King Alfonso XIII in the middle, his mother Maria Christina of Austria, his regent to his left. His two older sisters on the sides.

The power of the king has been severely curtailed since the revolution of 1874 that led to the short-lived First Republic. Although Maria has been able to push through some reactionary reforms in the last few years.

Nonetheless, the true power within Spain is wielded by the Prime Minister, currently Francisco Silvela of the Conservative-Liberal Party, even though his cabinet is dominated by more reactionary politicians.

While Spain can boast a respectable industrial sector, most of its population remains employed on farms or in mines.

Spanish Industries are centered on the large cities in the south and west - Sevilla, Valencia Madrid and Barcelona. The industrial sector mainly produces basic goods, but more recently a small but prosperous high tech sector is emerging.

Diplomatically, Spain has allied herself with Germany and the United Kingdom. The alliance however is fragily - Germany and England despise each other since the Great War.

Spheres of Influence in Europe

Spheres in Northern Africa

Spheres in Southern Africa

Spheres in Asia

Spheres in Centro-America

Tensions around the world remain high as the unsatable great powers compete over the finite resources of Earth.

But as the great powers squabble over pieces of land far beyond their shores, a greater threat is looming ...

After their defeat in the Great War the French Republic swiftly collapsed, making way for the oppressive communist regime.

But they are not alone ...

... on the other side of the world the Shogunate has fallen, and just like in France a tyrannical workers regime has assumed power in Tokyo.

A specter is haunting the world.
The specter of communism.