Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 581 The News of the Old Emperor's Death
Compared to the years leading up to the outbreak of the World War, 1916 was a relatively uneventful year for the people of Europe.

But what European countries and people needed at that time was precisely this kind of calm and peaceful environment.

Time flew by and it was already the end of 1916. For the Spanish government, the upcoming year 1917 was of great importance.

First, the Spanish government was about to undergo a major reshuffle. In February 1917, the Spanish government was to hold cabinet elections, which meant that most of the ministers in the current cabinet that had led Spain to victory in World War II would be stepping down.

It's not that these people lacked the prestige to be re-elected; the main reason was that before the outbreak of World War II, Carlo nominated several cabinet ministers who had already served multiple terms to continue serving in order to maintain the stability of the Spanish government.

This has resulted in several ministers in the cabinet reaching the limit for consecutive terms and being ineligible to participate in the next cabinet election.

Furthermore, given that the current Prime Minister Andrew has a military background, it is unlikely that he will be able to continue serving in peacetime, no matter how great his achievements may be.

Although there is insufficient evidence, the Spanish political establishment, from top to bottom, believes that next year's cabinet election will be the most dramatic cabinet election in the history of Spanish cabinet elections.

The Spanish Conservative Party, the Progressive Party, and the Socialist Workers' Party are all eager to seize the prime minister's position so that their parties can continue to grow and thrive in peacetime.

Even Carlos is paying close attention to the upcoming cabinet elections in Spain and has secretly investigated several candidates who are likely to win the position of prime minister in the next cabinet.

The good news is that, under Spain's current cabinet election system, even if Carlo doesn't officially participate in the election of prime minister, it's certain that most of the prime ministerial candidates are people Carlo can accept.

To qualify as a candidate for Prime Minister of Spain, one must meet several conditions.

First, one must have a resume of serving as governor or mayor of a special city, and one must not receive a poor evaluation in any year's performance appraisal during one's political career.

This point is fixed, and it's a guarantee that Carlos has prepared for the future King of Spain. With this premise, it can be ensured that even if the future Spanish Prime Minister doesn't have great abilities, he will at least be a competent official who won't worsen the political environment in Spain, nor will he take any overly outrageous political actions.

The second requirement is that candidates must be members of the lower house of parliament. Whether they register as independents or as part of a political party, candidates must hold a seat in the lower house. This is also a measure to help the King of Spain further screen candidates for prime minister.

There are no restrictions on nationality or residency period for running for prime minister, because those who do not meet the requirements have already been screened in advance during the process of running for state legislators and members of the lower house.

To become a councilor in a city, one must hold Spanish citizenship and have lived there for at least 10 years.

To become a member of parliament in a Spanish state or municipality, one must hold Spanish citizenship and have lived in that state or municipality for more than 20 years.

To become a member of the Spanish lower house, one must not only possess Spanish citizenship but also have resided in Spain for at least 30 years, and none of their immediate family members must be Spanish citizens.

Under such strict screening conditions, at least one thing can be ensured: it is very difficult for foreign spies to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Spanish government.

Unless one can plan decades in advance, the loyalty of a spy who has lived abroad for decades cannot be guaranteed.

At the end of 1916, Carlo also spoke several times with the current Prime Minister Andreu to ensure that the hero who led Spain to victory in the World War, but had to withdraw from the cabinet election due to postwar policies, would not complain.

The good news is that Prime Minister Andrew knew before being appointed Prime Minister by Carlos that he could only serve one term as Prime Minister, unless the world war was prolonged for several more years, in which case he would not have a second term as Prime Minister.

Although slightly disappointed, Prime Minister Andrew did not complain at all. After all, without Carlos's support, he would not have been able to secure his position as Prime Minister.

If he hadn't followed Carlo to Spain, Prime Minister Andrew would still be in Italy, at most holding the position of an ordinary general in the Italian military.

There is even a possibility that due to insufficient connections, they will not be able to pass the threshold from field officer to general officer, and thus will remain at the rank of colonel for their entire lives.

Ultimately, regardless of the era or country, high-level power is always in the hands of a small number of people, and only a very small number of ordinary people can eventually become one of these few through some fortunate means.

There's a Soviet joke that goes like this: A general's son asked his father, "Will I be a general when I grow up?" The general laughed and replied, "Of course you can."

The son asked again, "Then can I become a marshal?" The general shook his head and replied, "No, because a marshal also has a son."

Although this is just a joke, such things do exist in many countries around the world; in fact, they are quite common. This is also true in Spain today. A general's child can receive a better education, has connections with the general in the military, and can more easily earn merit and be promoted.

While it's unlikely that a general's child will become a general, it's entirely possible to train the next generation to the rank of colonel, given their capabilities. There's even a very high probability that they will be able to cross the threshold from colonel to general.

Children from ordinary families are different. Even if they are lucky enough to get into a military academy, they still need to overcome many hurdles to become mid-to-high-ranking officers in the military, namely colonels.

As for the threshold from colonel to general, without a good opportunity or strong connections, one can only rely on the continuous accumulation of seniority. Perhaps one can hope to be promoted to a higher rank by seniority when one enters middle age or even old age.

This situation isn't limited to the military; it also occurs in governments. Because it's a problem that affects almost every country, Carlo can only try his best to ensure the situation in Spain doesn't get too bad.

The Royal Military Academy and the Royal Academy of Government were the institutions Carlo prepared to cultivate fresh blood for the military and government.

In addition, the stringent performance evaluations and military vetting ensure that the second and third generations of government and military personnel are capable, which is currently the most effective solution.

Fortunately, upward mobility for the Spanish working class is not completely blocked, and people have various ways to improve their social standing.

As 1916 drew to a close, a significant event occurred in Europe: Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria passed away on November 20, 1916.

This 86-year-old emperor still wielded extraordinary prestige and influence in Europe. After all, the Habsburg family was the most illustrious and longest-reigning of all European royal families.

The Habsburg family's rule over the Holy Roman Empire dates back to 1282, and their glory in Europe has lasted for over six hundred years, extending to the present-day Austrian Empire.

In addition to the titles of Archduke of Austria and Emperor of Austria, which they still hold today, the Habsburg family has also held the thrones of the Holy Roman Empire, Castile, Spain, Portugal, Bohemia, Hungary, Mexico, and several ducal titles in Italy.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was defeated in World War I, leading to the disintegration of the dualistic empire, it ultimately retained only the basic structure of the present-day Austrian Empire.

However, Franz Joseph I's position among European royalty was not affected, after all, he had a son-in-law named Carlo who ruled Spain.

Especially given the good relations between the Austrian Empire and Spain, the personal prestige of the old Emperor Franz Joseph I was greatly enhanced.

However, prestige does not contribute to an individual's lifespan. The old emperor had been seriously ill for several years, and after properly handling the transition from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Austrian Empire after the World War, he finally breathed his last.

After the Austrian royal family informed royal families across Europe of the death of Franz Joseph I, the Spanish royal family immediately responded. Carlos personally promised to accompany Queen Sophie of Spain to Vienna to attend Franz Joseph I's funeral.

Besides respecting the old emperor, Carlo's status as his son-in-law also compelled him to attend the funeral.

Although Austria has been weakened, its industrial base remains intact, which is helpful for Spain's future strategic planning in Europe.

It is no exaggeration to say that, in conjunction with Italy, Austria, and other European countries, Carlo could have prevented the outbreak of World War II with his existing strength.

This would at least ensure that World War II would not be started by Germany, and could even completely crush Germany, rendering it incapable of participating in World War II.

The changes that would bring about would be enormous, which is why Carlos has not yet made up his mind to completely crush Germany.

Ultimately, Spain needed World War II to weaken European countries so that it could ensure a strong voice in the future EU.

The decisive response from the Spanish royal family and Carlos's personal commitment to attend the funeral in Vienna brought the funeral of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I to the attention of all of Europe.

Whether out of consideration for the Austrian Empire or the Kingdom of Spain, all the European countries sent replies to the Austrian royal family within a few days, and all indicated that they would send highly influential diplomatic representatives to Vienna to attend the old emperor's funeral.

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(End of this chapter)