I'm a bit behind with the video watching so started watching from part 3 today, I can see what Jacobi means about reforms being very easy to get with Sicily! Just a few points:
Part 3:
I don't think you quite get the point of the election events. When they pop up asking you if you want residency, limited or full citizenship for instance, you don't just pick the one you want.These events are very useful if you want to swing the election results from a party who support one rather than the other. If the Reactionaries with residency are just ahead of the Conservatives with Limited Citizenship, you can keep choosing Limited Citizenship and other policies that favour Conservative rather than Reactionary (e.g. Interventionism vs State Capitalism) and that could push the Conservatives into the lead just in time for the election. Even if it doesn't, just call another election and do that again and again until you get the party you want
Part 4:
1. The reason you can't build factories any more is that the Conservatives won that election and they are interventionist, this government policy doesn't allow you to do so. Previously it was the Reactionaries who were in power and they are state capitalist. You can increase funding and upgrade them though.
2. Taxes - you don't want them on max for a prolonged period - raises militancy, although perhaps that is why you are getting a lot of reform opportunities. Surprised you didn't have any jacobin revolutions during the 1848 Liberal revolts!
3. Especially if you are interventionist, you want rich taxes to be very low - about 7% or less, otherwise they can't build any more factories.
Part 5:
1. If rich taxes are low and you are interventionist, they will build rail-roads for you, don't waste money on it!
2. As you rightly said, only influence one or two places at a time, especially if you are a new Great Power! Also, if you are competing and at friendly, may be an idea to put all your influence in that place and take it off the others to get to 100% quicker.
3. ca. 3.54 - you should have chosen moralism if you wanted to favour the Conservatives. Pluralism helps the Liberals (you can see what each party supports on the right). These are things you want to bear in mind, especially as you don't want Liberal parties at the beginning. They are Laissez-Faire too so you cannot then stop them closing unprofitable factories. They can often lose you GP status too. I always call an immediate election again if Liberals take over.
4. you probably want to research industry techs before commerce techs, the latter should be done last really.
5. 15.00 - you can just remain on the fence if you want in a crisis, you don't have to join either side.
6. Army techs - probably best to research Army Professionalism first, gives you better generals. You want good generals even with lesser tech armies rather than the other way round.
Sorry, this post is a bit rambling but I hope it is useful.