Seem to be a few good original AARs around at the moment and this is no exception. I'm liking the economic history here.
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1845 - 1847 An Executive Order
1845 - 1847 : A Blood Dawn
Spain was a nation on the cusp of great things. The economic malaise had been burned from the fabric of a once backward society and all anyone could see was a better horizon. The steel industry was the backbone of this emerging economy, and it employed a vast majority of the middle class in northern Spain. Taxes for the wealthy were slashed and tariffs had been reduced in order to further stimulate the expansion of a virgin economy. It would be capitalism that would be the foundation of an empire, not an emperor's hand.
Doom would squeeze the hope from the people's minds and set in a national mindset of depression. A chain of events that started on April 23rd would lead to a brutal, long and horrific war. On that date Spain declared war once more on Tunis to finished a job she had started years earlier. By June 14th, Tunis had been annexed. England, the giant who had avoided a war with China but instead started several more in northern India had decided this growing nation needed a brutal reality check. On March 22nd The United Kingdom declared war on Spain, France joined her side in a lopsided contest that would drag great nations through the mud.
The options were few for this young alliance. They were gravely outnumbered by a nation holding all of the cards. Spain would attempt to seize Gibraltar while France would harass and engage the Royal Navy and defend her shores.
Spain met with initial success. The grizzled veterans of countless wars seized Gibraltar, but concurrently, the U.K seized a foothold La Coruna. The mountains there would make its recapture a nearly impossible task. France's navy was had limited success in specific theaters, but was soon a relic of the past, resting at the bottom of the English Channel. The alliance was now landlocked.
The gravest worry of Spanish generals was the complete incompetence of the French government to wage a war. Despite a vigorous and sustained effort to seize Caen, France maintained over 100,000 soldiers on the Italian borders. How could France fight a war with an arm tied behind its back?
This was a war of attrition, the U.K did not have the manpower to quickly invade either Spain or France, so a slow grind was began to use its tremendous economic and political muscle to bring the alliance low. With two navies now resting with the fish, there was no way to direct the war at England, no way to claim victory. The only strategy was to wait and hope that France didn't collapse. To pray that England would grow bored with two has-been powers.
Worry Grows In The Alliance
The Economic Report
The individual data points for the 3 years involved were so erratic that this average was need to make sense of the data.
Despite the war, Spain continued to expand at a healthy rate. Capitalists had begun investing in Spain and the level of technological innovation was fast improving. Moreover, due to the limited nature of Spain's involvement in the war, spending could be controlled and massive debt avoided.
Everyone's favorite emerging market, Russia, continued to expand at 8% a year, while the U.S emerged as the new front runner. England's growth remained unimpressive, but in nominal terms, there was no nation that could compare. Unfortunately, Spain progressed too far ahead in industrial research and had to switch to other areas before more economic innovation could continue. (remember the 4 level limit). In the long run, population would be Spain's greatest hurdle to economic success. All of the solid policy decisions in the world could not overcome a nation with slightly over 23 million. Eventually growth rates would need to be stimulated and populations assimilated, if they could survive this war ...
The Future Awaits
As a note, Sweden was removed from the economic watch list. Despite their impressive GDP / capita, their growth was stagnant and their economy too small to impact the World Economic picture.
The future of the era was blurred at best. Would Spain and France escape a pointless war intact, or would the British Empire come to dominate Europe ? If you had to guess, would you know that China was the second largest economy behind England? Is it possible that Europe could be displaced by a new Asian superpower ? Their growth from here on will be closely monitored.
1845 - 1847 : A Blood Dawn
Spain was a nation on the cusp of great things. The economic malaise had been burned from the fabric of a once backward society and all anyone could see was a better horizon. The steel industry was the backbone of this emerging economy, and it employed a vast majority of the middle class in northern Spain. Taxes for the wealthy were slashed and tariffs had been reduced in order to further stimulate the expansion of a virgin economy. It would be capitalism that would be the foundation of an empire, not an emperor's hand.
Doom would squeeze the hope from the people's minds and set in a national mindset of depression. A chain of events that started on April 23rd would lead to a brutal, long and horrific war. On that date Spain declared war once more on Tunis to finished a job she had started years earlier. By June 14th, Tunis had been annexed. England, the giant who had avoided a war with China but instead started several more in northern India had decided this growing nation needed a brutal reality check. On March 22nd The United Kingdom declared war on Spain, France joined her side in a lopsided contest that would drag great nations through the mud.
The options were few for this young alliance. They were gravely outnumbered by a nation holding all of the cards. Spain would attempt to seize Gibraltar while France would harass and engage the Royal Navy and defend her shores.
Spain met with initial success. The grizzled veterans of countless wars seized Gibraltar, but concurrently, the U.K seized a foothold La Coruna. The mountains there would make its recapture a nearly impossible task. France's navy was had limited success in specific theaters, but was soon a relic of the past, resting at the bottom of the English Channel. The alliance was now landlocked.
The gravest worry of Spanish generals was the complete incompetence of the French government to wage a war. Despite a vigorous and sustained effort to seize Caen, France maintained over 100,000 soldiers on the Italian borders. How could France fight a war with an arm tied behind its back?
This was a war of attrition, the U.K did not have the manpower to quickly invade either Spain or France, so a slow grind was began to use its tremendous economic and political muscle to bring the alliance low. With two navies now resting with the fish, there was no way to direct the war at England, no way to claim victory. The only strategy was to wait and hope that France didn't collapse. To pray that England would grow bored with two has-been powers.
Worry Grows In The Alliance
The Economic Report
The individual data points for the 3 years involved were so erratic that this average was need to make sense of the data.
Despite the war, Spain continued to expand at a healthy rate. Capitalists had begun investing in Spain and the level of technological innovation was fast improving. Moreover, due to the limited nature of Spain's involvement in the war, spending could be controlled and massive debt avoided.
Everyone's favorite emerging market, Russia, continued to expand at 8% a year, while the U.S emerged as the new front runner. England's growth remained unimpressive, but in nominal terms, there was no nation that could compare. Unfortunately, Spain progressed too far ahead in industrial research and had to switch to other areas before more economic innovation could continue. (remember the 4 level limit). In the long run, population would be Spain's greatest hurdle to economic success. All of the solid policy decisions in the world could not overcome a nation with slightly over 23 million. Eventually growth rates would need to be stimulated and populations assimilated, if they could survive this war ...
The Future Awaits
As a note, Sweden was removed from the economic watch list. Despite their impressive GDP / capita, their growth was stagnant and their economy too small to impact the World Economic picture.
The future of the era was blurred at best. Would Spain and France escape a pointless war intact, or would the British Empire come to dominate Europe ? If you had to guess, would you know that China was the second largest economy behind England? Is it possible that Europe could be displaced by a new Asian superpower ? Their growth from here on will be closely monitored.
WAR!! 
Just destroy as much divisions as you can. And off them gibraltar back in return for peace. But first wait a few years in hopes they start some other wars...
Just destroy as much divisions as you can. And off them gibraltar back in return for peace. But first wait a few years in hopes they start some other wars...
The big boy has entered the sandbox, might be a tough slog. Maybe holding Gibralter will give you some leverage to get a reasonable peace with the British.
Oh no - the British are coming! How frustrating... with no French navy, you cannot strike back easily at them while they harry you with impunity. And no doubt they continue to conscript tens of thousands of Indians...
Impressive - no, inspiring - growth with Spain. Great job. If you deal with perfidous Albion, I can't see your growth stopping as Spain reclaims her birthright. Time to restore your Empire - to the pillars of Hercules, and more!
Impressive - no, inspiring - growth with Spain. Great job. If you deal with perfidous Albion, I can't see your growth stopping as Spain reclaims her birthright. Time to restore your Empire - to the pillars of Hercules, and more!
The British tend to do this to everyone in Vicky.
Survive, consolidate. By 1900 you'll be able to take your revenge.
Survive, consolidate. By 1900 you'll be able to take your revenge.
RGB said:
Indeed. Unless I play the United Kingdom, I try very, very hard to be the British Empire's #1 pal - until I can try very, very hard to be able to sink the British navy and crush any British army that should bother me.
As for the Chinese, no surprise that they show up at #2 right near the beginning of the Grand Campaign. I can't see them doing anything but falling farther and farther behind, though. [As historical?]
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This here is a really interesting AAR. As the others have said, the economic growth stuff is nice and original.
I just wish for more detailed text. On the other hand this is easy stuff to read, you don't get stuck on the same week for three posts.
I just wish for more detailed text. On the other hand this is easy stuff to read, you don't get stuck on the same week for three posts.
Sometimes I think British naval supremacy is exaggerated to the point where it kills the game. I mean, sinking an ENTIRE navy? It's the same in the WW1 scenario where the germans get blown out of the water in weeks.
This war could go no for years and years, that said, I doubt you'll lose anything except maybe valuable days of peace.
This war could go no for years and years, that said, I doubt you'll lose anything except maybe valuable days of peace.
i have never seen china get so strong so early before! This is a very interesting AAR, i'll be sure to keep watching
1848 - 1850 One Life Closer To Peace
1848 - 1850 : The Red Coasts
1848
1848 was a year of escalating conflict. When the British Empire declared war on a morally conflicted nation, they lent that nation a cause to rally around. The Spanish nation would hardly survive losing this war and they faced the greatest of odds. They went from belligerent imperialists to representing the underdogs and minor nations of the world. The Spanish people wanted to pick, and so the British were portray as paper tigers in newspapers to antagonize a direct conflict, the only kind that Spain could win. Spanish generals followed a similar strategy, by concentrating the Spanish forces into one large spearhead, they could smash individual beachheads, but also encourage landings in other areas of Spain. The logic was clear, each division that was pushed into the Atlantic ocean, each British solider that never made it home, was one step closer to peace. Spain would not win this war, but it would make it such an agitation that the U.K would be forced to consider peace.
Initial Fighting March 16th 1848
The fighting of 1848 was horrific. The British landed troops in Cadiz and Beja, but Spanish veterans and new divisions freshly recruited fell upon the beaches like Odin reborn. The British soldiers on the beaches of Spain were ill prepared, the Empire's focus was in a million different directions, supplies were scare and support no-existent. The generals didn't see the great difficulty in the situation, as the southern fronts collapsed, they would respond by launching another in the north near La Coruna.
A Long Road North
The weak and hopeless response that Britain had expected never materialized. The Spanish hammer marched across the country again and again to meet the multiple landings that met with such a sad end.
Meanwhile to the north, the other half of the alliance was fairing better than anyone expected. While slow to respond, they could bring a massive force to bare against a small beachhead and so consistently drove the British to the sea.
Wasteful but effective
1849
The war was beginning to drain on Spain, while engaged in this seemingly endless war, she would only fall further and further behind the other great powers of Europe. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose from the conflict. The war had clearly affected economic activity, as capitalists became reluctant to invest in the nation and an agricultural recession took hold.
Take Faith People of Spain, This Will Not Last !
On March 1st, the situation changed completely. The year began with a another rout of british forces in Cadiz. The U.K was beginning to understand that this two front war of divided attention would be their undoing. Thus far the war in all respects had been a disaster. France had crushed multiple large scale landings in Caen and Western France, while the Spanish had proved surprisingly resilient and effective.
Peace At Last
On March 1st, the British Empire extended the olive branch to Spain. Both nations had something to gain by leaving this ill advised war behind them. Spain could return to expanding a newly forming empire and the English could focus all of their attentions on France. The peace was accepted. Had the war continued, it was possible that Spain could have ended up with Gibraltar, but the decades it would take to come to such a reality would grind the soul out of the nation. Better to rest and make the British pay in blood later.
Trouble was not done yet for Spain, political upheaval hit the small nation hard as the Slavery issue once again raised its ugly head. On September 11th there was a political assassination of a anti-slavery political figure and a push for emancipation exploded. The politician became an martyr for the abolishment of an arcane and inhuman practice. The growing support of laissez faire and liberal economic and social policies contrasted directly with the continued support of slavery.
Soon there was nothing but for the nation to decide on the issue once and for all. The decision came down less about current attitudes as future ones. The direction of the country predicted one outcome. The last thing the people of Spain wanted was the be rooted in the past.
Free At Last
1850
In 1850, Spain's eyes once again turned abroad. There were several uncivilized nations out there whose prestige was so low, that a war could hardly damage Spain's reputation. By this time Spain felt that it had the natural right to Africa. Latin America was lost, but Africa would be the bedrock upon which the new empire rose. Egypt stood in the gateway to this continent. With poor natural resources, but a large population the choice to invade was more about position than economic gain. Spain was hardly gaining as the other major powers exploded into the industrial revolution. Extreme action was needed to put Spain at the forefront of national consciousness. Only war combined with economic prowess could bring the kind of expansion Spain needed to catch the others.
The men who had just pushed the British soldiers off their shores, were now about to land on foreign ones. There was little strategy besides to use superior knowledge and weapons to take over a large junk of the ancient country. Oddly enough, Spain would actually find itself in 2 wars. Portugal, blinded by the rage of Spain's occupation of their country declared war as well.
Luckily, despite the bravery of the action, Portugal had not the resources to assemble any sort of offensive against an occupied Spain. Their deceleration meant little in the grand scheme of things.
By the end of the year, Spain had many significant inroads in Egypt and it appeared that the invasion would be completed by mid year of 1851.
1848 - 1850 : The Red Coasts
1848
1848 was a year of escalating conflict. When the British Empire declared war on a morally conflicted nation, they lent that nation a cause to rally around. The Spanish nation would hardly survive losing this war and they faced the greatest of odds. They went from belligerent imperialists to representing the underdogs and minor nations of the world. The Spanish people wanted to pick, and so the British were portray as paper tigers in newspapers to antagonize a direct conflict, the only kind that Spain could win. Spanish generals followed a similar strategy, by concentrating the Spanish forces into one large spearhead, they could smash individual beachheads, but also encourage landings in other areas of Spain. The logic was clear, each division that was pushed into the Atlantic ocean, each British solider that never made it home, was one step closer to peace. Spain would not win this war, but it would make it such an agitation that the U.K would be forced to consider peace.
Initial Fighting March 16th 1848
The fighting of 1848 was horrific. The British landed troops in Cadiz and Beja, but Spanish veterans and new divisions freshly recruited fell upon the beaches like Odin reborn. The British soldiers on the beaches of Spain were ill prepared, the Empire's focus was in a million different directions, supplies were scare and support no-existent. The generals didn't see the great difficulty in the situation, as the southern fronts collapsed, they would respond by launching another in the north near La Coruna.
A Long Road North
The weak and hopeless response that Britain had expected never materialized. The Spanish hammer marched across the country again and again to meet the multiple landings that met with such a sad end.
Meanwhile to the north, the other half of the alliance was fairing better than anyone expected. While slow to respond, they could bring a massive force to bare against a small beachhead and so consistently drove the British to the sea.
Wasteful but effective
1849
The war was beginning to drain on Spain, while engaged in this seemingly endless war, she would only fall further and further behind the other great powers of Europe. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose from the conflict. The war had clearly affected economic activity, as capitalists became reluctant to invest in the nation and an agricultural recession took hold.
Take Faith People of Spain, This Will Not Last !
On March 1st, the situation changed completely. The year began with a another rout of british forces in Cadiz. The U.K was beginning to understand that this two front war of divided attention would be their undoing. Thus far the war in all respects had been a disaster. France had crushed multiple large scale landings in Caen and Western France, while the Spanish had proved surprisingly resilient and effective.
Peace At Last
On March 1st, the British Empire extended the olive branch to Spain. Both nations had something to gain by leaving this ill advised war behind them. Spain could return to expanding a newly forming empire and the English could focus all of their attentions on France. The peace was accepted. Had the war continued, it was possible that Spain could have ended up with Gibraltar, but the decades it would take to come to such a reality would grind the soul out of the nation. Better to rest and make the British pay in blood later.
Trouble was not done yet for Spain, political upheaval hit the small nation hard as the Slavery issue once again raised its ugly head. On September 11th there was a political assassination of a anti-slavery political figure and a push for emancipation exploded. The politician became an martyr for the abolishment of an arcane and inhuman practice. The growing support of laissez faire and liberal economic and social policies contrasted directly with the continued support of slavery.
Soon there was nothing but for the nation to decide on the issue once and for all. The decision came down less about current attitudes as future ones. The direction of the country predicted one outcome. The last thing the people of Spain wanted was the be rooted in the past.
Free At Last
1850
In 1850, Spain's eyes once again turned abroad. There were several uncivilized nations out there whose prestige was so low, that a war could hardly damage Spain's reputation. By this time Spain felt that it had the natural right to Africa. Latin America was lost, but Africa would be the bedrock upon which the new empire rose. Egypt stood in the gateway to this continent. With poor natural resources, but a large population the choice to invade was more about position than economic gain. Spain was hardly gaining as the other major powers exploded into the industrial revolution. Extreme action was needed to put Spain at the forefront of national consciousness. Only war combined with economic prowess could bring the kind of expansion Spain needed to catch the others.
The men who had just pushed the British soldiers off their shores, were now about to land on foreign ones. There was little strategy besides to use superior knowledge and weapons to take over a large junk of the ancient country. Oddly enough, Spain would actually find itself in 2 wars. Portugal, blinded by the rage of Spain's occupation of their country declared war as well.
Luckily, despite the bravery of the action, Portugal had not the resources to assemble any sort of offensive against an occupied Spain. Their deceleration meant little in the grand scheme of things.
By the end of the year, Spain had many significant inroads in Egypt and it appeared that the invasion would be completed by mid year of 1851.
Economic Report
Economic Report
As noted by the chart above, despite solid Spanish growth, catching the other major powers would appear impossible. With all of the progress, Spain barely ranked above Mexico in export standings (thanks VH). It was hoped a population boom combined with colonial imports would be the fuel for a powerful economic engine.
The USA's growth cannot be underrated. They had come to control a large portion of total exports and that portion was growing fast, far faster than the lethargic UK. If you take into account that their population still sat barely above Prussia's, their economic rise was truly terrifying. Their GDP per capita sat around 42, contrast that with France's 14 and Austria's 6 ! When the flood of immigrants begins to swell the US population, it seems unlikely any nation will be able to keep up with their export growth, except perhaps a united Germany.
Economic Report
As noted by the chart above, despite solid Spanish growth, catching the other major powers would appear impossible. With all of the progress, Spain barely ranked above Mexico in export standings (thanks VH). It was hoped a population boom combined with colonial imports would be the fuel for a powerful economic engine.
The USA's growth cannot be underrated. They had come to control a large portion of total exports and that portion was growing fast, far faster than the lethargic UK. If you take into account that their population still sat barely above Prussia's, their economic rise was truly terrifying. Their GDP per capita sat around 42, contrast that with France's 14 and Austria's 6 ! When the flood of immigrants begins to swell the US population, it seems unlikely any nation will be able to keep up with their export growth, except perhaps a united Germany.
RGB said:
Well, I'm no longer allied with them, so I can't see through their FOW, but I think they should be able to hold off the invasion attempts, perhaps at great cost. They have a 100 military score with no navy, so my hope is that they pummel themselves. France could easily turn around and pound on me.
bsressler said:
Its always nice to watch your rivals self destruct in the face of war. Maybe a long protracted war will drain the economies of both nations and let you step up a bit.
With patience, Spain shall surely rise again. Now's an excellent opportunity to take some more off of the Portuguese and finally complete the reunification of the old Visigothic kingdom in Iberia.
Your GDP growth rates seem to be a very solid 7% yearly. The USA sure is doing incredible, though...
Your GDP growth rates seem to be a very solid 7% yearly. The USA sure is doing incredible, though...