The British Offer Their Rationalisations
I suppose it would be unfair to not explain British reasons for the backstab, so here we go.
Taking these facts into consideration, it is obvious that peace would only allow the Netherlands and Spain to both run away with the game, and that war is England's only hope for catching up. This leaves me with a choice -- do I attack Spain, or do I attack the Netherlands?
The main issue, of course, is France. With Napoleon on his way, I want to somehow weaken my economic rivals without giving Nappy an easy chance to rampage across Europe.
Therefore, I started considering the possible scenarios for a western war.
My one hope of winning was, and is, to pick the economic power that I think has the best chance of holding Napoleon back, crippling the other economic power in an attempt to increase English power and prestige (and weakening a possible French ally), waiting for the eventual French war, and hoping that France and my continental ally can fight themselves silly into a stalemate as I feast upon colonies and sneak into first place. In the end, I decided that Spain would be the better choice, for three reasons: Spain was in a better defensive position, and had a better chance of giving Nappy a fight; their economy was weaker than the Netherlands', and thus easier to surpass; and they had fewer victory points, also making them easier to surpass.
I had discussed with you in e-mail and ICQ beforehand the possibility that I would have to backstab you. I had hoped that would be enough. All I can say is that I did not intend to attack you just then -- I would rather have waited a few more years. Those sneaky Spaniards, DoWing like that!
I suppose it would be unfair to not explain British reasons for the backstab, so here we go.
- For the past fifty years, England had been sitting in fourth place, weakest of all the western nations.
- We had a strong economy, but it still lagged behind Spain's and the Netherlands'.
- Our military was top-notch, especially with regards to naval power.
Taking these facts into consideration, it is obvious that peace would only allow the Netherlands and Spain to both run away with the game, and that war is England's only hope for catching up. This leaves me with a choice -- do I attack Spain, or do I attack the Netherlands?
The main issue, of course, is France. With Napoleon on his way, I want to somehow weaken my economic rivals without giving Nappy an easy chance to rampage across Europe.
Therefore, I started considering the possible scenarios for a western war.
- England/France/Netherlands versus Spain. The status quo would have led to Spain's destruction as a power and, as such, would have crippled France's main threat. Napoleon would have been a tough critter to hold down after this.
- England/Spain versus France/Netherlands. This was the original plan. Given naval superiority, as we would surely have had, this situation would be optimal for me, as the French and Dutch colonies fall helplessly to my troops while no other country could make huge gains. However, the Dutch mainland would be difficult at best to invade, and it is questionable how long Spanish defences could last. It's a rather significant risk for Spain to take, though.
- England/Spain (and/or) Netherlands versus France. Crippling the Napoleonic threat before it starts. However, England would stand to gain relatively little from this arrangement, as France's colonies are not particularly valuable. Spain and the Netherlands would get the choice continental spoils. Alternatively, if it is only England/Netherlands versus France or England/Spain versus France, the continental ally gets squashed. This is, of course, bad.
- England/Spain/France versus Netherlands. Like England/Spain versus France/Netherlands, except with less risk for the Spanish. This has the added bonus of possibly alienating future France/Dutch relations, cutting off a source of money for Napoleonic France. This is the arrangement that actually happened.
My one hope of winning was, and is, to pick the economic power that I think has the best chance of holding Napoleon back, crippling the other economic power in an attempt to increase English power and prestige (and weakening a possible French ally), waiting for the eventual French war, and hoping that France and my continental ally can fight themselves silly into a stalemate as I feast upon colonies and sneak into first place. In the end, I decided that Spain would be the better choice, for three reasons: Spain was in a better defensive position, and had a better chance of giving Nappy a fight; their economy was weaker than the Netherlands', and thus easier to surpass; and they had fewer victory points, also making them easier to surpass.
I had discussed with you in e-mail and ICQ beforehand the possibility that I would have to backstab you. I had hoped that would be enough. All I can say is that I did not intend to attack you just then -- I would rather have waited a few more years. Those sneaky Spaniards, DoWing like that!
