Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 939 The network of Brazilian Emperor Pedro II

On July 1881, 7, Gerrit de Vries, leader of the opposition Liberal Party of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, met in Melbourne with Harry, the special envoy of Brazilian Prime Minister Fonseca and deputy leader of the Social Liberal Party.

Harry said that after taking power, Fonseca and his Social Liberal Party vigorously promoted the economic reforms of the Brazilian Empire, imitating the Netherlands in setting up central banks, banking and financial supervisory agencies, and privatizing the public sector.

In just 20 years, the Brazilian Empire has become a wealthy country in the world. The growth of foreign trade and the influx of large amounts of foreign investment have brought great vitality to Brazil.

Among them, foreign capitals such as the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom have large investments in Brazil.

Businessmen from these three countries are the largest investors in Brazil.

Originally, before 1879, the Netherlands had a large amount of investment in Argentina, which promoted Argentina's economic development. However, in 1878, Argentina and the Netherlands were at odds with each other due to problems in Chile, and Dutch capital was transferred to Brazil.

On the contrary, the Netherlands has overtaken the latecomers and become the number one investor in Brazil.

It is even one of the main reasons why Fonseca's rule in Brazil has become more stable.

On July 1881, 7, in the Plaza del Popolo in Rio de Janeiro, supporters of the Social Liberal Party waved Brazilian flags with great enthusiasm.

Pre-election polls show that the competition for the prime minister's race is very fierce, but the leader of the Workers' Party, led by Pedro II, has a slight lead. Two polls in Shenzhen last Friday showed that his support exceeded 51%. threshold.

The Prime Minister of the Brazilian Empire has a five-year term, and the election is modeled after that of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, using a two-round voting system with direct universal suffrage.In the first round of voting, the top two candidates with half of the votes cast will compete in the second round.

If a second round of voting is required, the second round of voting will be held half a month later. Brazil's parliamentary elections implement a proportional representation system, and the threshold for the parliamentary vote share of political parties and party alliances is 5%.

"This time, the UK will support Pedro II, so we openly support His Majesty the Emperor who has made great contributions to the development of Brazil."

On July 1881, 7 in the United Kingdom, the spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office under No. 17 Downing Street directly publicly expressed support for the Brazilian Emperor Pedro II.

"Our Majesty the Queen has sent a telegram to Pedro II, asking him to say hello to the Brazilian people. At the same time, British capital operations will conduct more economic exchanges with Brazil in the next long period of time. , to help Rio de Janeiro improve its economy and keep it in step with European economic development."

The Embassy of the German Empire in Brazil announced that the German Empire has extended an invitation to Pedro II to visit Berlin within the year.

At the same time, Austria-Hungary also spoke out.

Pedro II's mother was the Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, and his maternal grandfather was Franz II. His uncle was the former Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I. In 1848, Ferdinand I passed the throne to He married his nephew, Franz Joseph I, the current Emperor of Austria-Hungary.

That is, Franz Joseph I was the cousin of Pedro II.

However, Vienna only replied: "The combined fleet of the German-Austrian Alliance will visit Rio de Janeiro in the middle of next month."

It's a light word, but it carries a lot of weight.

Pedro II's grandfather, Noão VI, was the King of Portugal, and his father, Pedro I, was the Prince (Crown Prince) of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarve in 1816. However, in 1821, Noão VI became the king of Portugal. Later, he became the regent of Brazil. In 1822, Portugal rebelled, and Brazil opposed Portuguese rule. Finally, in order to maintain the overall situation of the family in Brazil, Pedro II declared the independence of Brazil and proclaimed himself the emperor of Brazil.And therefore, he has an uncle-nephew relationship with Louis I of Portugal.

Such a relationship made Portugal's Luis I immediately announce in Lisbon that Portugal supported Pedro II's approach to taking power in Brazil.He also criticized Fonseca's behavior as prime minister in bullying his own emperor as being very inappropriate.

"Portugal does not want the rebellion to happen in Rio de Janeiro. If it happens, Portugal's 20-strong army will stand on the side of Pedro II."

Louis I's strong statement made Portugal's dissatisfaction with the situation in Brazil known.

Obviously, the attitudes of these countries are inclined to deal with Pedro II.

However, what is somewhat surprising is that although Spain announced that it would not choose sides, it also expressed its optimism about Pedro II.

Anyone who knows the inside story knows that this is because Pedro II and Isabella II are also related.

Also because his mother is Carlotta Joaquina, the princess of Carlos IV of Spain.

Carlos IV later passed the throne to his son Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand VII had no adult sons. In the end, he had no choice but to pass the throne to his daughter Princess Isabella in 1833, but his mother Maria was too young. After serving as regent, she took over the throne in 1843 and is now King Isabella II of Spain.

That is, the cousin of King Isabella II of Spain and Pedro II, who was the son of her aunt.

Obviously, Spain's statement has loosened the Dutch camp.

Since the Netherlands allowed Spain to join the Nordic League in 1869, the alliance between the Netherlands and Spain has been very strong.Many times, the two countries stand together. Even when facing the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands will not hesitate to stand on each other's side and oppose the United Kingdom.

But now facing Brazil's domestic election, although Spain says it will not choose a side, everyone with a discerning eye knows that this is Isabella II's position revealed to the outside world.

This excited Pedro II in Rio de Janeiro and his supporters were also excited.

If Pedro II is most worried about external sources of water, it is naturally the Netherlands, the supporter behind Prime Minister Fonseca. Having had contacts with him over the years, he knows that the Netherlands has very strong capabilities, especially as the Netherlands’ influence in South America increases. Coming to the next level, on one side, as Britain, Germany, Opsi and other countries have expressed their opinions one after another, they have all won.

Pedro II couldn't help but feel elated.

However, many times, it is often at this moment that the horse stumbles.

On July 1881, 7, the 20 Latin American countries (Netherlands, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica) announced directly in Kiel, Ecuador that they had Invite Brazilian Prime Minister Fonseca to give a speech at the organization's headquarters in Kiel and deliver a speech on the relationship between the Brazilian Imperial Cabinet government under his leadership and the G13.Once this news was verified, Pedro II immediately became dissatisfied.

Luis I of Portugal directly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Group of Thirteen in Lisbon, "I don't think the organization established by this small country has much influence on Brazil. We in Portugal will always support the Brazilian royal family."

(End of this chapter)