How did Spain, the first empire, fall?

If16th century is the era of Spain, people will certainly not object. Spain, as the earliest maritime hegemon after the opening of the Great Navigation Era, colonized and expanded everywhere. At its peak, its colonial area reached 310.5 million square kilometers, more than six times that of Portugal, which ranked second in the same period. It was the first to own it? Empire when the sun never sets? The title of empire.

Spain also plundered the American continent crazily, taking 83% of the gold and silver mined in the world as its own, becoming the richest maritime empire in Europe.

It is puzzling that the rise of Spain lasted only a century, and it never came back from the empire that never set in the sun. Why?

(Spanish colonial expansion)

First, the population is declining.

The decline of Spain began in17th century. At that time, the population of the whole Europe experienced a short-term decline, or the growth rate declined, with the exception of the Netherlands and China, which maintained a stable population growth envied by other countries.

On the other hand, Spain is famous for its rapid population decline. During the century of 1600- 1700, the population of Spain decreased by 1/4, from 8 million to less than 6 million. Insufficient population means insufficient labor force, and the overall vitality of the country will decline.

So where did the population of Spain go?

First of all, while Spain was expanding abroad, many Spaniards immigrated to the resource-rich American colonies in order to change their living conditions. There are about 450,000 such groups. At the same time, only 1609 expelled Morisco people at one time, reaching 275,000.

War is also a big influence factor. The Thirty Years' War and the Dutch War of Independence not only dealt a heavy blow to Spain's finances, but also reduced the number of school-age children and affected Spain's birth rate.

Another factor is the plague. After entering the17th century, a serious plague crisis broke out in Spain, and the population was hit again. Coupled with rising inflation, high prices, economic downturn, the decline in fertility will also accelerate the decline in population.

(King charles ii of England)

Second, the crisis of silver production reduction.

Because Spain laid a large area of American colonies, it gained a lot of gold and silver and became an upstart that made the royal families of European countries jealous. According to statistics, in the whole 1 6-18th century, Spain plundered 2.5 million kilograms of gold and silver and1100 million kilograms respectively.

However, this wealth has not brought vitality to the Spanish economy. Due to the interests of overseas expansion, it has always been in the hands of monopoly classes such as the royal family and nobles. These people covet comfort and enjoyment all day, live by land rent and official position, and despise all labor-oriented industries such as industry and commerce and agriculture.

Under their influence, the Spaniards all idled around, despised labor, sharpened their heads and drilled into the aristocratic pile all day, forming the so-called Idago spirit.

In Spain, where there is no industry, agriculture and commerce, with the influx of gold and silver, prices began to soar. Those civilians who could not share the colonial wealth had to bear the heavy pressure of living costs, and countless craftsmen and farmers became thieves and beggars.

After 1620, a flood broke out in Mexico City, which opened the prelude to the reduction of production in American colonial mines. A large number of silver mines are short of mercury, and the continuous rainy days lead to the collapse of water, which directly leads to the reduction or even no harvest of silver mines. Pirates from the Netherlands, Britain and France continued to attack ships carrying gold and silver in the colonies.

The decline of industry and agriculture also made it difficult for Spain to meet the needs of the colonies for means of subsistence. European powers took the opportunity to enter, and a large amount of silver entered other countries through trade and smuggling. King charles ii of England said in 1676 that Spanish silver can be seen everywhere in Europe, and its colonial interests in America have been eroded to the limit, which makes Spain, which relies on gold and silver to maintain its operation, quickly stretched.

(network diagram)

Third, wage war everywhere.

The wealth shipped back from the colonies not only made the nobles extravagant, but also exploded their self-confidence and expansion ambitions. In order to maintain its rule in Europe, Spain with deep pockets launched wars everywhere.

Since Charles V, Spain has been at war with France, Osman, Holland, Sweden and Prussia. The Gambury War, the Dutch War of Independence, the Spanish-British War, the Thirty Years War and the French-Spanish War almost spread all over Europe. During the period from 15 19 to 1659, there was no war in Spain for only two years.

The war cost people and money and caused great losses. The gold and silver shipped back from the colonies supported Spain's foreign hegemonic war. However, with the reduction of silver production and the attack on shipping lanes, Spain, which was in a depressed local economy, was finally crushed in front of the newly developed British and French powers.

1659, Spain and France signed the peace treaty of the Pyrenees, and the matador who ran rampant for a century never recovered. Not only did he lose a lot of European territory, but even Gibraltar at his doorstep was taken away by the British. The colonies he laid were either independent or taken away, or even? Empire when the sun never sets? His hat is also worn by the British.

Today, the territory of Spain is only 506,000 square kilometers, and it has shrunk to 1.6% at its peak. The once empire that never sets has thus become a second-rate country in Europe.