Spain’s Economic and Political Restoration (1875-1898)
The Creation of a Common Market
The creation of a common market in Spain began in 1837 and was consolidated by 1892. This unification of the economic system created a single market, which was possible thanks to the organization of trade and transport networks, the establishment of legislation, and the unification of the commercial, financial, and tax systems.
Roads were improved, and the postal service was created in 1850, followed by the telegraph service in 1852. The construction of the railway,
Read MoreTriumph of Nationalism and Imperialism in Europe
Triumph of Nationalism in Europe
The Dawn of Nationalism
In the Middle Ages and modern times, the word “nation” meant a group of people born in one place and under the power of the same monarch. From its origins, there were two different concepts of nationalism:
- The German Romantics advocated the cultural conception of the nation (for them, the nation is a living being, created in the course of time, with a common language and culture).
- The French posed a theoretical concept of national policy (the
Colonialism: Imperialism, Economic Impact, and Global Effects
Colonial Imperialism and Racial Ideology
The idea of a white master race, whose intelligence and industrial capacity gave it the right to impose itself on other races, was presented as scientific fact in almost all European countries. They also imposed the idea that this justifiable domination could be exerted by any means, including war. This was considered a way of reasserting the power and cultural superiority of each country.
Economic Colonization
The colonizers took over land, abandoning traditional
Read MorePopular Front Victory & 1936 Coup in Spain
The 1936 Elections and the Path to Civil War in Spain
The need to join forces against the conservative government led to the elections of February 16, 1936. Multiparty alliances disappeared, forming two clearly antagonistic blocks: the leftist parties, grouped in the Popular Front, and the right-wing coalitions.
The Popular Front and the Right-Wing Coalitions
The Popular Front’s program focused on uniting the left, regardless of their differences, to oust the conservatives from power and relaunch the
Read MoreTordesillas Treaty, Renaissance Art, and Monarchies
The Treaty of Tordesillas: Dividing the World
The Portuguese claimed territories in America based on the Treaty of Alcaçovas (1479), which divided territories in the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and Portugal. The Catholic Monarchs also claimed that the territories discovered by Columbus were west of the Canary Islands, not south.
To resolve the conflict, the kings of Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). This treaty divided newly discovered lands outside Europe using an imaginary
Read MoreFranco’s Spain: Single-Party Rule & Repression
The Creation of the Single Party: The Government of Burgos
From October 1936, unlike the Republican side, there was a single, uncontested military command, but no political cohesion. The rebels had prohibited all political parties that were part of the Popular Front in the territory they controlled, as well as all class unions. Only the Spanish Falange JONS, whose founding chief, Primo de Rivera, had been shot by the Republicans, and the Traditionalist Communion acted as political groups. CEDA and
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