Intellectual and political movement in late 19th century and early 20th century Spain
Regenerationism
(
Spanish
:
Regeneracionismo
) was an intellectual and political movement in late 19th century and early 20th century
Spain
. It sought to make objective and scientific study of the causes of Spain's decline as a nation and to propose remedies. It is largely seen as distinct from another movement of the same time and place, the
Generation of '98
. While both movements shared a similar negative judgment of the course of Spain as a nation in recent times, the regenerationists sought to be objective, documentary, and scientific, while the Generation of '98 inclined more to the literary, subjective and artistic.
The most prominent representative of Regenerationism was the
Aragonese
politician
Joaquin Costa
with his maxim "School, larder and double-lock the tomb of
El Cid
" (
"Escuela, despensa y doble llave al sepulcro del Cid"
): that is, look to the future and let go of the grand triumphal narrative that begins with El Cid.
Origin
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The word
regeneracion
entered the
Spanish language
in the early 19th century as a medical term, the antonym of
corrupcion
(corruption); over time it became a metaphor for the opposite of
political corruption
. It became a new expression of the longstanding patriotic concern with the decline of Spain, a concern first expressed by the
Arbitristas
in the 16th and 17th centuries, then by
Enlightenment
thinkers and
Bourbon
reformers in the 18th century, sometimes satirized in the form of so-called
Proyectismo
("Project-ism") attacked by
Jose Cadalso
in his
Cartas marruecas
("Moroccan Letters"). But late 19th century Regenerationism was specifically a reaction against the political system founded by
Canovas
under the
Bourbon restoration
. Under Canovas system, alternation between conservative and liberal parties was
guaranteed by rigged elections
. This made the late 19th century, after the last of the
Carlist Wars
, a period of an illusory stability sustained on the basis of massive political corruption. This false stability hid, for a time, the misery of the common people, the poor economic distribution of Spain's belated
industrial revolution
,
caciquism
, and the triumph of an economic and political
oligarchy
. Only
Catalonia
and the
Basque Country
had seen the sustained rise of an
industrial capitalist
bourgeoisie (early industrialization in
Andalusia
having largely failed). With the end of
feudalism
and, in particular, the fraud-ridden expropriation of ecclesiastical properties (
see, for example,
Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizabal
), and the failure of land reform efforts, practically all of Spain's potentially productive farmland was under unproductive use in
latifundia
(large estates). Wages were low and many Spaniards were day laborers living on the edge of hunger.
Regenerationism was strongly influenced by Krausism, the philosophy of
Karl Christian Friedrich Krause
, which proclaimed freedom of conscience. Introduced into Spain by
Julian Sanz del Rio
, Krausism was very influential among liberal reformers in that country throughout the 19th century (combining with
positivism
in the latter portion of the century). Today, Regenerationism survives mostly as a component of
Aragonese nationalism
, for which it has long provided an ideological foundation.
Magazines
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The Regenerationist intellectuals wished to form a new, authentic idea of Spain, to which end they attempted to expose the deceptions of official Spain by disseminating studies in widely circulated magazines. Many of these predated those publications associated with the Generation of '98. The first was the
Revista Contemporanea
(1875?1907), founded by
Jose del Perojo
. Among its initial collaborators were numerous scholars associated with the Krausist
Institucion Libre de Ensenanza
(Free Institute of Instruction), an independent institution of higher education founded in
Madrid
in 1876. Among these were
Rafael Altamira
,
Julian Sanz del Rio
,
Rafael Maria de Labra
, and
Urbano Gonzalez Serrano
, who imported contemporary European aesthetic and philosophical currents and propagated them within Spain breaking links with Spanish cultural tradition. Another prestigious publication was
La Espana Moderna
(1889?1914). Founded by
Jose Lazaro Galdiano
, it sought to be Spain's
Revue des deux mondes
. Like
Revista Contemporanea
, it sought to be cosmopolitan, European, and contemporary. Among its collaborators were
Ramiro de Maeztu
and
Miguel de Unamuno
. Another Regenerationist magazine was
Nuevo Teatro Critico
("New Critical Theater"), written almost entirely by literary theorist
Emilia Pardo Bazan
, who was Europeanist as well as sincerely
feminist
.
Regenerationist writers
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The Regenerationist writers published studies and essays that denounced the corrupt
Canovist
system. This was given particular evidence and impetus by the defeat of Spain's technically obsolete military in the
Spanish?American War
of 1898, when Spain lost virtually all that remained of
its colonial empire
(losing
Cuba
,
Puerto Rico
, the
Philippines
and several smaller island possessions).
Statue of
Joaquin Costa
in
Zaragoza
.
The way had been somewhat prepared by
Lucas Mallada
's
Los males de la patria y la futura revolucion espanola
("The ills of the country and the future Spanish revolution", 1890) and
Ricardo Macias Picavea
's
El problema nacional
("The national problem"), as well as Krausist attacks on illiteracy and official state pedagogy, most notably as led by the Institucion Libre de Ensenanza directed by
Francisco Giner de los Rios
.
The most important author (and political figure) of this movement was
Joaquin Costa
.
[1]
He caused a commotion with his works
Colectivismo agrario en Espana
("Agrarian Collectivism in Spain", 1898) and
Oligarquia y caciquismo como la forma actual de gobierno en Espana
("Oligarchy and
caciquism
as the current form of the Spanish government", 1901).
Later, a constellation of authors would follow Costa's road.
Rafael Altamira
(1866?1951), from
Alicante
, wrote
Psicologia del pueblo espanol
("Psychology of the Spanish people", 1902), where he conceived patriotism as a spiritual concept innate in peoples. Other past authors claimed as proto-Regenerationists were
Juan Gines de Sepulveda
,
Francisco de Quevedo
,
Benito Jeronimo Feijoo
, and others.
Lucas Mallada, Aragonese like Costa, strongly criticized the
Idearium espanol
proposed by
Angel Ganivet
and addressed French
Hispanophobia
as a grave evil, countered somewhat by German
Hispanophilia
. He defended Spanish activity in the Americas and believed that its reputation had improved, despite inadequate attention to its own affairs. He rejected the pessimism of Ricardo Macias Picavea (1847?1899) in the latter's
El problema nacional
. Rejecting Macias Picavea's call for a dictatorship, he sympathized instead with the 18th century satirist
Juan Pablo Forner
and with Joaquin Costa, who sought to reform Spain's democracy. He separated national life from the mere poor example set by its leaders, and summarized the national failings as:
- lack of patriotism
- self-contempt
- absence of common interest
- lack of a concept of independence
- undervaluing tradition
Similar views can be found in the work of the
Castilian-Leonese
writer
Jose Maria Salaverria
(1873?1940), author of
Vieja Espana
("Old Spain", 1907).
The ideals and proposals of the Regenerationists were seized upon by conservative politicians such as
Francisco Silvela
, whose famous article "Sin pulso" ("Without a pulse") was published in
El Tiempo
16 August 1898, and
Antonio Maura
, who saw Regenerationism as a sufficient vehicle for his political aspirations. At the same time, Regenerationism was equally taken up by liberal politicians such as
Santiago Alba
,
Jose Canalejas
and
Manuel Azana
.
Benito Perez Galdos
assimilated Regenerationism to his initial
Krausism
in the final works of his
Episodios nacionales
and even the dictator
Miguel Primo de Rivera
appropriated some of Costa's discourse, particularly his call for an "iron surgeon" to accomplish urgently needed national reforms. He brought to fruition at least one of Costa's dreams: a national
hydrological
plan. But the figures who most prominently prolonged the current of Regenerationism until the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War
in 1936 were such writers as
Juan Pio Membrado Ejerique
,
Julio Senador Gomez
,
Constancio Bernaldo de Quiros
,
Luis Morote
,
Ramiro de Maeztu
,
Pedro Corominas
,
Adolfo Posada
, and
Jose Ortega y Gasset
.
References
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External links
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