Spain, from liberalism to Fascism, 1808-1977

CHARLES ESDAILE, Spain in the Liberal Age: From Constitution to Civil War, 1808-1939 (Blackwell, London, 2000), xii +434 pp., ISBN 0-631-14988-0 (hb), £18.99STANLEY G. PAYNE, Fascism in Spain, 1923-1977 (University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI, 1999), xiii +601 pp., ISBN 0-299-16564-7 (pb), $24.95 The two works under review constitute a remarkable and welcome analysis of the complex and too often violent making of modern Spain. To most Anglo-Saxon readers accustomed to the relatively political and constitutional normality of their countries, the history of Spain could appear as a chaotic succession of strife, insurrections and military intervention. Indeed, few countries in Europe have experienced in the space of some 130 years such a number of civil wars, royal departures and restorations, and praetorian rule. The shortcomings and fragile foundations of Spanish liberalism explain this constant cycle of political and social instability. This long period of turmoil initiated by the French invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1808 to the end of the Civil War in 1939 is the framework for the book by Charles Esdaile. The complexity of the subject and the gigantic shadow still cast by the pioneering study of Raymond Carr, Spain 1808-1939, meant that it was not an easy undertaking. Thus one has to recognize both the urgent necessity for this text and admire the author's ability to carry it off. Ironically, Esdaile, a 19th century expert, excels in the chapters dealing with the period 1898-1936, a notable updating and improvement on Carr's masterly work. Yet, and perhaps because of his expertise, the breathless narrative of the first half of the text often conceals the overall analysis.