El Estado grande de los moderados en la España del siglo XIX

Abstract

An analysis of the work of a group of Spanish authors who moved in Moderate Party circles in the reign of Isabel II and had a common interest in public administration shows that they shared a particular State culture. These authors (Javier de Burgos, Ortiz de Zuniga, Olivan, Colmeiro) conceived of a new State model that would break with the tradition of the previous jurisdictional monarchy, both that of the Ancien Regime and the one designed by the 1812 Constitution. The key to that new State was that it was identified with the Administration, a public Administration that was centralized, interventionist and well resourced and would take the Government’s action to every corner of the territory. This ideal vision, which they did not see fully realized in their lifetimes, served, broadly speaking, as a guide to the construction of the contemporary Spanish State; it also carried implications, such as the marginalization of the Cortes and Justice becoming subservient to a Government that was the very embodiment of the State.