Abstract
During the Spanish democratic period of1868-1874 it became popular in the press, parliamentary rhetoric, and literature to identify Spain as «the Poland of the South». This rhetorical expression reflected the pessimism provoked in all parties by the political instability, the intervention of foreign powers in Spanish internal affairs, and the menace posed to the territorial integrity of the nation. The idea that Spain was condemned to a destiny similar to Poland's reaches its climax after the proclamation of the Republic in 1873, when the governments of Madrid were fighting on three fronts: the Cuban war, the Carlist war, and the Cantonalist insurrection. An analysis of the Episodios nacionales of Perez Galdos makes it possible to trace the evolution of this topic and its influence over the national image of Spain, and the mark it left four decades later with the beginning of the separatists movements, especially Basque nationalism.
Highlights
During the Spanish democratic period of1868-1874 it became popular in the press, parliamentary rhetoric, and literature to identify Spain as «the Poland of the South»
This rhetorical expression reflected the pessimism provoked in all parties by the political instability, the intervention offoreign powers in Spanish internal affairs, and the menace posed to the territorial integrity of the nation
The idea that Spain was condemned to a destiny similar to Poland's reaches its climax after the proclamation of the Republic in 1873, when the governments of Madrid werefightingon three fronts: the Cuban war, the Carlist war, and the Cantonalist insurrection
Summary
Podemos explorar la imagen de Polonia en la opinión pública española del siglo XIX orientándonos con ayuda de tres coordenadas. En el momento en el que la caída del II Imperio parecía señalar el declive latino y el ascenso germano, España pasaba por ser un ejemplo acelerado de decadencia, como lo había sido Polonia un siglo antes dentro de la familia eslava. Los españoles de 1872 se sentían tan humillados como los polacos de 1772: tras dominar Italia durante siglos, tendrían ahora por rey al vastago de una casa ducal despreciada por la aristocracia hispana; después de haber sido por largo tiempo una potencia de primer orden, veían que ahora otras naciones intervenían con descaro en sus asuntos internos, lanzaban vetos y amenazaban con «poner orden». A finales del siglo XVIII los poderosos pronunciaron una terrible sentencia: Finis Poloniae ¿Había llegado el momento del Finis Hispaniae? En esta crucial encrucijada, en esta hora decisiva de la evolución del nacionalismo español, un espectro recorría la Península: era el fantasma de los repartos de Polonia
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