Spain: A Unique History - By Stanley G. Payne (original) (raw)
Related papers
Spain, Europe and The Wider World 1500–1800
European Review of History: Revue europeenne d'histoire, 2011
is surely the most distinguished Anglophone historian of early modern Spain and its empire; and his mastery of that topic has enabled him to make an equally distinguished contribution to our understanding of Europe as a whole between the 15th and 18th centuries. In this collection of some of his most recent articles, essays and lectures, Elliott continues to demonstrate the remarkable qualities which have underpinned that reputation. 'Part 1: Europe' opens with Elliott's important and widely cited Past and Present article, first published in 1992, on 'A Europe of Composite Monarchies', in which he explores more sympathetically than has traditionally been the case this distinctive early modern political structure, its strengths and weaknesses. In 'Learning from the Enemy: Early Modern Britain and Spain', an otherwise less easily-found Dacre Lecture, given in Oxford in 2007 in honour of Hugh Trevor-Roper, one-time mentor of the author, Elliott explores what he identifies as a rather obscure side to the relationship between England and Spain in the later 16th and early 17th centuries: alongside the very negative reaction of the former to the latter, encapsulated in the so-called 'Black Legend' of Catholic cruelty, there was an understandable readiness to admire and imitate some aspects of a dominant Spanish culture and practice, until a reversal of attitude occurred in face of Spanish decline in the later 17th century. For their part, Spaniards were less inclined to look to England for solutions to Spain's problems, at least before the 18th century, and not always then. Nevertheless, his exploration enables Elliott to draw some broader conclusions about a subject which greatly interested the honorand of the lecture-'why societies become dynamic at certain moments in their history', for example Europe between 1500 and 1800-and to suggest that the explanation included a readiness (here, on the part of the competing states of early modern Europe) to contemplate the achievements of others. In 'The General Crisis in Retrospect: A Debate Without End' (2005), Elliott provides an invaluable history of, and commentary on that debate, reiterating his view that it was the state which was revolutionary and the upheavals conservative; he also takes the opportunity to repeat a contention familiar to readers of his work, the importance of the broad canvas and of comparison of one state and society with another, to tease out the crucial features of a historical situation. One further observation by Elliott in this essay is elaborated in that which follows. In 'A Non-Revolutionary Society: Castile in the 1640s' (1990), Elliott explores the paradox that Castile exhibited all the 'preconditions' of revolution in that disturbed decade, but did not in fact revolt. In this way, Elliott throws into relief the subject of loyalty in the past, a theme which historians have arguably neglected for its opposite, disloyalty, rebellion, treachery. In the final essay in this section, 'Europe
Within the thousand years from the coming of the Visigoths in the fifth century to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella in the fifteenth, the character of Hispanic civilization was shaped and molded in significant ways. In the struggle for existence in an often inhospitable environment the Hispanic peoples developed those distinctive traits cited by Ramôn Menéndez Pidal : austerity, stoicism, individualism, bravery to the point of rashness, and the desire for fame—the imperishable fame that comes through remembrance in history. While historians agree that the medieval centuries were important in the making of Hispanic civilization, they are divided in their estimates of the relative influence of ethnic, religious, and cultural elements. Spanish historians especially have explored their past in an attempt to explain those apparent faults of character they see as causing Spain's decadence in modern times or the retardation of her political and cultural development when compared to that of other European countries. The debate among them is colored by ideological considerations, such as the traditional Castilian ambition to dominate the entire peninsula and the contrary desires of Basque and Catalan nationalists to preserve their identity and to recover their independence. The Portuguese, having maintained their independence of Spain and of Castilian hegemony, have taken less interest in a controversy that seems not to affect them.
History of Spain and Portugal (UTA, 2011)
The cultural, political, and economic history of the Iberian peninsula from ancient times to the present. Medieval topics include the Muslim invasion and the Christian reconquest. The Catholic Church, the rise of Iberian overseas empires, and artistic achievements will also be analyzed. Ideologies such as liberalism, anarchism, and the traditional monarchist ideal will also receive consideration. The Spanish Civil War, the collapse of authoritarian dictatorships, and the restoration of democracy will conclude this course.