As we approach the hundredth anniversary of what has been alternatively called (depending on where one is situated geographically, politically and historically) the Spanish-American War, the end of the Cuban war for independence, or simply the Cuban War (La Guerra de Cuba), an examination of the events that took place in that crucial year of 1898 appears to be in order. La Guerra de Cuba y la memoria colectiva, by Rosario Sevilla Soler, does precisely that. In this small but pithy volume, Sevilla Soler concerns herself with the role of the press, more precisely, the Andalusian press, in reflecting and shaping bourgeois and intellectual mentality in Spain, particularly in regard to a series of events that led to the final collapse of the Spanish empire: the rise of the United States as the great imperial power of the twentieth century; the independence of Cuba; and Spain’s loss to the United States of control over the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and, ultimately, the Pacific Islands.
The press was not only the sole means of information for common citizens (ciudadanos de a pie), but also reflected the different ideological and political perspectives that were currently influencing Spanish politics and Spain’s actions toward its overseas colonies. This dual role of the press, the author affirms, allows us to understand the two very different ways in which the process under study has permeated historical memory, reflecting on the one hand the writing of thinkers, literary figures, and intellectuals, and on the other hand the folklore of the popular classes. Sevilla Soler analyzes what seems to be a day-to-day reporting of four newspapers published in Sevilla. El Porvenir and El Noticiero Sevillano were the two papers with the greatest readership and, according to the author, the two most objective. El Progreso reflected the opinions of the Liberal party, which was in power at the time of the war and, therefore, often represented the official point of view. Finally, El Baluarte was the unofficial organ of the different republican factions and typically adopted points of view consistent with the opposition’s line.
Through the direct reading of news reports and commentaries, as well as from Sevilla Soler’s substantial and careful analyses of these, we are able to follow the high drama that the Spanish nation lived through during that fateful year. The drama of 1898 was initially characterized by the hyper-effervescence of self-confidence and hubristic chauvinism that prevented the development of effective political and military responses based on a realistic assessment of the situation. This attitude led to catastrophic political decisions, and finally to the humiliation of defeat and national collapse, which eventually determined so much of twentieth-century Spanish history.
Of particular interest—not only because it allows us to read with the freshness of today’s news the events that took place then, but also because this news is not well known to the general public nor even to some specialists—is the report of the negotiations that eventually led to the Treaty of Paris. This section, which Sevilla Soler fills in with one of the richest scholarly discussions of historical background in her entire text, is of extraordinary interest because it helps us understand the mistrust and even animosity with which many Spaniards still regard the United States, and which have very often determined the Spanish government’s reactions to U.S. policies. From the Spanish perspective, any chance Spain had to preserve a remnant of national dignity and public pride was quashed by the conditions imposed by the U.S. delegates to the treaty talks.
Of no less importance, of course, is the contempt with which, from that point on, Spaniards regarded their government and leaders, since all of them—political parties, the crown, opinion leaders, and even the church—had recklessly led them to a bloody, merciless, and ultimately hopeless war from which they would not be able to recover until the last quarter of this century. It is here where we can find the roots of many of the evils that marked the painful history of Spain in the years that were to come.
