Spain, Europe, and the 'Spanish Miracle', 1700–1900

David Ringrose here re-examines the history of Spain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He challenges the pessimism of prevailing assumptions about Spanish history, and its conventional separation into pre- and post-Napoleonic eras. Spain, Europe, and the 'Spanish Miracle', 1700–1900 also questions the importance of the empire for Spain's own economy, suggesting instead that Spain evolved as part of Europe; indeed, some of the recently documented modernisation of the nineteenth century was already well under way in the eighteenth. In addition, the emergence of a governing élite closely tied to provincial society is placed in the context of traditional networks of patronage based upon close-knit family ties. Such a perspective makes the transitions of the 1930s and 1970s easier to explain. This important and challenging book will change our understanding of the history of modern Spain.

"...a splendid book....a view of the country's history that should transform historiographical debates....The book merits a wide professional readership..." American Historical Review, "...this remarkable study of 18th- and 19th-century Spain offers fresh, indeed innovative and controversial interpretations....An excellent analysis of political networks, provincial elites, and institutions..." Choice, "...nothing in Spanish historiography tackles the broad range of issues addressed in this book. Spanish Miracle will appeal to European, not just Spanish, historians and may interest a wider audience of history aficionados. I can think of no better introduction to the historical development of Spain than this superbly written, eminently readable tome." History, "In this pathbreaking book, Rongrose not only analyzes a range of empirical evidence, but he urges a redfinition of the way in which scholars examine Spanish economic history." Carla Rahn Philips, Journal of Interdisciplinary History