The Protectorate, the Hispanic-Moroccan campaigns and the public opinion (1902-1923)

Authors

  • María Gajate Bajo Universidad de Salamanca

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v8i16.519

Keywords:

Protectorate, public opinion, propaganda, Annual, political awareness

Abstract

The aims of the present essay are two-fold: on the one side, to analyse the opinions published in several widely-circulated Spanish newspapers (mostly from Madrid and Barcelona) informing about the Spanish military campaigns in Morocco. On the other, and indirectly, it seeks to show —considering the link between published and public opinion— the response of the latter to such a controversial conflict, paying particular attention to the events of 1909 and 1921. The Barranco del Lobo disaster and the more dramatic one of Annual mark the highlights of the conflict, though it would not truly end until the Spanish-French landing in Alhucemas. It is not surprising that the Rif War, given its intermittent and bloody character, mobilized Spanish public opinion to unsuspected extremes. Despite this, as will be seen, public opinion was, and continues to be, a historical subject of polyhedral character, malleable and useful in the management of foreign policy. It is also intended to stress the importance of the press as an instrument at the service of historians: newspapers are, as a rule, a precious historical source, rich in discursive distinctions. Finally, it is intended to show some of the methods used by the main Spanish newspapers to inform and persuade (in some cases) the public of the convenience of remaining in the Sultanate.

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Author Biography

María Gajate Bajo, Universidad de Salamanca

María Gajate Bajo es profesora de la Escuela Universitaria de Relaciones Laborales (Universidad de Salamanca)

Published

2019-07-11 — Updated on 2020-03-22

How to Cite

Gajate Bajo, M. (2020). The Protectorate, the Hispanic-Moroccan campaigns and the public opinion (1902-1923). Revista Universitaria De Historia Militar, 8(16), 82–103. https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v8i16.519