Traditionalism () is a Spanish political doctrine formulated in the early 19th century and developed until today. It understands politics as implementing Catholic social teaching and the social kingship of Jesus Christ, with Catholicism as the state religion and Catholic religious criteria regulating public morality and every legal aspect of Spain. In practical terms it advocates a loosely organized monarchy combined with strong royal powers, with some checks and balances provided by organicist representation, and with society structured on a corporative basis. Traditionalism rejects democracy, human rights, constitution, universal suffrage, sovereignty of the people, division of powers, religious liberty, freedom of speech, equality of individuals, and parliamentarism. The doctrine was adopted as the theoretical platform of the Carlist socio-political movement, though it appeared also in a non-Carlist incarnation. Traditionalism has never exercised major influence among the Spanish governmental strata, yet periodically it was capable of mass mobilization and at times partially filtered into the ruling practice.
History
Spanish Traditionalism is one of the oldest continuously proclaimed political doctrines in the world, its origins traced back to the late 18th century. In terms of intellectual grandeur the theory enjoyed its climax three times: in the 1840–1850s thanks to works of Jaime Balmes and Juan Donoso Cortés, in the 1890–1900s thanks to works of Enrique Gil Robles and Juan Vázquez de Mella, and in the 1950–1960s thanks to works of Francisco Elías de Tejada and Rafael Gambra. In terms of impact on real-life politics the concept exercised most visible influence during the rule of Ramón Narváez in the 1840–1850s, Miguel Primo de Rivera in the 1920s and Francisco Franco in the 1940–1950s.
Antecedents
Spanish Traditionalism is almost unanimously considered a doctrine born in the 19th century, though there are vastly different views as to what intellectual phenomena could be viewed as its antecedents. Apart from isolated cases of going back to pre-Christian times,see e.g. references to Carlism as a concept rooted in pre-Christian theories of Aristotle and fathers of the Church in the letter of José Miguel Gambra Gutiérrez, leader of Comunión Tradicionalista Carlista, to Enrique Sixto de Borbón, dated February 21, 2010, available here the most far-reaching perspective is the one which identifies the roots of Traditionalism with beginnings of Spanish political tradition,named "los escritores tradicinalistas o pertenecientes a la escuela española", Melchor Ferrer, Domingo Tejera de Quesada, José Acedo, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. 1, Sevilla 1941, p. 8 the latter embodied in works of Isidore of Seville.Ferrer 1941, pp. 11–19 Together with works of other minor Spanish medieval scholarslike Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo, Raimundo Lulio and others, Ferrer 1941, p. 19 and onwards it reportedly enjoyed its climax in the 16th century, from Fernando de RoaFerrrer 1941, pp. 31–32 to Antonio de GuevaraFerrer 1941, p. 33 to Juan de Mariana,Ferrer 1941, pp. 38–46 and laid foundations for Traditionalist understanding of power and politics, derived from Christian and natural order. In the 17th century it was enriched with concepts related to intermediary bodies, political representation and limitation of royal powers, all thanks to works of Juan Fernández de Madrano, Tomás Cerdán de Tallada, Agustín de Rojas Villandrando, Juan de Madariaga, Francisco de Sánchez de la Barreda, Juan de Palafox y Mendoza and especially Francisco de Quevedo.Ferrer 1941, pp. 57–100 Other scholars tend to be skeptical of such a far-reaching approach and suggest that it confuses Traditionalism with Spanish political tradition.perhaps most bold statement on the issue was produced by Javier Herrero, who denied any continuity or identity between Traditionalism and the Spanish tradition by claiming that their reactionary vision "ni era tradición ni era española", see Javier Herrero, Los origenes del pensamiento reaccionario español, Madrid 1971, p. 24. For a sample of many very critical reviews of the book see Vladimir Lamsdorff Galagane, Los orígenes del pensamiento reaccionario español, de Javier Herrero, [in:] Revista de Estudios Políticos 183–184 (1972), pp. 391–399; see also Mariano de Santa Ana, Es preciso no confundir tradición con tradicionalismo, [in:] La Página 50 (2002), pp. 37–44
According to a somewhat competitive perspectiveFrancisco Elías de Tejada, Rafael Gambra, Fernando Puy, ¿Qué es el carlismo?, Madrid 1971, p. 29. According to the authors, it was opposition to putting interests of Casa de Borbón over those of Spain which "es lo que da lugar al nacimiento del tradicionalismo del siglo XVIII" antecedents of Traditionalism can be identified no sooner than in the 18th century, as their emergence was conditioned by experience of discontinuity between the past and the present.Pedro Carlos González Cuevas, Los tradicionalismos. El tradicionalismo como ideologia, [in:] Pedro Carlos González Cuevas (ed.), Historia del pensamiento político español del Renacimiento a nuestros días, Madrid 2016, , pp. 137–158 The first manifestations of pre-Traditionalist thought were born – the theory goes – as opposition to modernizing Borbonic reforms imported from France and resulting in buildup of an absolute monarchy.Jordi Canal, El carlismo, Madrid 2000, , pp. 31–32; detailed discussion in Francisco Puy, El pensamiento tradicional en el siglo XVIII, Madrid 1969. According to one theory, "Ilustrados" and "tradicionalistas" competed for power across most of the 18th century, with Traditionalists claiming that Enlightenment posed a threat to the royal rule. The ilustrados are referred to as having enjoyed most power between 1753 and 1773; after expulsion of the Jesuits the king started to lean back to traditional way, Enrique Martínez Ruiz, Enrique Giménez, José Antonio Armillas, Consuelo Maqueda, La España moderna, Madrid 1992, , p. 502 Initially the critics focused on intended homogenization of state; writers and scholars like Juan Manuel Fernández Pacheco, Narciso Feliú de la Peña and Manuel Larramendi objected to centralization efforts of Felipe V and voiced in favor of traditional local establishments.Jacek Bartyzel, Nic bez Boga, nic wbrew tradycji, Radzymin 2015, , pp. 57–58 In the mid-18th century the criticism shifted to technocratic mode of governing; Andrés Piquer Arrufat, Nuix de Perpiñá brothers and especially Fernando de Ceballos y Mier"Padre Fernando Ceballos y Mier stays at the roots of Spanish Traditionalism, himself merging liberal-conservatism, traditionalism and radical rightism", Юрий Владимирович Василенко, У истоков испанского традиционализма: случай падре Ф. Себальоса, [in:] Научный ежегодник Института философии и права Уральского отделения Российской академии наук 14 (2014), p. 77 confronted rising "despotismo ministerial", perceived as a result of arrogant Enlightenment. Indeed, some scholars emphasize the anti-Enlightenment spirit of 18th-century Traditionalists;the approach pursued e.g. in Herrero 1971 others prefer to underline rather their anti-absolutist stand.the approach pursued e.g. in Bartyzel 2015 In none of the above cases a concise lecture of competitive political theory was offered;Bartyzel 2015, pp. 58–59 instead, the authors listed consciously exploited multifold differences between the new system and traditional Spanish establishments.Estanislao Cantero, Cádiz, 1812. De mitos, tradiciones inventadas y 'husos' historiográficos, [in:] Verbo 505-506 (2012), pp. 373–426, Miguel Ayuso Torres, El pensamiento político del Manifiesto de los Persas, [in:] Aportes 30/87 (2015), pp. 6–7
Both the above perspectives are rejected by scholars sharing perhaps the most popular theory, namely that one can not speak of Traditionalism prior to the French Revolution. It was the 1789 events in France which triggered antecedents of Traditionalism, a theory founded on the concept of counter-revolution. Within this perspective it is the revolution, not Absolutism, that formed the key Traditionalist counterpoint of reference. The proponents listed are Lorenzo Hervás Panduro, Francisco Alvarado y Téllez, Diego José de Cádiz and Rafael de Vélez;see especially the classic Vélez' work, Apología del altar y del trono (1819), a model lecture of anti-liberal and counter-revolutionary outlook of the Fernandine era, though not all scholars necessarily see it as pre-Traditionalist concept, Pedro Carlos González Cuevas, Las tradiciones ideológicas de la extrema derecha española, [in:] Hispania 49 (2001), p. 105 their refutations of revolutionary concepts were based on Spanish political tradition and offered first components of what would later become a Traditionalist doctrine.see e.g. José María Benavente Barreda, Tradicionalismo, [in:] Enciclopedia de la Cultura Española, Madrid 1968, p. 456 According to some scholars Traditionalism as political option for the first time emerged represented by minority deputies at the 1812 Cortes of Cádiz;Alexandra Wilhelmsen, La teoría del Tradicionalismo político español (1810–1875): Realismo y Carlismo, [in:] Stanley G. Payne (ed.), Identidad y nacionalismo en la España contemporánea: el Carlismo, 1833–1975, Madrid 2001, , p. 44, Juan Rodríguez Ruiz, Tradicionalismo, [in:] Enciclopedia de la Cultura Española, Madrid 1968, p. 458 a document considered by some the first political lecture of Traditionalism is the 1814 Manifiesto de los Persas,Bartyzel 2015, p. 59, José Carlos Clemente Muñoz, El carlismo en el novecientos español (1876–1936), Madrid 1999, , p. 20. Pointing to the Persas as antecedents of Traditionalism is the concept of present-day historians; until the 1930s the Traditionalists themselves have not referred to the Manifiesto as to their pre-history the following ones to be mentioned having been the 1822 Manifiesto del Barón de Erolesknown also as Manifest to the Catalans, Bartyzel 2015, pp. 60–61; some scholars link the document to Absolutist rather than Traditionalist outlook, González Cuevas 2001, p. 106 and the 1826 Manifiesto de los Realistas Puros.though there are serious doubts as to authenticity of the document, see Julio Aróstegui, El problema del Manifiesto de los Realistas Puros (1826), [in:] Estudios de Historia Contemporánea 1 (1976), pp. 119–185 However, discussing the early 19th century most scholars prefer rather to speak of "realistas",Wilhelmsen 2001, pp. 48–51, Alexandra Wilhemsen, El realismo en el reinado de Fernando VII, [in:] Alexandra Wilhelmsen, La formación del pensamiento político del carlismo (1810–1875), Madrid 1998, "ultras", "apostólicos" or "serviles",Canal 2000, p. 28 and apply the name of Traditionalists to the period starting in the 1830s.Pedro Carlos González Cuevas, Tradicionalismo, [in:] Javier Fernández Sebastián (ed.), Diccionario político y social del siglo XX español, Madrid 2008, , p. 1164. However, some claim that "traditionalism forged its basic beliefs before the dynastic problem emerged", Wilhelmsen 2001, p. 47 Politically, the group tended to swallow their anti-absolutism when supporting Fernando VII in his anti-revolutionary zeal; it was only in the late 1820s that the king started to be viewed as wavering and unreliable, with sympathy gradually shifting to his firmly reactionary brother, Don Carlos.
Isabelline era