The so-called black legend, of course, had a lot of political propaganda. The countries that competed with the Spanish Empire in the 16th century and later rose to power were interested in denigrating its image. This does not mean that the rule of the Catholic Kings and the Austrians did not give them reason to do so. Questioning the black legend should not lead us to construct the white legend. Stereotypes can be refuted by separating the wheat from the chaff, the false from the true, and looking for the nuances in what is neither black nor white. This is not the case with the documentary Spain, the first globalization: The Spanish way, which was broadcast on La 2 and is available on RTVE Play and Filmin. What dominates here is the speech that Elvira Roca Barea made very popular in her book “Imperiophobia and black legend”: the praise of imperialism and a certain patriotic fervor, in contrast to the stream of critical engagement with history that exists today Sensitivity imposed. A speech of great editorial and media success, which appeared in a favorable context with the resurgence of Spanish nationalism as a result of the Catalan process.
The author of Imperiophobia, a bestselling work but much discussed by other experts, is one of the main protagonists, almost the central theme, of the documentary co-produced by RTVE, which premiered in cinemas in 2021 and is directed by José Luis López – Linares (who is currently preparing another similar meeting: Latin America). But Roca Barea is not alone: there is a large group of historians who support the thesis that a lying and anti-Spanish history, invented by the Protestant powers against the largest of the Catholic powers and unjustly made a fortune, was perpetuated in modern times Anglo-Saxon Hispanists. , extends to today and explains the lack of national consciousness in this country. This current was called Imperiophilia by José Luis Villacañas in his response to Imperiophobia. Other names that march through Spain and the first globalization are those of Carmen Iglesias, Stanley G. Payne, Jaime Contreras, Miguel Ángel Ladero Quesada, Carlos Martínez Shaw or Gijs van der Ham, and even Alfonso Guerra appears, all in the same one Line. The philosopher Pedro Insua is most prone to exaggeration: “Spain arises and the ancient world collapses.” “It is the beginning of the scientific revolution,” he says of the reigns of Isabel and Ferdinand. The Renaissance had nothing to do with it.
The majority of the documentary focuses on how the kingdom administered this empire on which the sun never set, from the Philippines (depicted as the first major trading center in the Asia-Pacific) to Spanish America via Flanders from the 16th to 18th centuries 18th century (the decadent 19th century would not harmonize with history). It is often said that the Spanish crown did not commit genocide; what it did could not even be described as colonialism, but rather it expanded civilization, embraced racial mixing and recognized the citizenship of the indigenous population. Of course, the missionaries and humanists of the time are justified, but also names that we look down on today, such as Hernán Cortés, who is said to have freed some Indians oppressed by others (the sadistic Aztecs, whose legend is also black). It was the people of what is now Mexico who embraced the envoys of the Hispanic Crown.
The bad thing about the film is not so much what is told (those who appear are not undocumented) but rather its blatant bias, its indoctrinating desire, its clinging to the nostalgia of empire. And above all, what doesn’t matter. Of the massacres, only those that can be denied or relativized seem to be of interest, while there are many to comment on. Slavery was passed on tiptoe until it was abolished (for blacks in Cuba) only in 1886. The determination to defend what is unjustifiable in this world, what is most repressive, is squeaky: religious fanaticism. Three examples: The expulsion of the Jews was not that traumatic because supposedly only a third of the 300,000 had to leave; the rest converted (some even say they did so “spontaneously”). Not a word about the deep-rooted anti-Semitism, about the previous harassment of this community, or about the hunt for “Marranos” or false converts that started later. Second, the capture of Granada and the subsequent expulsion of the Moriscos was justified by the need to prevent the spread of Islam in the Mediterranean by Ottoman imperialism (this was indeed terrifying); For them (another 300,000) it was better to convert to avoid exile. And thirdly: Unfortunately, it is even said that the Inquisition did not kill that many people (“only” about 1,500 sentences were put at the stake and not all of them were carried out) and that it was a “guarantee” system prisoners, not like hunting witches in other places. We learned that Torquemada was not as cruel as Calvin, who still has a large statue in his honor in Geneva. By the way, Luther is also shocked here.
Therein lies the trap: in the “and you more”. Highlighting that the English or Dutch empires committed their own atrocities, and highlighting that there was intolerance in the Protestant world too, does not justify the worst of what the most powerful of our ancestors did. In fact, today it is historians of the Anglo-Saxon world who are developing a very critical view of the baggage of their own societies; There is not the slightest trace of that in this documentary about Spain.
The succession of voices using the same language and avoiding complexity is irritating (at least in the cuts chosen for the program; one would expect a finer analysis from some experts). That the Black Legend was propaganda does not make everything it says a lie, unless it goes in the opposite direction of propaganda. The narrative might have been easier to digest if it had given voice to the thinkers who contributed different visions. But the director only cares about supporting the thesis with the passion of the fan.
The history of humanity is marked by cruelty, exploitation, massacres, looting, intolerance, machismo and racism. It is no stretch of woke culture to point out that our past cannot be explained by hiding all this burden. It’s not about judging the past through today’s eyes; It’s about understanding it in its entirety. The other is a story that only looks at one side. One-eyed story.
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