Russia in Spanish Traditionalist Historiography

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the image of Russia in the History of Spanish Traditionalism (30 volumes), the most relevant work created within the framework of the traditionalist historiography of Spanish Carlism. The History of Spanish Traditionalism was written by a team of authors led by Melchor Ferrer and published in 1941–1979. The article examines the main trends in the portrayal of Russia in Spanish culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such methods as critical discourse analysis, contextual analysis, and linguistic-political interpretation of the data obtained are helpful in analyzing references to Russia in the History of Spanish Traditionalism. In addition, it is worth exploring cases where authors abstain from discussing the possible influence of Russia on Carlism. The article shows how the authors first tried to minimize the mentions of the influence of Russia on the Carlists in the first three volumes, published in 1941–1942. This can be attributed to the international situation in Europe at the time when the work was published. In subsequent volumes the authors positively assess Russia’s policy towards the Carlist movement. M. Ferrer and his co-authors consider Alexander I as the ideological predecessor of the Carlists, and Nicholas I as a monarch who consistently supported the Carlist movement. The History of Spanish Traditionalism cites rumors discussed in the Carlist press in the mid-19th century about a possible Russian intervention in Spain to restore the «legitimate» king or about a project to transfer the Pope’s residence from Rome to St. Petersburg. Although the authors of The History of Spanish Traditionalism generally have a positive attitude towards the policy of the Russian Empire, at the same time they sympathize with the struggle of Poland for independence. Furthermore, the authors also criticize the revolution of 1917 and the policy of the USSR in Spain in the 1930s