Gentlemen, Bourgeois, and Revolutionaries Political Change and Cultural Persistence among the Spanish Dominant Groups, 1750-1850

The traditional interpretation of the crisis of the Spanish Old Regime is of a revolution carried out by an ascendant bourgeoisie. Professor Cruz challenges this viewpoint, arguing that in Spain, as in the rest of Europe, a national bourgeoisie did not exist before 1850. Historiography based on the bourgeois revolution theory portrays Spain as an exceptional model whose main feature is the "failure" produced by the immobility of its ruling class. This work re-examines that understanding, and relocates Spain in the mainstream for industrialization, urbanization and democratization that characterize the history of Modern Europe.