Historiography of Spanish boss rule: an overview and new approaches

Abstract

This essay looks at the extensive academic literature on the subject of boss rule in Restoration Spain (1875-1923), often regarded as a key phenomenon in explaining Spanish electoral behaviour and the development of the Spanish political system in the liberal era. It begins by showing how the question of boss rule is a core element in modern political analysis and commentary, and in the different interpretations to be found in its early historiography. The main purpose of the essay is to put forward a revision of the main historiographie trends in the study of boss rule - here called the «new political history» and «agrarian social history» - particularly in relation to their opposing conceptions of boss rule as a specific form of clientelism, their descriptions of political elites, and the ties between political and economic powers. These trends share a common language and common conclusions which make it possible to compare them with similar phenomena in other countries. Finally, possible future lines of research are suggested.