Political construction of Espartero before his Regency, 1837-1840

Abstract

The text analyses the increasing influence of General Espartero in Spanish politics before his being named Regent by Parliament. The moderates and the progressives tried to attract this soldier, but it was these same people who constructed an image of Espartero that underlined his low class background and his commitment to middle class liberalism repre­sented in the 1837 Constitution. From that mythical and symbolic image, that the left turned into a legitimate counter power against María Cristina, of which the progressives took advantage to gain power in 1840.