Abstract

The article presents refl ections on Europe by the Generation of ‘98 Spanish writers and thinkers who, in the face of defeat in the Spanish-American War, proclaimed a program of moral and cultural rebirth for Spain. Their ambivalent attitude towards Europe was rejected by José Ortega y Gasset and Salvador de Madariaga, both the most pro-European 20th century Spanish intellectuals. The problem of Spanish relation to Europe was also widely discussed after the Civil War under Franco regime. The evolution from initial isolation to a fuller integration with Europe of the regime and its conservative Catolic culture are also shown in the article