Based on five years of archival research, this book offers a radical
reinterpretation of Britain and Spain's relationship during the growth,
apogee and decline of the British Empire. It shows that from the early
nineteenth century Britain turned Spain into an 'informal' colony, using
its economic and military dominance to achieve its strategic and
economic ends. Britain's free trade campaign, which aimed to tear down
the legal barriers to its explosive trade and investment expansion,
undermined Spain's attempts to achieve industrial take-off,
demonstrating that the relationship between the two countries was
imperial in nature, and not simply one of unequal national power.
Exploring five key moments of crisis in their relations, from the First
Carlist War in the 1830s to the Second World War, the author analyses
Britain's use of military force in achieving its goals, and the
consequences that this had for economic and political policy-making in
Spain. Ultimately, the Anglo-Spanish relationship was an early example
of the interaction between industrial power and colonies, formal and
informal, that characterised the post-World War Two period. An
insightful read for anyone researching the British Empire and its
colonies, this book offers an innovative perspective by closely
examining the volatile relationship between two European powers.