Publication: La opinión pública durante el régimen canovista : mecanismos de control de la libertad de prensa (1874-1881)
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2019-09-26
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Asociación de Historiadores de la Comunicación
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En la historia contemporánea de España, la opinión pública se ha visto restringida en
numerosas ocasiones a ser la opinión de una minoría de individuos propietarios de
tierras, cuyas riquezas favorecía que tuvieran el “tiempo libre” necesario para participar
en el debate político. Siguiendo la línea del pensamiento liberal doctrinario, ya apuntada
por Benjamin Constant, Cánovas del Castillo, líder del partido liberal-conservador
durante la Restauración Borbónica, ideó un minucioso aparato gubernamental para
controlar y silenciar a las masas, ya que consideraba que éstas no debían inmiscuirse en
los asuntos públicos, pues eran fácilmente manipulables y tomaban sus decisiones en
función de intereses pasajeros. En este esquema, cobraba especial relevancia la idea
que tenía Cánovas de la prensa, ya que consideraba que ésta tenía un efecto directo y
persuasivo sobre la población, y, por ello, entendía que era el instrumento que más y
mejor se debía controlar. Esto hizo que el político pusiera en marcha un sistema de
intervención informativa en el que pretendió limitar y restringir la información de los
periódicos. Así, la prensa española de la época, lejos de formar una opinión pública libre
como ya pretendían muchas publicaciones en los países vecinos europeos, desvirtuó la
opinión mayoritaria de la sociedad y se convirtió en el altavoz de un gobierno que estaba
representado por una minoría de burgueses e ilustrados, que formaron la opinión
pública española de aquellos primeros años de la Restauración (1874-1881).
In the contemporary history of Spain, Public Opinion has been restricted on numerous occasions to the opinion of a minority of landowners, whose wealth and properties favoured having "free time" necessary to participate in the political debate. Following doctrinarie liberalism thought, pointed out by Benjamin Constant, Cánovas del Castillo, the leader of the Conservative Party during the Bourbon Restoration, devised a government apparatus to control and silence the masses. He believed that the masses should not interfere in public affairs, as they were easily manipulated and made their decisions in terms of fleeting interests. Canovas believed that the press had a direct and persuasive effect on the population, and therefore he understood that it was the instrument that should be more and better controlled by the government. This led the Conservative President to establish a system of informative intervention in which he sought to limit and restrict the information of the newspapers. Thus, the Spanish press, far from forming a free and truthly Public Opinion as european newspapers of the time, anulled the opinion of Spanish society and became the speaker for a government that was represented by a minority of bourgeois and enlightened, who formed the Spanish Public Opinion of those early years of the Bourbon Restoration (1874-1881).
In the contemporary history of Spain, Public Opinion has been restricted on numerous occasions to the opinion of a minority of landowners, whose wealth and properties favoured having "free time" necessary to participate in the political debate. Following doctrinarie liberalism thought, pointed out by Benjamin Constant, Cánovas del Castillo, the leader of the Conservative Party during the Bourbon Restoration, devised a government apparatus to control and silence the masses. He believed that the masses should not interfere in public affairs, as they were easily manipulated and made their decisions in terms of fleeting interests. Canovas believed that the press had a direct and persuasive effect on the population, and therefore he understood that it was the instrument that should be more and better controlled by the government. This led the Conservative President to establish a system of informative intervention in which he sought to limit and restrict the information of the newspapers. Thus, the Spanish press, far from forming a free and truthly Public Opinion as european newspapers of the time, anulled the opinion of Spanish society and became the speaker for a government that was represented by a minority of bourgeois and enlightened, who formed the Spanish Public Opinion of those early years of the Bourbon Restoration (1874-1881).
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Opinión pública, Libertad de prensa, Cánovas del Castillo, Liberalismo doctrinario, Censura informativa, Public opinion, Press freedom, Censorship, Doctrinaire liberalism
Bibliographic citation
Lopez de Ramón, María (2019). La opinión pública durante el régimen canovista : mecanismos de control de la libertad de prensa (1874-1881). Libro de Actas. XVI Congreso Internacional AsHisCom. La revolución tecnológica de la comunicación en perspectiva: historia de los nuevos medios digitales, los nuevos medios en la historia. : Asociación de Historiadores de la Comunicación. Pp. 686-705