Spain, and the European Union: The Economic Analysis of Nationalism and Immigration

Unfortunately, our country has maintained a tradition of intervention until practically yesterday, and this accounts for the long-standing, relative underdevelopment of Spain with respect to the other countries in the European Union. In Spain, being an entrepreneur has traditionally been frowned upon. Entrepreneurship has been stifled for centuries—since the Spanish Golden Age, in fact. Read the classic Spanish works from that period. In the sixteenth century, the three possible sources of work for a young Spanish man were: the church, the sea, and the Crown. Those were the options. A man could enter the church; he could cross the sea to the Americas to seek his fortune; or he could serve the king in the military. It was no one’s ideal in life to work in the fields, in a small artisan’s workshop, or in trade. One reason, among others, was that if someone got his hands dirty working or devoted himself to trade or to operating a small artisan’s workshop, he was sure to be immediately labeled a “New Christian.” In other words, he would be associated with Jews and Moriscos [Muslim converts to Christianity], who traditionally worked in trade and enterprise. For almost 800 years, Spain fought against Muslim invaders. Américo Castro, in La realidad histórica de España, explains that after all of those centuries, without realizing it, we ended up imitating the worst flaws of our enemies. We ended up internalizing something which is characteristic of Islam, namely the waging of holy war against the “infidel.” And when we drove out Islam, we had to keep fighting the infidel, whether in North Africa, or in the Americas, or within our own borders. We went after the infidel. Though Christians, we became like Islamists without noticing it. There is also the obsession with blood purity, typical of the Jewish people. We ultimately internalized that as well. Nobody could obtain an important government position without being screened for blood purity. One had to get a certificate. They were all forged, because if anything characterizes the blood of the Spanish, it is that it has been thoroughly mixed with that of the Jews and Moriscos.