Deep War Feeds Revolution, 1836–37

Abstract

This chapter charts ‘deep war’, when the extent of violence, suffering and civilian casualties reached their peak. It is the geographically most extensive chapter, detailing the Gomez Expedition of 1836. It explains how the collapse of the Cristino war effort — pace the Carlists’ third failed siege of Bilbao — radicalised Liberal politics and disrupted social and economic relations across Spain, and forged new patterns in their place which became a focus for Radical political action. It shows how this radicalisation was caused by suspicion of moderado collusion with Carlism, by actual or threatened Carlist invasion, and by the interlinked phenomena of mass desertion and glorified banditry that this provoked. It explains the diplomatic crisis into which Cristino Spain was plunged by the August 1836 revolución at La Granja.