ITALY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN PERIPHERY. THE RELATION BETWEEN SPAIN AND ITALY IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES: POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY

The birth of Italian Kingdom helped to change in a very remarkable way the political and economic relations established in Europe along the 19th century. Countries like Great Britain, France or Germany had to consider the presence of this modest southern state, above all keeping in mind their future enlargement along the Mediterranean area. In this context, also Spain - lost in a deep and centuries-old political decadence-could not avoid paying attention to this close and historical linguistic relative. Even though the relation between both countries was not easy in the very beginning, later it gave place to a constant exchange of agreements, treaties and even cultural cooperation. The approach of Spain to Italy during the first half of the 20th century was especially important in the context of the increasing development of Italian fascism, which contributed - before and during the Spanish Civil War-not only to the birth of Spanish fascism, but also to establish a dictatorial government that could help to get the old Italian dream: to create a "Mare Nostrum".