Fighting the Black Legend: nation-state propaganda in the Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923-30)

This article analyses how the image of Spain was redefined during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-30). It focuses on the state institutions created by the dictator 'to sell' the nation home and abroad, increase Spain's international soft power and attract tourists and economic investment. The article argues that the Primo de Rivera dictatorship developed a propaganda system unprecedented in Spain, devoted to combating the negative representations of the country, the so-called Black Legend, with a national 'brand' that combined benevolent romantic representations of the nation with images of modernity and technological progress. Despite the use of modern publicity techniques and a wide range of resources, the impact of this propaganda was mixed. Whereas Primo de Rivera's publicity efforts did little to change foreign perceptions of Spain abroad, they certainly popularized an 'aggrieved' Spanish nationalism at home.