The group of research in Recent History (GIHRE) of the School of Philosophy and Lettersseminar of the University of Navarra invited José Antonio Montero, Professor of Contemporary History at the Complutense University of Madrid, to give a lecture on "Spain and the First World War" on Tuesday, September 9.

On the occasion of the centenary of the Great War, the expert addressed the most relevant aspects of Spanish foreign policy from 1898 to 1914. The exhibition began with a brief introduction of the historiography on the conflict, followed by a retrospective of the background of Spanish foreign policy. After introducing the context, José Antonio Montero focused on the period of World War I, with special emphasis on both the entrance of the United States in the war in 1917 and the issue of Spanish neutrality, which he discussed in depth throughout the session.

The professor emphasized that "Spain proclaimed itself neutral, but it was a forced neutrality imposed by the defenselessness and absolute lack of military means". Spanish opinion was divided and the war became an excuse for political rivalries and for the combat of opinion. In this complex scenario, José Antonio Montero stated that the only sensible thing for Spain to do was to remain neutral. However, he noted that this decision did not please the main political leaders, since for them it was "a failure that demonstrated Spanish weakness".

On the other hand, he pointed out that from the economic point of view, the Great War was for Spain both a great source of opportunities and challenges. The conflict favored the production of nationalizing products, thus obtaining great economic benefits, but left the country devoid of basic necessities, since the main suppliers ceased their supplies and caused a strong shortage of supplies and social instability.

In conclusion, he stated that "neutrality is a relatively unknown subject on which there is still a lot of research to be done".