ABSTRACT

The Hispanic-American movement began in the early nineties of the last century,but it becamei mportant only after theS panish American War.The severance of the last political bond with the Ne World and the spiritualrenaissancewhichfollowedshortly there after seem to have created are surgence of cultural imperialism not unlike that which inspired,at least in part,the early conquest of America for Christianity and the mother church.The new imperialism was,however,not a religious but a cultural imperialism and inspired not by the church but by the universities.The leaders not only hoped to preserve a cultural identity between Spain and the New World,but they expected that the spiritual affinity of the Hispanic American people which would be preserved through their efforts would give Spain a preferred position in the struggle for markets. In certain circles there was talk of customs unions in imitation of the Pan-Americanism of Blaine,and some even hoped that a"Zollverein"might become a road to political hegemony,that th emother country might recapture through this new form of leadership in the Americas herold position as a world power.