CUBAN QUESTION ON THE PAGES SPANISH PRESS 1868-1878 (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE NEWSPAPER “LA ÉPOCA”)
The 19th century was difficult for Spain. The transition from traditional society to industrial, the restructuring of the country’s political system and economy after the French Revolution, which stirred up the Spanish public, intensified, but the disagreements that arose in Spanish society over the path of transition to a new state led to the fact that the situation in the country sharply aggravated both at the top and bottom. The crisis also affected the Spanish colonies in the New World. As a result, Spain in the 1820s - 1840s experienced one of the most turbulent periods of its history, the result of which was the loss of most colonies on the American continent, a sharp deterioration in the socio-economic situation in the metropolis and the remaining colonies, in particular in Cuba, as well as the loss of the country's international prestige. In the 1850-1860s, the Spaniards tried to change the situation. The September Revolution of 1868 marked the beginning of the Democratic Sixth Anniversary of 1868-1874, the result of which was political and economic stabilization in the country during the Restoration era. This article examines the view of the Spanish public on the war for the independence of Cuba in 1868-1878, closely related to the events in the metropolis, based on an analysis of materials published on the pages of the newspaper of Spanish conservatives (traditionalists) “La Época”, the leader of which was the main ideologist and creator of the Restoration era A. Canovas del Castillo.