Cuando aún no era «el jefe». Un ensayo biográfico del primer José María Gil-Robles (1898-1931)

Abstract

José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones (1898-1980) had a strong past as a Catholic activist before 1931. Born in a traditionalist family (he was the son of Professor Enrique Gil y Robles), he evolved and during the 20’s he participated in the consolidation of the Spanish Catholic movement under the orders of Angel Herrera Oria, being the select National Catholic Association of Propagandists the group that had the greatest relevance in his intellectual formation. Member of the Partido Social Popular in 1922, he collaborated with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera for long years, breaking with it only in 1929. He was involved in the defense of the monarchy in the difficult context of 1930-1931, while along with other propagandists he delved into the magisterium of León XIII and designed formulas of political action for a possible republican future. Gil-Robles showed great flexibility to adapt to different political contexts, which made Herrera and the nuncio Tedeschini helped him up as leader of the Catholic right in 1931.