To George Sturgis
Rome. May 23, 1931
I am not in sympathy with Spanish republicans; but things probably will have to be much worse before they begin to be better. The dictatorship in Spain had the misfortune of being associated with military, royal, aristocratic, and clerical interests—all Fascism is not. It therefore couldn’t attract the popular and socialistic currents, which can’t be safely ignored. They have now overflowed; but there may not be much left except mud when they subside. Provincial independence may survive: and that may be a good thing morally.
From The Letters of George Santayana: Book Four, 1928–1932. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2003.
Location of manuscript: The Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge MA.