Patterns of Reimperialization and Postimperial strategic cultures. The cases of Liberal Spain (1833-1868) and Post-Soviet Russia (1991-2025).

Abstract

This article explores the structural patterns of post-imperial conflict through a comparative analysis of Liberal Spain (1833-1868) and post-Soviet Russia (1991-2025). It argues that both powers, following the abrupt collapse of their empires, developed strategic cultures oriented toward reimperialization-defined as the attempt to reassert influence over former imperial domains through cultural, diplomatic, or military means. Drawing on theories from historical sociology, international relations, and strategic studies, the article introduces the concepts of "levels of imperiality" and "degrees of rupture" to explain why both Spain and Russia failed to construct stable post-imperial states and instead pursued increasingly coercive strategies to restore lost power. The study identifies a recurring six-stage pattern: (1) imperial collapse, (2) internal disintegration, (3) soft reimperialization through diplomacy and cultural outreach, (4) frustration and strategic shift, (5) militarized reimperialization, and (6) confrontation with geopolitical realities. This model is applied to the Spanish intervention in South America (1864-1866) and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-present), revealing striking parallels in their strategic rationales, ideological justifications, and operational outcomes. The article concludes that post-imperial reimperialization is more likely when imperial collapse is abrupt, when successor states are internally divided, and when the international system is permissive. By revisiting two cases often treated as peripheral in the historiography of decolonization, the article offers a long-term framework for understanding the persistence of imperial logics in global politics and the strategic cultures that sustain them.