Joaquín Costa

Portrait of Joaquín Costa

Joaquín Costa (September 14, 1846, Monzón, Huesca Province - February 8, 1911) was a Spanish politician, lawyer, economist and historian. The son of an Aragonese peasant, Costa was self-educated and campaigned to end what he considered to be Spanish backwardness. He desired to start a movement that would force politicians to embark on a program of educational, social, and economic reform. According to Raymond Carr his ideas, known as 'Regenerationism', rose to greater prominence in the aftermath of Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War.