Abstract: In the 1880s, the positions of « classical school » (economistas) were undermined. The Krausist tendency, considering economics as a moral science was questioning the neutrality of economy as a pure science and getting inspiration from the German historicist school. In 1891-1892, according to the reversal of commercial policy, President Cánovas intervened directly in the epistemological debate. It was the sign that the Methodenstreit could only be a political debate, instead of an academic one.
