Based on the materials of the memoirs of the participants of the events and the business correspondence of the embassy with the British government, the image of the Spanish people in the representations of the British ambassador to Spain – Samuel Hoare, who held the post from 1940 to 1944, is considered. The Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 led to a crisis in many spheres of society. The author comes to the conclusion that the conflict within the state has led to a deep cultural split in Spanish society.