In 1936, he became a lawyer with the Spanish Council of State. As the author of many books on the relationship between history and politics, in 1947 he obtained the Chair for "History of Political Ideas and Methods" on the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at the Complutense University of Madrid.[2]
In 1942, he received the Premio Nacional de Literatura for his travel book, Mallorca. In 1988, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize in the Social Sciences, "for his exceptional contribution to the history of political ideas and institutions, and for his exemplary work teaching in the humanistic, conservative tradition".[3] In 1996, he won the Menéndez Pelayo International Prize, for his lifetime achievements.