This comprehensive survey of Spain’s history looks at the major political, social, and economic changes that took place from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the twenty-first century. - A thorough introduction to post-Civil War Spain, from its development under Franco and subsequent transition to democracy up to the present day
- Tusell was a celebrated public figure and historian. During his lifetime he negotiated the return to Spain of Picasso’s Guernica, was elected UCD councillor for Madrid, and became a respected media commentator before his untimely death in 2005
- Includes a biography and political assessment of Francisco Franco
- Covers a number of pertinent topics, including fascism, isolationism, political opposition, economic development, decolonization, terrorism, foreign policy, and democracy
- Provides a context for understanding the continuing tensions between democracy and terrorism, including the effects of the 2004 Madrid Bombings
Table of Contents:
Note on the Author viii
Introduction 1
Franco: Biography and Political Practice 2
Francoism: A Form of Dictatorship 12
Victors and Vanquished: The Disasters of the Civil War and Repression 20
Exile and the Start of the Postwar Period in Spain 26
Bibliography 31
Notes 33
1 The Temptation of Fascism and the Will to Survive (1939 –51) 34
A Failed Attempt to Make Spain Fascist 35
The Temptation to Intervene and Internal Conflict (1940–2) 40
Stumbling Progress towards Neutrality (1942–5) 48
Cosmetic Change: Regime Politics between 1945 and 1951 58
Opposition from Survivors: The Spanish Left from 1939 to 1951 65
The Monarchist Alternative 72
Franco in Isolation 75
The “Dark Night”: Autarchy and Rationing in the 1940s 82
Culture: Penance and Survival 92
Bibliography 102
Notes 106
2 The Years of Consensus: The High Point of the Regime (1951– 65) 107
The End of International Isolation: The Concordat and Pacts with the United States 108
Spain and Europe: Colonization of Morocco Ends 114
The Regime and the Opposition up to 1956 119
A New Political Opposition 128
For or against Falange: Political Life under the Regime between 1956 and 1965 136
The Easing of Autarchy and the Change in Economic Policy 147
From Political Opposition to Social Opposition 159
Culture in the Francoist Middle Period: The End of the Penitential Years 166
Daily Life and Leisure Activities 177
Bibliography 182
Notes 186
3 Economic Development, Apertura, and the Late Franco Years (1966–75) 187
Economic Development in the 1960s and 1970s 189
The Modernization of Spanish Society 197
The Change in Spanish Catholicism 202
Apertura (1965–9) 211
The Succession. Matesa and Internal Splits in the Regime 217
Worker Protest. Terrorism 221
Late Francoism: Carrero Blanco as President 228
Late Francoism: Arias Navarro’s Government 233
Opposition Activity: The Road to Unity 237
Spain and the Western World 247
Late Decolonization: Guinea and the Sahara 252
A Politically Committed Culture? 256
Spain at the Time of Franco’s Death 262
Bibliography 267
4 The Transition to Democracy (1975 – 82) 270
The Monarchy: King Juan Carlos I 273
The Death-throes of the Past 275
Adolfo Suárez: The Road from Liberalization to Democracy 281
Facing Difficulties: Terrorism and the Military Coup 285
Parties and Elections 289
The Long Road towards a Constitution 293
An Unresolved Issue: Nationalism and Terrorism 299
The Triumph and Fall of Adolfo Suárez 303
The Army and the Transition: February 23 306
Calvo Sotelo’s Government and the Crisis in Center Politics 311
Foreign Policy 314
Economic Policy and Social Change 318
October 1982: The End of the Transition 321
Bibliography 326
5 Consolidating Democracy: The Socialist Government (1982 – 96) 329
Felipe González and the Two Souls of Spanish Socialism 330
The Socialists’ First Term in Office. Reform of the Armed Services, an Economic Update and Foreign Policy 336
A Means of Consolidating Democracy. The GAL 344
Elections and Public Opinion in the Second Half of the 1980s 349
The Second Term in Office: Social Policies and Union Protests. Spain and the World 354
Policy on the Autonomous Communities: A New Vertebrate Structure for the Spanish State 359
The Loss of an Absolute Majority 366
A Tense Term of Office (1993–6) 373
The 1996 General Election. Drawing up the Balance on the Socialists’ Time in Government 380
Culture in the Post-Franco Period 385
From a Time of Rediscovery to a State Culture 390
Fields of Creativity 400
Bibliography 407
6 The Turn of the Right (1996 –2004) 410
The Popular Party in Power: José María Aznar 410
Success in Economic and Social Policies 412
The Dark Side of the Right 414
A Pluralistic Spain: Nationalities and Terrorism 418
Government and Opposition. The Elections in March 2000 423
The Style of Government with an Absolute Majority 429
The Limits of PSOE Renewal 431
Dramatic Basque Elections 433
The Policy of Making Pacts and Breaking with Consensus 436
The PP: Idyllic Peace and Neo-conservatism 439
From More to Less: Government Policy in the Second Four-year Term 443
The Final Straight 448
Bibliography 454
Notes 455
Index 456
About the Author :
Javier Tusell was Professor of Contemporary History at the National University of Distance Learning (UNED). Best known as a historian of contemporary Spain, he published more than 50 books on the subject in his lifetime. During an early foray into politics, he negotiated the return to Spain of Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece, Guernica, and was elected UCD councillor for Madrid in 1979. Latterly he became a respected media commentator on Spanish history and especially the Franco dictatorship.
Translator
Rosemary Clark, college lecturer at Downing College, is an affiliated lecturer in Spanish at the University of Cambridge specializing in Modern Peninsular Spanish literature, history, and culture. Particular interests are post-colonialism, Spain and Africa, religious issues, and regionalism.
