Democrecy Of Spain

A detailed Summary of Democrecy Of Spain

In what ways did the institutional legacy of the Franco regime shape Spain's transition to democracy?

In less than two decades Spain has rushed from dictatorship to democracy and from virtual world isolation to membership in the European Union. The actual transition (1973-1982) took place from the assasination of Carrero Blanco, heir to the regime, to the 1982 democratic elections (3rd after Franco's death) when the Socialists won by a wide margin. The transition may have been relatively peaceful, but was not without its formidable challenges. Spain existed under the authoritarian rule of Francisco Franco for thirty-nine years. Throughout this period the Francoist ideology was based on 'the three pillars of the regime': the Nationalist Army, the Falange (the single party government) and the Church. In addition, the mass media also played an important role in the dictatorship and the transition to democracy. The Spanish regime, under the directive of General Franco operated under a fascist doctrine, adamantly rejecting the principles of democracy. Upon Franco's death he was no longer able to protect and promote the values of national unity, anti-communism, and Catholicism. He could no longer stand in the way of a nation re

Carr, Raymond and Juan Pablo Fusi, Spain. Dictatorship to Democracy (London, 2nd edn, 1981)

Amdia, Jose, Franco's Political Legacy (London, 1977)

Franco was the Caudillo of Spain for nearly forty years. From the close of the Civil War in 1939 (Franco was Chief of the Government of the Spanish State since September 1936) up until his death in 1975, General Franco was the authoritarian ruler in Spain. Franco was the last of the European dictators still alive from the inter-war period. The Francoist constitution, the Leyes Fundamentales, was supposed to make possible the institutionalization of the regime and ensure its continuity after Franco's death, Franco counted on the army to guarantee the established legality and constitutionality of the regime. Over time, it appeared as though the army had internalized this role and would not allow the regime to fall. This, however, may have led to a search developing as to how to break the regime within the parameters of the Constitution so that the military would not get involved. This, in the end, is what happened. The transition to democracy took place within the boundary's of the law. Francoism was based on the coalition of forces that had gained victory during the civil war. Franco divided the functions of the state among various families of the regime. This, all in an attempt to keep the regime strong and prevent its collapse. More specifically, Franco believed that balancing the families (Catholics, monarchists, soldiers, clergymen, Falangists, and technocrats) against one another within his government would decrease the possibilities of a coup or uprising occurring to oust him from power. The families were formally united in the single party known as the Movimiento, in reality, however, they were locked in rivalry and would turn to Franco as arbiter. This was Franco's plan and one of his greatest achievements. While Franco was alive only minimal changes were allowed; those that did not threaten the nature of the regime. The Spanish regime began by rejecting the principles of liberal democracy and adhering to the fascist teachings of the Falange. "The belief that democracy engendered chaos and national disunity was a central tenet of the regime's educational and cultural policy." "The regime later realized that it would be necesaryin the rapidly expanding global world to co-exist with democratic governments. New institutions were created to cover up the isolated figure of the dictator.

Share, Donald, The Making Of Spainsh Democracy (New York, 1986)

Bell, David (ed), Democratic Politics in Spain (London, 1983)

Social unrest had risen during the last 10 years of the Franco regime. Transition pressures from both the workers and nationalist movements made a strategy of mere liberalisation impossible early on. "The death of Franco in 1975 brought together the economic crisis, the administrative rationality crisis, and the ideological legitimation crisis of the regime" Any government lasting for nearly forty years is going to leave a legacy. This legacy, until many changes are made, will delay the transition to a new form of government and make the transition that much more difficult. Spain today is an effective democracy in that elections control who is in office. "The Spanish experiment was led by the political class of the dictatorship. Hence the transition in Spain was painfully slow and remains haunted by the spectres of dictatorship." While certain aspects of the Francoist rule may still exist, they can now be modified through the democratic process.

At this time Carlos Arias Navarro was in office as prime minister following the assassination of Carrero Blanco in December of 1973. The government, under the control of Navarro was a failure both in the attempt at reform and to control the process of change. He held office until July 1976, when he resigned as Prime Minister. Adolfo Suarez Gonzalez took the role of Prime Minister followin

Some common words found in the essay are:
Franco Church, Civil War, Leyes Fundamentales, Statutes Autonomy, Opus Dei, Army Falange, Juan Carlos, Democrat Liberal, Catholic Church, Cortes Parliament, transition democracy, franco's death, opus dei, civil war, democracy spain, prime minister, spain london, separation church, franco regime, government control, politics spain london, spain's transition democracy, minister adolfo suarez, prime minister adolfo,

Approximate Word count = 2784
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History