Spain — transition to democracy and modern Spain
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Flip to reveal answersWho did Franco intend as his successor, and what did he actually do?
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All 12 Flashcards — Spain — transition to democracy and modern Spain
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Question
Who did Franco intend as his successor, and what did he actually do?
Answer
King Juan Carlos I — Franco expected him to continue authoritarian rule, but he instead backed democratization and defended it during the 1981 coup attempt.
Question
What was the Law for Political Reform (1976)?
Answer
A law passed by Franco's own parliament, at Suárez's urging, allowing free elections and legalising political parties — effectively voting the dictatorship's structures out of existence.
Question
What happened on 23 February 1981 ("23-F")?
Answer
Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero led an armed takeover of parliament; King Juan Carlos broadcast on TV ordering the army's loyalty to the constitution, ending the coup attempt.
Question
What role did Manuel Fraga Iribarne play in the transition?
Answer
A former Francoist minister who founded a legal, moderate conservative party (Alianza Popular, forerunner of the PP), giving the political right a democratic route instead of provoking a coup.
Question
What were the Moncloa Pacts (1977)?
Answer
Agreements between government, unions and employers to control wages and prices together, stabilising the economy during the fragile early transition.
Question
What is the "pacto del olvido" (pact of forgetting)?
Answer
An informal agreement not to prosecute Civil War or Francoist-era crimes, which helped keep the peace during the transition but let Francoist officials avoid accountability.
Question
Compare Felipe González and José María Aznar's governments.
Answer
González (PSOE, 1982–96): EEC entry (1986), NATO confirmed, built the welfare state. Aznar (PP, 1996–2004): euro adopted (2002), economic liberalization, backed the Iraq War (2003).
Question
What major event marked José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government (2004–2011)?
Answer
Legalized same-sex marriage (2005) and withdrew troops from Iraq, but presided over Spain during the severe 2008 financial crisis and mass unemployment.
Question
What is ETA and what happened to it?
Answer
A Basque separatist group that used violence for independence from 1959; it gradually declined and formally disarmed in 2011.
Question
How did Catalan nationalism develop differently from Basque separatism after 1978?
Answer
Basque violence (ETA) declined and ended by 2011, but Catalan nationalism grew stronger, leading to an illegal independence referendum and political crisis in 2017.
Question
Outline the process by which Spain became a democracy, 1975–1982.
Answer
Franco dies (1975) → Juan Carlos backs reform → Suárez PM, 1976 reform law → 1977 free elections and Moncloa Pacts → 1978 constitution → 1981 coup fails → 1982 PSOE wins power peacefully.
Question
What social factors made Spaniards ready for democracy by the mid-1970s?
Answer
A large new middle class from the 1960s economic boom, exposure to democracies abroad through tourism/emigration, a post-Civil-War generation, and a more reformist Catholic Church.
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Full study notes for Spain — transition to democracy and modern Spain
Topic 13.10 hub
Democracy, authoritarianism and conflict in Spain (c.1920–2020)
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