Modern Spain: Politics and Society since 1874

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Using a wealth of varied sources, this book is an essential gateway to understanding the foundations of modern Spain. Francisco J. Romero Salvad employs a chronological framework to chart that countrys experience, commencing with the Restoration of the Bourbon Monarch in 1874 up to the present day. Modern Spain provides a thorough, yet concise, study of nearly 150 years of tumultuous historical evolution. It examines the crisis of traditional liberal politics and the subsequent ill-fated attempts at reform through the military dictatorship headed by General Miguel Primo de Rivera and the progressive Second Republic that ensued. The outcome being three years of tragic civil war, followed by the long 40-year dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. It concludes by exploring Spains successful and surprisingly rapid transition to democracy and the challenges that it faces now in the 21st century. Romero Salvad uproots the many myths and blatant distortions that have often surrounded the history of Spain. By offering an analysis within a European context, he also challenges the traditional view of the exceptional character of the country, encapsulated in the motto Spain is different! On the contrary, this book so convincingly contends, Spain is a perfect example to show the troubled and often violent path to modernity that western societies had to undergo in their transition from elite to mass politics.

Author Bio

Francisco J. Romero Salvado is Reader in Modern Spanish History at University of Bristol, UK. He is the author of several books, including Political Comedy and Social Tragedy: Spain, a Laboratory of Social Conflict, 1892-1921 (2020) and Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War (2013).