Twentieth-Century Spain: A History

402 Pages·2014·4.204 MB·English

by  Julián Casanova, Carlos Gil Andrés

Twentieth-Century Spain
This is a much-needed new overview of Spanish social and political
history, which sets developments in twentieth-century Spain within a
broader European context. Julián Casanova, one of Spain’s leading
historians, and Carlos Gil Andrés chart the country’s experience of
democracy,dictatorshipandcivilwar,anditsdramatictransformation
fromanagriculturalandruralsocietytoanindustrialandurbansociety
fullyintegratedintoEurope.Theyaddresskeyquestionsandissuesthat
continuetobediscussedanddebatedincontemporaryhistoriography,
suchaswhytheRepublicwasdefeated,whyFranco’sdictatorshiplasted
so long and what mark it has left on contemporary Spain. This is an
essential book for students as well as for anyone interested in Spain’s
turbulenttwentiethcentury.
JuliánCasanovaisProfessorofContemporaryHistoryattheUniversity
of Zaragoza and visiting Professor at Central European University,
Budapest.
CarlosGilAndrésteacheshistoryatReyDonGarcíaofNájera.

Twentieth-Century Spain
A History
Julián Casanova
Carlos Gil Andrés
Translatedby
Martin Douch
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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©JuliánCasanova2014
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OriginallypublishedinSpanishasHistoriadeEspañaenelsigloXXbyAriel,
2009©Ariel2009
Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Casanova,Julián.
[HistoriadeEspanaenelsigloXX.English]
Twentieth-centurySpain:ahistory/JuliánCasanova,CarlosGilAndrés;
translatedbyMartinDouch.
pages cm
ISBN978-1-107-01696-5(hardback)–ISBN978-1-107-60267-0(paperback)
1. Spain–History–20thcentury. I. GilAndrés,Carlos. II. Title.
DP233.C3813 2014
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ISBN978-1-107-01696-5Hardback
ISBN978-1-107-60267-0Paperback
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Contents
Listofillustrations pagevii
Keyfigures viii
Listofabbreviations xiv
Twentieth-centurySpaintimeline xvi
Map1 Spainanditsautonomousregions xx
Map2 AutonomousregionsinSpainandthedate
oftheapprovaloftheirstatuteofautonomy xxi
Introduction 1
PartI ThemonarchyofAlfonsoXIII 7
1 Thelegacyofacentury 9
2 The‘revolutionfromabove’ 35
3 ThecrisisoftheLiberalregime 59
4 ThePrimodeRiverayears 84
PartII TheSecondRepublic 105
5 Aparliamentaryandconstitutionalrepublic 107
6 Arepublicbeleaguered 127
7 1936:thedestructionofdemocracy 147
PartIII TheCivilWar 159
8 Spainsplitintwo 161
9 Politicsandarms 183
v
vi Contents
PartIV Franco’sdictatorship 217
10 Franco’speace 219
11 ‘Thespiritualreserveoftheworld’ 249
12 ThedeaththroesofFrancoism 270
PartV Transitionanddemocracy 289
13 TheTransition 291
14 Democracy 328
Conclusion:thebalancesheetofacentury 355
Guidetofurtherreading 360
Indexofnamesandauthors 370
Illustrations
1 TrafficinthestreetsofMadrid,1930 page26
2 AlfonsoXIII,KingofSpain(1886–1931) 36
3 SpanishtroopsinMorocco,1921 72
4 Crowdsinthestreetcelebratingtheproclamation
oftheSecondRepublic,1931 114
5 InmatesinthePorlierjail,Madrid,28September
1940 224
6 ThehistoricmeetingbetweenFrancoandHitler,
23October1940 232
7 TheDivisiónAzul(BlueDivision),25March1942 234
8 Arationbook,1940 236
9 CrowdsgatheringinthestreettoseeFranco’sfuneral
cortège,23November1975 294
10 CoveroftheSpanishConstitution,approvedina
referenduminDecember1978 316
11 LieutenantColonelAntonioTejerointheSpanish
Parliament,February1981 324
12 FelipeGonzálezoftheSocialistPartywasproclaimed
primeministerofSpaininDecember1982 330
13 SpainjoinedtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityon
1January1986 334
14 PrimeMinisterJoséMaríaAznarwithformerprime
ministersAdolfoSuárez,LeopoldoCalvoSoteloand
FelipeGonzálezin1997atMoncloaPalace 343
vii
Key figures
Alcalá Zamora, Niceto (1877–1949). A liberal politician during the
Restoration. In 1930, following the fall of Primo de Rivera’s dictator-
ship,hedeclaredhimselftobeanti-monarchistandtookpartintheSan
Sebastián Pact. After the municipal elections of 14 April 1931 he
headedthefirstprovisionalgovernmentoftheRepublic.Hewaspres-
identoftheSecondRepublicbetween1931andApril1936.Attheend
oftheCivilWar,hewasforcedtogointoexile,firstlyinFranceandthen
inArgentina,wherehedied.
AlfonsoXIII(1886–1941).KingofSpainbetweenMay1902andApril
1931. Hewastheposthumous son ofAlfonso XIIand María Cristina
vonHabsburg,whowasregentonhisbehalfuntilhereachedtheageof
majority. He was a monarch who played an active role in politics,
favouring the interests of the privileged classes and the army, and
incapable of guiding the political regime of the Restoration towards a
truedemocracy.In1923heacknowledgedPrimodeRivera’scoupd’état
andbackedthedictator.In1931,disapprovalofthemonarchybecame
clear in the municipal elections, in what was an unquestionable ple-
biscite in favour of a republic. The king was forced to accept the
situationandgointoexile.
Arana, Sabino (1865–1903). A nationalist politician who founded the
Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV) in 1895. The basic idea behind its
ideology,‘God and the old laws’,demonstratedits identification with
the fueros (regional law codes and privileges), traditional Catholicism
and anti-liberalism. The movement called for the independence of
Euskalerria,agroupofBasqueterritoriesunitedbylanguage,raceand
faith.ThedevelopmentofBasquenationalismislinkedtothedefence
oftraditionwithintheconflictivecontextofindustrialisationinVizcaya.
Azaña, Manuel (1880–1940). Intellectual, writer and main republican
leader inthe1930s, minister ofwar,primeminister (October1931to
September 1933) and president of the Republic from May 1936.
Crossed into France when the defeat of the Republic was imminent,
resignedanddiedinMontaubaninNovember1940.
viii