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The Spanish transition to democracy or new Bourbon restoration was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on November 20, 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish Constitution of 1978, the failure of Antonio Tejero's attempted coup on February 23, 1981, or the electoral victory of the socialist PSOE on October 28, 1982. Since the 19th century, the history of modern Spain has traditionally been considered to begin with the Visigoth kingdom. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Alhambra-petit. ...
Prehistoric Spain is a time period covering human development from the first hominids in Spain to the beginning of recorded history. ...
Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ...
After the disorders of the passage of the Vandals and Alans down the Mediterranean coast of Hispania from 409, the history of Medieval Spain begins with the Iberian kingdom of the Arian Visigoths (507 – 711), who were converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in 587. ...
Migrations The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe (the Ostrogoths being the other). ...
Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ...
For other senses of this word, see Reconquista (disambiguation). ...
During the reign of Emperor Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), who ascended the thrones of the kingdoms of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdinand, Habsburg Spain controlled territory ranging from Philippines to the Netherlands, and was, for a time, Europes greatest power. ...
The Age of Enlightenment came to Spain in the eighteenth century with the accession of King Philip V, the first Spanish king of the French Bourbon dynasty. ...
History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History Spain in the...
Flag of the Spanish First Republic The First Spanish Republic lasted only two years, between 1873 and 1874. ...
The Restoration was the name given to the period that began in December 29, 1874 after the First Spanish Republic ended with the restoration of Alfonso XII to the throne after a coup detat by Martinez Campos, and ended on April 14, 1931 with the proclamation of the Second...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union Spanish Nationalists With the support of: Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan NegrÃn Francisco Franco Casualties Hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was...
The Spanish Civil War officially ended on 1 April 1939, the day Francisco Franco announced the end of hostilities. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
The Economic history of Spain covers the development of the Spanish economy over the course of its history. ...
History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The military history...
A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ...
Francisco Yannick Kneusje Tengo Angel Fernandez Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo (4 December 1892 – 20 November or possibly 19 November[1] 1975), abbreviated “Francisco Franco y Bahamonde†and commonly known as “GeneralÃsimo Francisco Franco†(pron. ...
Liberal democracy is a form of government. ...
November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. ...
Antonio Tejero with a gun in his hand, breaking into the Congress of Deputies February 23, 1981, attempting a coup. ...
February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ...
The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...
October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ...
1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Political Role of King Juan Carlos I The death of Franco elevated Don Juan Carlos de Borbón to the monarchy. Until Franco’s death, Juan Carlos had discreetly stood in the background and seemed to follow the dictator’s plans. However, once in power as King of Spain, Juan Carlos facilitated the development of the current political system, as his father, Don Juan de Borbón, had advocated since 1946. Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (baptized as Juan Alfonso Carlos VÃctor MarÃa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome and is the reigning King of Spain (Rey de España). ...
The Spanish monarchy, referred to as the Crown of Spain (Corona de España) in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, is the office of the King or Queen of Spain. ...
HRH Infante Don Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, Juan Carlos Teresa Silvestre Alfonso de Borbón (June 20, 1913 - April 1, 1993), was the fourth son and designated heir of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, the monarch replaced by the Second Spanish Republic, and father of King Juan Carlos...
The transition was an ambitious plan that counted on ample support both within and outside of Spain. The Western countries, headed by the United States (which had previously supported Franco's fascist dictatorship), now favored Spanish constitutional monarchic system, as did an important part of Spanish and international capitalism. The term Western World or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...
For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ...
Nonetheless, the transition was not easy. The spectre of the Civil War (1936-1939) still haunted Spain. Francoists on the extreme right had considerable support within the Spanish Army, and extreme radicals of the left distrusted a king who owed his position to Franco. Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union Spanish Nationalists With the support of: Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan NegrÃn Francisco Franco Casualties Hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was...
In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply The Right, are terms that refer to the segment of the political spectrum often associated with any of several strains of conservatism, the religious right, and areas of classical liberalism, or simply the opposite of left-wing politics. ...
The Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra in Spanish; literally, Land Army) is one branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, in charge of land operations. ...
In politics, left-wing, the political left or simply the left are terms that refer to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of, to varying extents, liberalism, socialism, green politics, anarchism, communism, social democracy, progressivism, American liberalism or social liberalism, and defined in...
The realization of the democratic project required that the leftist opposition restrain its own most radical elements from provocations and that the army refrain from intervening in the political process on behalf of Francoist elements within the existing government.
Juan Carlos began his reign without leaving the confines of Franco's legal system. As such, he swore fidelity to the Principles of the Movimiento Nacional, the sole legal party of the Franco era; took possession of the crown before the Francoist Cortes Generales; and respected the Ley Orgánica del Estado (The Organic Law of the State) for the appointment of his first head of government. Only in his speech before the Cortes did he show the beginning of the transformation of the Spanish political system. Yoke and Arrows. ...
The Crown is a term which is used to separate the government authority and property of the state in a kingdom from any personal influence and private assets held by the current Monarch. ...
The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ...
The Head of Government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. ...
The First Government of the Monarchy (January-July 1976) The first government of Juan Carlos was presided over by Carlos Arias Navarro. The King made this appointment in accordance with the guidelines of the 1966 Ley Orgánica del Estado ("Organic Law of the State"): the Consejo del Reino ("Council of the Kingdom") proposed a list of three candidates, and from among these the King chose Arias Navarro. Carlos Arias Navarro (Madrid 11 December 1908 - 27 November 1989) was one of the best known Spanish politicians during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. ...
The appointment of Arias Navarro did not foretell large political transformations. Nevertheless, the new government included three personalities who, although they had collaborated with Franco's state in the past, were, in 1976, dedicated supporters of the transition toward a democratic state: José María de Areilza, a member of Don Juan's Privy Council, was given the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, whilst the diplomat Antonio Garrigues y Díaz Cañabate was named Minister of Justice, and Manuel Fraga Iribarne was appointed Interior Minister (Ministro de Gobernación). However, to maintain political balance, the Vice-Chairman for Defense was an unconditionally pro-Franco military man: General Fernando de Santiago. This article is about a journal. ...
The Justice Minister is a cabinet position in a government. ...
Manuel Fraga Iribarne (born November 23, 1922 at Villalba, Galicia) is a Spanish politician. ...
The Interior Minister is a member of a Cabinet in a Government. ...
Two other officials, with time, became very important for political change. Torcuato Fernández Miranda, a university professor from the ranks of the Movimiento was the president of both the Cortes and the Council of the Kingdom. Adolfo Suárez, who also started his career within the Movimiento, held the position of Secretary-General of the Movimiento, with the rank of minister. Adolfo Suárez González, Duke of Suárez (born September 25, 1932) was Spains first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. ...
The situation confronting the new government was overwhelmingly difficult. Unrest was on the increase, protests for amnesty were frequent, and in the Basque Country tension mounted steadily. ETA continued its attacks and had popular support for many of its actions. A general strike in Vitoria at the beginning of March 1976 lasted for several days. Street protests exploded, and the police responded harshly, resulting in the deaths of three people and a loss of prestige for Minister Fraga, already reputed as heavy-handed before the uprising. For the traditional overall Basque domain, see Basque Country (historical territory). ...
For other uses, see ETA (disambiguation). ...
A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ...
Vitoria (population: 224,965 (2004 est), is the capital city of the province of Ãlava and of the Comunidad Vasca Spanish autonomous region, though it is the second city of the region by population. ...
Meanwhile, the opposition impatiently demanded the dismantling of the Francoist regime within a short time period. The political forces of the opposition united in March 1976 and gave birth to a new organization, Coordinación Democrática, which declared that it would not accept any political system connected with the old Francoist order. Arias Navarro intended only small changes to the Francoist system, but some of his ministers had already anticipated and embraced the prospect of greater change.
José María de Areilza accompanied the King on a trip to the United States in June 1976, and declared complete support for the implementation of a democratic system in Spain. Adolfo Suárez maintained frequent contacts with moderate members of the opposition to plan the first stages of the transition. Also, the King himself, during the trip to the United States, plainly declared that he favored re-establishing democracy in Spain. Finally, in July, as Prime Minister Arias Navarro continued to delay reform and object to democratization, Juan Carlos demanded his resignation. Adolfo Suárez González, Duke of Suárez (born September 25, 1932) was Spains first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. ...
The First Government of Adolfo Suárez (July 1976 - June 1977) Fernández Miranda, as president of the Council of the Kingdom, obtained Adolfo Suárez’s placement on the new list of three candidates for head of the government. The king chose Suárez because he felt he would be able to meet the challenge of the difficult political process that lay ahead: convincing the Cortes, which was composed of installed Francoist politicians, to dismantle Franco’s system. In this manner he would formally act within the Francoist legal system and skirt, if possible, the danger of military intervention in the process of transition. The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ...
Adolfo Suárez quickly presented a clear political program based on two points:
- The development of a Law for Political Reform that, once approved by the Cortes and the Spanish public in a referendum, would open the constituent process for creating a liberal democracy in Spain.
- A call for democratic elections in June, 1977 in order to elect a Cortes that would be charged with drawing up a new democratic constitution.
This program was clear and unequivocal, but its realization was very difficult and tested the political capacity of Suárez. He had to convince both the opposition to participate in his plan and the army to allow the process to run uninterrupted, and at the same time needed to bring under control the situation in the Basque Country. Ballots of the Argentine plebiscite of 1984 on the border treaty with Chile A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...
Liberal democracy is a form of government. ...
Despite all these difficulties, Suárez's project went under way without delay between July 1976 and June 1977. In this short period of time Adolfo Suárez had to act on many fronts to achieve his aims.
The Law for Political Reform The draft of the Law for Political Reform (Ley para la Reforma Política) was written by Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, speaker of the Spanish parliament, who handed it over to the Suárez government in July 1976. The project was approved by the Suarez Government in September 1976.[1] In order to open the door to parliamentary democracy in Spain, this legislation could not simply create a new political system by eliminating the obstacles put in place by the Franco regime against democracy: it had to liquidate the Francoist system through the Francoist Cortes themselves. [citation needed] Throughout the month of November the Cortes, under the able presidency of Fernández Miranda, debated this law, which it ultimately approved with 425 votes in favor, 59 against, and 13 abstentions.
The Suárez government wanted to gain further legitimacy for the changes through a popular referendum. With a 77.72% participation rate, 94% of the voters voted in favor of the changes. Ballots of the Argentine plebiscite of 1984 on the border treaty with Chile A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...
From this moment, it was possible to begin the electoral process (the second part of the Suárez program), which would serve to elect the deputies of the Constituent Cortes, the body that was to be responsible for creating a democratic constitution. Constituent Cortes (Cortes constituyentes) is the description of the Cortes (Spanish parliament) when convened as a constituent assembly. ...
With this part of his plan accomplished, Suárez had to resolve a crucial issue: should he include the opposition groups who had not participated in the beginnings of the transition? In order to tackle this problem, Suárez had to tackle another delicate issue: the agreements with the anti-Francoist opposition.
Relations of the Suárez Government with the Opposition Suárez adopted a series of measured policies to add credibility to his project. In July 1976 he issued a partial political amnesty, freeing 400 prisoners. He extended this in March 1977, and finally granted a blanket amnesty in May of the same year. In December, 1976 the Tribunal de Orden Público (TOP), a sort of Francoist secret police, was dissolved. In March 1977, the right to strike was legalized, with the right to unionize being granted the following month. Also in March a new electoral law (Ley Electoral) introduced the necessary framework for Spain's electoral system to be brought into accord with those of other countries that had liberal, parliamentary democracies. // Secret police (sometimes political police) are a police organization which operates in secrecy for the national purpose of maintaining national security against internal threats to the state. ...
A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...
Liberal democracy is a form of government. ...
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ...
Through these and other measures of government, Suárez complied with the conditions that the opposition groups had first demanded in 1974. These opposition forces had met in November 1976 in order to create a platform of democratic organizations.
Suárez had initiated political contact with the opposition by meeting with Felipe González, secretary general of the PSOE, in August 1976. The positive attitude of the socialist leader gave further support for Suárez to carry forward his political project, but everyone clearly perceived that the big problem for the political normalization of the county would be the legalization of the Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España or PCE), which had, at the time, more activists and was more organized than any other group in the political opposition. However, in a meeting Suárez had with the most important military leaders (September, 1976), the officers clearly declared their full opposition against the legalization of the PCE. Felipe González Márquez (born March 5, 1942) is a Spanish socialist politician. ...
A large number of international organizations and other bodies have a secretary general or secretary-general as their chief administrative officers or in other administrative capacities. ...
José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero at a meeting in San Sebastián The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ...
PCE symbol The Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España or PCE) is the third largest political party of Spain. ...
The PCE, for its part, acted ever more publicly to express its opinions. According to the Communists, the Law for Political Reform was anti-democratic, and, moreover, the elections for the Constituent Cortes should be called by a provisional government that formed part of the political forces of the opposition. The opposition did not show any enthusiasm for the Law for Political Reform. Suárez had to risk even more in order to involve the opposition forces in his plan.
In December 1976, the PSOE celebrated its 27th Congress in Madrid, and began to disassociate itself from the demands of the PCE, affirming that it would participate in the next call for elections for the Constituent Cortes. In the beginning of 1977, the year of the elections, Suárez decided to confront the problem of legalizing the PCE. In February of the same year, convinced that the process of political normalization would not be viable if the PCE was marginalized, he talked with PCE secretary general Santiago Carrillo. Carrillo's willingness to collaborate without prior demands and his offer of a "social pact" for the period after the elections pushed Suárez to take the riskiest step of the transition: the legalization of the PCE in April 1977. The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...
Location Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de Madrid) Website http://www. ...
Santiago Carrillo Solares (born January 18, 1915), Spanish politician, was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. ...
Relations of the Suárez government with the army Adolfo Suárez knew full well that the "Búnker"—a group of hard-line Francoists led by José Antonio Girón and Blas Piñar, who had their mouthpieces in the newspapers El Alcázar and Arriba —had close contacts with officials in the army and exercised influence over important sectors of the military. These forces could constitute an insurmountable obstacle if they brought about military intervention against political reform. The term búnker refers to a far-right faction during the Spanish transition to democracy. ...
Blas Piñar (Toledo, Spain 22 November, 1918) was a Spanish politician. ...
El Alcázar was a Spanish far-right newspaper founded in 1936 (Davies, 251). ...
Arriba may refer to any of the following: Arriba, Colorado Arriba (newspaper), daily newspaper from Madrid, Spain 1939-1979. ...
To resolve this difficulty, Suárez intended to support himself with a liberal group within the military, centered on General Díez Alegría. Suárez decided to give the members of this group the positions of authority with the most responsibility. The most notable personality of this faction within the army was General Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado. But in July 1976, the Vice President for Defense Affairs was General Fernando de Santiago who belonged to the hardline group within the army. De Santiago had shown his restlessness before, during the first amnesty in July 1976. He had opposed the law granting the right to unionize. Suárez dismissed Fernando de Santiago and nominated instead Gutiérrez Mellado. This confrontation with General De Santiago caused a large part of the army to oppose Suárez, an opposition that further intensified when the PCE was legalized. Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado (April 30, 1912 - December 15, 1995) Spanish General and Government official, born in Madrid. ...
Meanwhile, Gutiérrez Mellado promoted officials who supported political reform and removed those commanders of security forces (Policía Armada and the Guardia Civil) who seemed to support preserving the Francoist regime. Patrol boat, Nervion river, Bilbao. ...
Suárez wanted to demonstrate to the army that the political normalization of the country meant neither anarchy nor revolution. In this, he counted on the collaboration of Santiago Carrillo, but he could in no way count on the collaboration of terrorist groups. In the realist theory of International Relations, the anarchical system that all states find themselves in is the lack of clear organisation of states into a hieracical order that is found within states. ...
The storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789 during the French Revolution. ...
Terrorist redirects here. ...
Resurgence of terrorism The Basque Country remained, for the better part of this period, in a state of political turbulence. Suárez granted a multi-stage amnesty, but the confrontations continued between police and protesters. ETA, which in the summer of 1976 seemed open to a limited truce, resumed armed confrontation again in October ; 1978–1980 would be ETA's three deadliest years ever. [2] But it was between December 1976 and January 1977 when a series of attacks brought about a situation of high tension in Spain.
First, the Maoist GRAPO (Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre) began by placing bombs and continued with the kidnapping of two important figures of the regime: the President of the Council of the State José María de Oriol, and general Villaescusa, President of the Superior Council of the Military Justice. From the right, during these kidnappings, members of the neo-fascist Alianza Apostólica Anticomunista murdered six members of the PCE, five of them labor lawyers, in an office on Atocha Street in Madrid in January 1977. GRAPO is the acronym of the military wing of one of the Spanish communist parties, the PCE (r), different from the Partido Comunista de España. ...
The 1977 Massacre of Atocha was a neo-fascist attack during the Spanish transition to democracy after Francos death in 1975, killing five and injuring four. ...
In the midst of these dramatic provocations, Suárez convened his first meeting with a significant number of opposition leaders, who published a condemnation of terrorism and gave their support to Suárez's actions. During this turbulent time, the Búnker capitalized on the instablity and declared that the country was on the brink of chaos.
In spite of all these difficulties, elections for the Constituent Cortes took place in June 1977.
The First Elections and the Draft of the Constitution
 Political posters in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The elections that were held on June 15, 1977, confirmed the existence of four important political forces at the national level. The votes broke down in the following manner: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1462, 273 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1462, 273 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ...
June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ...
For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
With the success of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV-Partido Nacionalista Vasco) and the Democratic Pact for Catalonia (PDC-Pacte Democrátic per Catalunya) in their respective regions, nationalist parties also began to show their political strength in these elections. Adolfo Suarez decorating a political poster 15th of June, 1977 The Democratic Center Union (Spanish: Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD) was a coalition, and later political party, in Spain, existing from 1977 to 1983, and initially led by Adolfo Suárez. ...
The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...
PCE symbol More symbols and logos The Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España or PCE) is the third largest political party of Spain. ...
The Popular Alliance of Chile is Chiles main right wing alliance political party. ...
The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ...
Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ...
 More political posters in the same exhibition. The Cortes began to draft a constitution in the summer of 1977 and, in 1978, the Moncloa Pact was formed, under which all major parties agreed on major provisions of a new constitution to ensure its passage through the Constituent Cortes. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 went on to be approved in a referendum on the December 6, 1978. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1853x1401, 291 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1853x1401, 291 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ...
1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. ...
December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...
The Governments of the UCD
 Antonio Tejero, breaking into the Congress of Deputies February 23, 1981, attempting a coup. Below to the right is the defense minister Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado. The UCD received a plurality, but not an absolute majority, in both the June 1977 and March 1979 elections. In order to exercise power, the UCD had to form parliamentary coalitions with other political parties. Image File history File links Colonel from the Guardia Civil Antonio Tejero with a gun in his hand, breaking into the Congress of Deputies February 23, 1981, attempting a coup. ...
Image File history File links Colonel from the Guardia Civil Antonio Tejero with a gun in his hand, breaking into the Congress of Deputies February 23, 1981, attempting a coup. ...
A plurality, or relative/simple majority as it is also referred to outside the United States (especially in non-English speaking countries; in the US, simple majority has another meaning), is the largest share of something, which may or may not be a majority in the American sense of the...
Absolute majority is a supermajoritarian voting requirement which is stricter than a simple majority. ...
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ...
The government spent much of its time from 1979 working to hold together the many tendencies within the party itself, as well as their coalitions. In 1980, the Suárez government had for the most part accomplished its goals of transition to democracy and lacked a further clear agenda. Many UCD members were fairly conservative and did not want further change. For example, a bill to legalize divorce caused much dissension inside the UCD, in spite of being supported by the majority of the populace [citation needed]. The UCD coalition fell apart. It has been suggested that Divorcee be merged into this article or section. ...
The clashes among the several tendencies inside the party eroded Suárez's authority and his role as leader. The tension exploded in 1981: Suárez resigned as the head of government, and Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo was appointed, first to lead the new cabinet and later to the presidency of the UCD; social democrats led by Francisco Fernández Ordóñez defected from the coalition. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ...
Francisco Fernández Ordóñez (1930-1992) was a Spanish ´politician who became Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) government of Felipe González from 1985 until shortly before his death from a terminal illness in 1992. ...
While the democratic normalization had succeeded in convincing ETA (pm), the "political-military" faction of ETA, to abandon arms and enter parliamentary politics, it did not stop the continuation of terrorist attacks by ETA (m) ("ETA Military"; later simply "ETA"), and, to a lesser extent, by GRAPO. Meanwhile, restlessness in various sections of the armed forces created fear of an impending military coup. The attempted coup known as 23-F, in which Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero led an occupation by a group of Guardia Civil of the Congress of Deputies on the afternoon of February 23, 1981 failed, but demonstrated the existence of insurrectionary elements within the army. ETA political-military (Spanish: ETA político-militar) or ETA (pm) was the majority faction of the Basque nationalist group ETA, which, during Spains transition to democracy accepted offers of amnesty, abandoned the policy of violence, and integrated into a political party (Euskadiko Ezkerra), which later fused with the...
ETA military (Spanish: ETA militar) or ETA (m) was the minority faction of the Basque nationalist group ETA, which, during Spains transition to democracy refused offers of amnesty, instead continuing and intensifying violent struggle. ...
A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...
Antonio Tejero with a gun in his hand, breaking into the Congress of Deputies February 23, 1981, attempting a coup. ...
Antonio Tejero with a gun in his hand, breaking into the Spanish Congress of Deputies on February 23, 1981 (23-F), attempting a coup. ...
Patrol boat, Nervion river, Bilbao. ...
The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ...
February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The PSOE as the Party in Government Calvo Sotelo dissolved parliament and called elections for October 1982. In the 1979 election the UCD had achieved a plurality, but in 1982 they suffered a spectacular defeat. The elections gave an absolute majority to the PSOE, which had already spent many years preparing its image of an alternative government.
In the 28th Congress of the PSOE (May 1979), its secretary general Felipe González resigned rather than ally with the strong revolutionary elements that seemed to dominate the party. A special congress was called that September, and realigned the party along more moderate lines, renouncing Marxism and allowing González to take charge once more. Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marxs work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marxs time, communist parties and later states). ...
Throughout 1982, the PSOE confirmed its moderate orientation and brought in the social democrats who had just broken from the UCD.
Winning an absolute majority in parliament in two consecutive elections (1982 and 1986) and exactly half the seats in 1989 allowed the PSOE to legislate and govern without establishing pacts with the other parliamentary political forces. In this way, the PSOE could make laws to achieve the goals of its political program, "el cambio" ("the change"). At the same time, the PSOE led many local and regional administrations. This comfortable political majority allowed the PSOE to give the country a long period of tranquility and stability, after the intense years of the transition.
See also After the restoration of democracy, the changes in everyday Spanish life were as radical as the political transformation. ...
The 1977 Massacre of Atocha was a neo-fascist attack during the Spanish transition to democracy after Francos death in 1975, killing five and injuring four. ...
References - Daniele Conversi. 'The smooth transition: Spain's 1978 Constitution and the nationalities question', National Identities, vol. 4, no 3, November 2002, pp. 223-244
August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ...
2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
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