Democratic Board Manifesto: Key Points for Spanish Transition
Democratic Board Manifesto: Analysis
Democratic Board. Words: Provisional Government, liberty, rights and duties, blanket amnesty, without exclusion, freedom of association, right to strike, freedom of the press, judicial independence and unity, external defense, the unity of the Spanish State; separation of Church and State, referendum; integration of Spain within the European Community, recognition of the principle of international peaceful coexistence. Comment: The text “Manifesto of the Democratic Board” is a primary source of political nature. It was written on 29 July 1974. During the 1970s, the political system collapsed. Arias Navarro attempted an opening that was slowed by opposition from the opportunistic system and the influence of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The opposition attempted to unite to overthrow the system and was divided into two leaders. The Democratic Board was founded in June 1974 by Santiago Carrillo, also comprising the Socialist Party of Tierno Galván. The PSOE was not involved in leadership issues, and Felipe Gonzalez did not endorse the Communist Party, so he created the Convergence Platform, which integrated the PNV. It had its antecedent in the platform in Munich.
The essential idea of the text is the requirement for an interim government to bring about the transition to a liberal democratic system, allowing the Spanish people to decide the form of state they want through a referendum, and to integrate well into the European Community. The 12 points in the manifesto are required to be complied with.
Key Points of the Manifesto
The first point refers to a “provisional government”, which would organize elections for citizens to exercise their full citizenship, with universal suffrage where the people vote, with the votes of men and women equal, and where the age of majority would be set at 18. When it also cites “freedom, rights and duties”, it refers to the interim government restoring the recognition of freedoms and rights that were missed during all 40 years of the dictatorship.
Section 2 cites the “blanket amnesty” because they were seeking the release of political prisoners, including worker priests, academics, people from the army and political parties, as well as the CNT or UGT.
In the third section, it talks about legalizing political parties “without exception”, because the parties that were legalized during the Second Republic would again be legalized without any oppression such as existed during the regime, including legalizing the Communist Party, which was demonized during the Franco dictatorship because it always empowered strikes, demonstrations and clashes.
In the fourth, fifth and sixth points, a number of freedoms and rights are mentioned. The fourth point cites “trade union freedom”, as during the dictatorship there was only one union, which favored the employer class, and this would now change. In the fifth point, it speaks of the “right to strike”, because it was now to be in force again. There was a major strike, the warm Autumn, a general strike, and although they were illegal, people resorted to them, so they faced Franco’s repression.
Also, the sixth point refers to “freedom of the press”, as during the dictatorship there was no freedom of expression. During the 70s, the Official Secrets Act was created, and previously to that, the Press Law, meaning that although there was a little more freedom, information was reserved as the dictator saw fit. Now, freedom of the press would be restored.
In the seventh point, it talks about the “independence of the judicial power”, meaning the independence of the court, so judges would not be affiliated with any political party.
The “national defense” referred to in the eighth point is because the army was one of the pillars of the dictatorship (though eventually some part of the army broke away, such as the UMD) and was a repressive measure, but thereafter it would act as a body of national defense.
In the ninth point, it recognizes “the unity of the Spanish State”, so that the Democratic Board expresses its defense of the unity of the Spanish State, demanding the right of regions to autonomy.
The “separation of church and state” advocated in the tenth point is because the role of Catholicism and the Church was very important in the dictatorship, including the Civil War, which was a turning point against the atheist (as Franco was). During his tenure, compensation was even given, but now the Church would be separated from the State, making it a secular state.
The “referendum” called for in the eleventh point is to choose the final form of State, which would later become a referendum breaking with the past and creating the Political Reform Act, ending the Franco regime.
Finally, it calls for the “integration of Spain into the European Communities” and the “recognition of the principle of international peaceful coexistence”, reflecting the need to Europeanize Spain and its international role. In the past, Franco wanted to join the EC and NATO. In 1972, he applied but was denied entry because it should have been a democracy, but an agreement was reached, allowing trade with Spain. Membership was achieved in 1986 with the PSOE government of Felipe González, after joining NATO during Calvo Sotelo’s term. Franco colonized the Sahara to improve his image and the dictatorship internationally.
Consequences and Significance
The consequences of all this are that after Franco’s death, the Democratic Board’s Convergence Platform proposed a break with the Franco regime, rejecting the political continuity that Franco wanted to impose. However, this was never achieved, and a rupture was established between the agreed opposition and the industry that evolved under Franco, led by Adolfo Suarez.
In my opinion, this manifesto of the Democratic Board is quite important as it gathers some ideas for moving past the Franco dictatorship and beginning a new era. I think that it is quite valuable and interesting as it reflects a change in all areas of Spanish society.