Spanish Transition to Democracy: Key Events & Figures
Key Events in the Spanish Transition to Democracy
- November 20, 1975: Death of Franco and the end of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, which lasted from 1936 to 1975.
- November 22, 1975: Juan Carlos I de Borbón is crowned King of Spain.
- 1978: The year of the first free elections in the country and the development and imposition by popular referendum of the Constitution of 1978. The King swears to uphold the Constitution, and Spain becomes an autonomous state and a parliamentary monarchy.
- February 23, 1981: Tejero’s coup, involving the storming of the Congress of Deputies with 200 civil guards. The coup took place before Calvo Sotelo was elected President of the Government, a position he achieved after the King stabilized the country.
Key Figures in the Spanish Transition
Arias Navarro
A politician chosen by the King, but there was distrust between them. He was the first president of the Transition and continued with the Franco regime, which cost him his job in favor of Adolfo Suárez.
Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo
Suárez’s second-in-command, he dealt with various ministries before coming to power following Suárez’s resignation. He belonged to the UCD party, which later disappeared. During his short term, Spain entered NATO.
Felipe González
Leader of the PSOE during the Spanish Transition. His party defended the market economy and was Marxist and social democratic. He came to power in 1982, with 202 deputies in Congress. He ruled the country for thirteen and a half years, until 1996.
Adolfo Suárez
A politician who won the King’s favor and took the reins of the country. He achieved the legalization of all political parties.
Josep Tarradellas
A Catalan politician from the ERC party. During the Civil War, he went into exile in France, and in 1954, he became the fourth president of the Generalitat of Catalonia. In 1977, after reaching an agreement with Suárez regarding the Generalitat, he returned to Spain.
Important Concepts and Organizations
Statute of Autonomy
Spain is an autonomous state with statutes. These statutes are self-government granted by the Constitution for certain regions. All communities are autonomous. Spain is, therefore, a decentralized country.
Generalitat of Catalonia
The self-government of Catalonia. It defends the interests of Catalan employers and freedoms. Only parties that govern in Catalonia compete electorally, such as ERC and CiU.
Maastricht Treaty
A treaty by which Spain and its EU ministers may work for Europe.
Moncloa Pacts
A series of pacts agreed upon in the Moncloa Palace, always with political consensus under Suárez’s leadership. These reforms touched all areas, from political to social and economic.
PNV (Basque Nationalist Party)
Always defends the interests of the Basque people and the possibility of this region one day becoming independent of Spain. This party is left-wing but with a focus on independence.
The Murder of Atocha
The murder of CCOO labor lawyers in Atocha, Madrid, carried out by the terrorist group GRAPO. It occurred before Suárez legalized all political parties.
Treaty of Accession of 1986
An agreement signed for Spain to enter the European Community.
UCD (Democratic Center Party)
The first party to win a free election. It was led first by Suárez and then by Calvo Sotelo. It later disappeared from politics.