The Spanish Transition as a Model of Democratic Coexistence in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

This work is based on an analysis of the Spanish Transition as a process of political change, the transition from a dictatorship to a democracy in a period of time, which extends from Franco's death in 1975 to the arrival of the Socialists to Power in 1982. In the Transition, the consensus was imposed within the political parties, and progress was made towards reconciliation among the Spaniards, culminating in the approval of the Constitution in 1978, which allowed the consolidation of a rule of law. The key people of the Transition were King Juan Carlos I, who bet on the democratic system, Adolfo Suárez, who came from Franco´s regime, being appointed as Head of Government by the King during the Transition, and Torcuato Fernández Miranda, President of the Franco´s Courts. In the Transition the sectarianism was parked, and a shared idea arose that our country was a democracy, like that of the European countries around us. The Transition has been defined as a "model", because it was agreed and democracy was quickly consolidated. It proved to be a historical feat with no precedents to follow, but above all we have to understand the historical context in which this occurred. The Transition was a generous effort among the Spaniards. In recent times a paradigm has emerged from the communist far left, and some socialists, along with the separatists on the occasion of the 2008 crisis, intend to repeal the constitutional order and the monarchy, because they consider it as a continuation of Franco´s regime. However, it has been established that the Constitution ensures respect for Spaniards´ rights and freedoms.

Keywords:

Transition, Spain, 1978 Constitution, Juan Carlos I, Adolfo Suárez