Dos Españas; Dos Memorias
"Españolito que vienes al mundo te guarde Dios. Una de las dos España ha de helarte el corazón"-Antonio Machado (1938)
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Lesson 1: A New Regimen
In 1939, the war was finally over. As Franco began a new regime, changes started to occur immediately. Franco implemented a transformation in the country that would last over a decade. During this period of time, the country went through very difficult times. With a destroyed country and a government that wanted to be isolated from international relationships, Spaniards lived under very tough circumstances. The hunger, devastation, executions, repression, and the effects of World War II , among other factors, did not allow the country to recover rapidly. It was not until 1952, that the rationing was removed and the economy started to show some improvement. However, Franco had to confront new challenges that affected the regime and the life style of the society. Protest and violent episodes led by many opposition groups, kept the tension at high levels for many years. Even though Franco kept most of his ideas and thoughts in silence, Spaniards could see that changes were going to occur. On November 20, 1975, Franco died after a lengthy medical treatment, leaving Juan Carlos de Borbón in charge of an uncertain future. In this lesson we will learn more in more detail about the most significant events that happened in the period of time from 1939-1975, aka., Francoism. Lesson 2: The Transition and Beyond
After Franco's death, Spain went through a new and crucial period of time called "La Transición". This transition had democracy as its main goal; however such a change came with many sacrifices, including the political erasure of a very important part of Spain's recent history. A consensus among all ideologies permitted Spain to maintain peace until the nation finally completed the transition with a new constitution in 1978. The journey to democracy was full of changes and difficult tasks, which had the society in the uncertainty. Several situations maintained the transition period at risk; situations such as a failed coup dé'tat by members of the civil guard; the repealing of laws of the previous regime; violent protests (demanding amnesty for the political prisoners of the Francoism), and new terrorist attacks. With the constitution and the amnesty law in place, however, the country began to have some period of peace. A democratic and a much more modern Spain opened the doors to the world, being the host of important international events, such as the Olympics Games in Barcelona 1992, and the Sevilla Expo. However, on the other hand, there were events that negatively marked negatively the life of Spaniards during this period, such as 11-M, where more than 100 people died in a terrorist attack on the train railroad system in Madrid. This lesson is a continuation of the first one, and we will also analyze the most important events that occurred during the period of time, 1975-2004. |
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