AWAITING THE TEMPEST
(Spain from dictatorship to democracy)
Part 5
The aftermath…
On the 20th November 1975 General Franco died in La Paz hospital, Madrid. He was 82 and had long outlived Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, his contemporary dictators. He had also managed to die in bed surrounded by physicians, after a long life, something that he had so cruelly denied many Spaniards during his 36 years of power.
Right to the end of his life, Franco remained in charge. However, to some extent, his power had been diminished by the death of the one man who may have ensured the continuance of his regime. This was Admiral Carrero Blanco, a hard line Francoist and member of the Opus Dei, who was made Prime Minister in 1973.
However, only months after Blanco’s appointment, the Basque separatist movement detonated a massive bomb under his car, which threw the vehicle over a church roof and onto the balcony of a block of flats. One of Franco’s most ardent supporters was dead.
Carrero Blanco was replaced in 1974 by Carlos Arias Navarro, a moderate Francoist, who was more than aware of Franco’s physical fragility. He saw that change was needed and promised reforms and the right to form political parties, something that remaining hard line Francoists ardently opposed. The future was looking uncertain and clearly Spain was about to enter choppy waters.
When he died Franco left Prince Juan Carlos as his heir and within two days Juan Carlos was anointed king and Head of State, with all the absolute power that El Caudillo had enjoyed for so many long years. However, unknown to Franco, Juan Carlos had no intention of becoming a dictator and sustaining the existing Franco regime, whether as a hard liner or moderate. In fact, Juan Carlos had, for some years, been communicating secretly with liberal opposition leaders and almost immediately, to the horror of Francoists, he announced that he intended to restore democracy and thereby legitimately claim to be ‘King of all Spaniards’.
During the next three uncertain and difficult years, King Juan Carlos helped guide Spain to democracy and, in 1978, a new constitution was approved and the King relinquished his absolute power. Meanwhile, Spain was broken into 17 Autonomous Regions and two Autonomous cities (Melilla and Ceuta), thus recognising the complexity of a country made up of many differing parts, cultures and languages.
Miraculously, the winds of change had blown gently and the expected tempest had never arrived. Indeed, the transition from dictatorship to democracy was made without a single case of bloodshed.
It is now over thirty seven years since the death of General Franco and King Juan Carlos remains king, his reputation burnished by his prompt actions in helping to put down the only attempted Francoist coup (1981).
Over the years, there have been a series of democratic elections between the political parties, both to the right and left. Democracy is now deeply engrained within the Spanish psyche and the concept of Spain ever returning to its pre-civil war turmoil or as a dictatorship is inconceivable. Indeed, the country is fully integrated into the European Union and has some of the most liberal laws in the world.
There is, of course, equality for women and there have been profound social changes. In 1975 the permiso marital was abolished, contraception became legal in 1978 and divorce was legalised in 1981. Same sex marriages are now allowed and the controversy over bikinis has become laughable. There are now many nudist beaches in Spain and being topless barely excites comment. Abortion is allowed although the present government is, bizarrely, calling for this to be restricted
Meanwhile, the tourist industry has expanded beyond the wildest dreams of anyone in 1971, with Spain now the fourth most visited country in the world after France, the USA and China. Some 56.7 million (2011) foreigners visit Span annually, with Benidorm alone receiving around 5 million people (it has a capacity of around 300,000 visitors at any one time!). In 2010 some $53 billion came into the Spanish economy from tourism and it has become the mainstay of the economy.
Flamenco remains as popular as ever (and as misunderstood) whilst bullfighting is losing popularity as every year passes. It has been banned in Catalonia and, until recently, had been banned from prime time national television (RTVE).
Of course, the Spanish now have a lifestyle almost indistinguishable from the rest of Europe. After almost a century of turmoil the country is more or less at peace with itself and the memories of the dictatorship and decades of poverty are now disappearing into the forgiving mists of time.