A unique story: Spain, from dictatorship to democracy

Spain has long been seen as an exception in Western Europe. The complicated and contested emergence of a nation-state rooted in the supremacy of the Catholic Church led, well into the 20th century, to an anachronistic dictatorship. That is why Spain’s democratic transformation following Franco’s death came as such a surprise at the time.

By Hubert Peres, Professor of Political Science at the University of Marseille (retired).

Hubert Peres is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Montpellier and a researcher at the Center for Political and Social Studies: Environment, Health, and Territories (CEPEL, a joint CNRS–University of Montpellier research unit), which he directed from 2003 to 2015.