Date of Award

6-2012

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Modern Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Christine Henseler

Language

Spanish

Keywords

Spain, transformation, government, dictatorship, democracy

Abstract

Today, Spain is known as a democratic country with considerable influence in the European Union (EU), a country with a rich and diverse culture. But this is not the same Spain that existed thirty or forty years ago. It is a country with the same face, but with a completely different expression. The transformation that occurred in Spain is different from any other transformation of a nation. Government, culture, politics, the general attitude of the people and much more had to change when Francisco Franco died. But what was the central reason for this great change? There are obvious answers, such as because the leader died or because the transition from a dictatorship to a democracy was a great driver of change. While these answers are true, they do not represent the complete picture. The central reason remains in people's minds and their attitude of self-sufficiency and pride of their roots. What resulted was a new system of government that included a central government and 17 regional governments, a government that reflects the repressed, diverse and unconscious wishes of the Spanish people. The next pages show the situation of Spain during the dictatorship, the transition towards democracy, and how the emphasis on self-sufficiency and regionalism develops and persists in Spanish society.

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