Transition to Democracy

• Role of Juan Carlos:

  • He acceded the Spanish throne on the 22nd of November 1975, an event attended by Western leaders (unlike Franco's funeral).
  • He chose to ally monarchy with democracy and supported the establishment of a constitutional and parliamentary monarchy.
  • He gave authority to people in government who wanted reforms.
  • He was supported by Spaniards, Western democracies and the Spanish Catholic Church. There was little public concern that democracy would lead to another Civil War.
• Navarro:

  Navarro was chosen by Juan Carlos to be head of government, even though he was resistant to change. He appointed Fraga (a minister close to Franco) as minister of interior and opposed many reforms:

  • Opposed amnesty for political prisoners
  • insisted the communist party should stay outlawed
  • opposed legalisation of trade unions
• Navarro's Downfall:

  The government was divided and lacked coherent policy. In a period of unrest to Navarro's appointment, Fraga ordered police repression. Instead of supporting Fraga, Navarro blamed Fraga for the response of Spanish security and excessive use of force. This weakened his position and didn't even stop the unrest. By July, he lacked support from the country and King, so he resigned.
• Adolfo Suarez:

  Suarez became the new Prime Minister and was a reformer. Appointing him was a clever political move as he wasn't well known and was therefore not seen as a threat by conservatives in government. He was a pragmatist, meaning that even though he supported democracy to ensure peace, but was not ideologically committed.
• Immediate Steps to Democracy:

  In July 1976, Suarez made a televised speech announcing his strategy of democratisation by introducing a series of rapid reforms. He also announced measure like:

  • comprehensive political reform
  • legalisation of political parties
  • free elections by June 1977
• Gaining Support of Political Elites:

  • During September 1976, Suarez explained his plans to the army, promising to only legalise the PCE (communists) once they were committed to democracy.
  • He appointed a cabinet of people wanting to aid democracy.
  • He promised to not allow the break-up of regions.
  • He used figures linked to Franco (e.g. Lopez Rodo) to show their support for the reforms.
  • He implemented reform though Franco's legal system, making the old elite legitimate.
• Role of Cortes:

  Suarez ensured that the existing Cortes voted on reforms, with the majority supporting. He promised many members positions in government, in return for their support. In a final vote in November 1976, 425 deputies were for the political reforms, with only 59 against, symbolising a clear victory.
• National Referendum:

  In December 1976, Suarez used Franco's National Referendum Law (1945) to do a referendum on the reforms. 94% voted in favour, with only 3% against, showing a overwhelming large amount of public support.
• The army was reluctant to return to democracy. As king, Juan Carlos was commander-in-chief of the Spanish armed forces, meaning he was in a strong position to influence the military. He played a key role in appeasing the military and persuading them to back reform.
• In 1976, Juan Carlos failed to appoint Spanish general Mellado to the position of defence minister, instead appointing someone who was more right wing. However, Mellado was made chief of the general staff instead and used his position to appoint younger members within the army who supported democratic reforms. This, along with Suarez's promise not to legalise the PCE, helped to prevent successful military coups.
• On 16th November 1977, a RW plot, devised by army officers, to kidnap cabinet members was uncovered. The conspirators were treated leniently by military tribunals and only received prison sentences.
• Opposition against the reforms was fueled by the continuing ETA terrorist campaign for independence. One terrorist incident, conducted by LW radical group GRAPO resulted in the kidnapping of the president of the Council of State. This was followed by the murdering of 5 communist labour lawyers by a RW gang. The PCE showed great restraint and didn't call for retaliation, gaining the party widespread respect.
• Opposition showed the conservatives were acting illegally, discrediting opposition to the reforms and making it easier for Suarez to overcome extreme RW opposition to democratic reforms.
• In February 1977, political parties were legalised within Spain. Two important political groupings emerged from the old regime:

  • Alianza Popular (AP)
  • Union de Centro Democratico (UCD)
• The AP was headed by Manuel Fraga and consisted of RW figures such as Navarro. They campaigned for modernised Francoism, advocating traditional Catholic values and a strong centralised state. They sought support from the groups which had prospered under Franco. Importantly, they accepted democratic reform.
• The UCD didn't have a clear ideological programme. It consisted of different interest groups that formed around Suarez, as well as liberal and social democrat groups. The UCD emphasised modernisation and progress and the party appealed to voters who wanted to consolidate political reform.
• On 9th April 1977, Suarez legalised the PCE. Senior military leaders publicly opposed the decision but the king's close contacts with them helped to diffuse tensions. The moderation that the communists showed by accepting the monarchy, even though it was against their ideology, helped prevent a crisis over their legalisation. The PCE leader from 1960 to 1982, Carrillo, preformed an important role ensuring that the communists acted with restraint.
• Alongside legalisation of political parties, other political reforms were enacted in rapid succession in the first six months of 1977:

  • pardoning of political prisoners (March)
  • legalisation of independent trade unions and abolition of government-controlled labour syndicates
  • legalisation of the right to strike
  • dissolution of the National Movement (April)
• New elections were held on 15th June 1977. They were the first multi-party elections based on universal suffrage since 1936. They were based on a new electoral law, which introduced proportional representation.
• During the first election, no party received absolute majority. Suarez's UCD emerged as the largest party, winning 35% of the vote. The leading opposition party was the PSOE, which received 30%. The PSOE had combined their socialist idealism with pragmatic policies to ensure the party appealed to a broader spectrum of the Spanish electorate. The AP and PCE preformed poorly - neither gained more than 10%.
• The support for centrist parties in the June 1977 elections indicated there was widespread support for democracy in Spain. In that sense, it was a victory for Suarez's reforms.
• In August 1977, a commission was established to devise a new constitution. The commission consisted of representatives from all Spain's main political parties, as well as representatives of Catalan nationalist groups and minority political parties. The commission worked effectively and different groups negotiated constructively to reach a consensus on the content of a new Spanish constitution.
• The constitution was finally agreed and presented to the Spanish parliament in October 1978, receiving support of the vast majority of deputies. Some controversial aspects were deliberately ambiguous to defuse contentious issues, making it easier to gain a consensus.
• The constitution established a new foundation for the Spanish state, based on the following principles:

  • Spain's government was democratic
  • The political system = parliamentary monarchy
  • National sovereignty would reside with the Spanish people
  • Elections would be based on universal suffrage - all Spanish citizens aged 18 and above could vote/stand for election
  • The King = head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces
• The constitution established a new foundation for the Spanish state, based on the following principles:

  • The political power of the King would be limited
  • Spanish PMs would be accountable to parliament - not the King
  • Government was based on the principle of 'rule of law'
  • Death penalty was abolished
  • The state no longer had an official religion but the significance of the Catholic Church in Spain's past and current culture was recognised
• In the constitution, the issue of regional autonomy was dealt with by the recognition of Spain as consisting of 17 autonomous regions. Significantly, the right of succession was denied. Instead, constitution recognised Spain as a united country for all Spaniards. The Basque and Catalan regions would not gain independence and ETA continued its terror campaign.
• A referendum was held on the constitution on 6th December 1978 which resulted in 92% of the electorate voting in favour and only 8% against.
• Once the constitution had been approved parliament was dissolved and new elections were held on 1st March 1979. In this election Suarez's UCD once again gained the most seats (168), with the PSOE coming in second. The AP and PCE had gained a small amount of seats and, significantly, the AP's share of the vote had dropped, indicating the extent to which the Spanish public had rejected Francoism.