Spain’s Transition to Democracy: 1976-1978
The Spanish Political Transition
After General Franco died, and the first speech of D. Juan Carlos as head of state, a horizon of political change was already visible in Spain. The young monarch, despite being heir to the system imposed by Franco, right from the start suggested the need to restore freedoms to civil society in Spain. A difficult period opened since the passage from a dictatorship that had survived for almost forty years to full democracy would not be easy. Three options were raised:
- a) The forces of the regime opted for continuity, introducing minor reforms that would ensure the survival of the regime without Franco.
- b) The breakdown of democracy, advocated by almost all political forces of the democratic opposition. In short, the formation of a provisional government and the announcement of constituent elections that returned national sovereignty to their rightful owners.
- c) A complex transition draft, from Franco’s own laws, creating a smooth shift to full democracy.
The King, quickly, and in 1976, made a major change: the replacement of Prime Minister Arias Navarro, a man reluctant to change, by the young Adolfo Suárez, who, together with the King, would play a key role throughout the process of political transformation. In just three years, sovereignty was returned to the Spanish people, not without difficulties but with a firm and determined step. The opening period adhered to three primarily important years:
- a) 1976: The Year of the Political Reform Act.
- b) 1977: The year of the first free elections after forty years.
- c) 1978: The year of the adoption of the Constitution.
The centerpiece of this change was The Law for Political Reform, which surprisingly was approved by Parliament, put to a referendum under Franco, and approved by a large majority of the Spanish people in 1976. This meant that in less than a year, the Franco regime, which had survived almost 40 years, would disappear, paving the way for the restoration of democratic freedoms.
Once approved by the courts and endorsed by the Spanish people, the Political Reform Act began the negotiation process between the Prime Minister and the opposition. The platform united the various democratic unitary bodies of Galicia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia. It attempted to negotiate, especially, the conditions for the holding of elections scheduled for June 1977. These negotiations were not easy. It was agreed at last to accept the form of state, the monarchy, and the composition of the interim government. A change was achieved:
- Legalization of all political parties
- The demise of the National Movement
- The negotiation of the Electoral Act
The turning point came with the legalization of the PCE (Communist Party of Spain). Given this possibility, the Communist Party organized a large demonstration in Madrid to pressure the Prime Minister to legalize the party. On the other hand, the old ruling class, in a clear minority, chose to use force to stop the unstoppable. The year 1977 was critical. Madrid was sequestered in one of the strongholds of the former regime, José María de Oriol y Urquijo. The military was also pressured by the abduction of General Villaescusa, but they did not achieve their goals. Another attempt to put the country on edge were the murders of Atocha labor lawyers at the hands of the Spanish far-right. But none of these actions slowed the march toward democracy, culminating in the legalization of the PCE during Holy Week, a fact that highlights once again the opposition to reforms by some high-ranking military officials.
Having overcome this downturn, the terms of the election calls of June 15, 1977, were finally negotiated. Previously, unions were legalized, the right to strike was recognized, and the powerful Secretary-General of the National Movement was eliminated, ending forty years of personal dictatorship of General Franco. These changes made possible the return to Spain of many exiles, intellectuals, scientists, and so on, who went into exile following the Civil War.
The June 1977 elections were the first to be held in the country since 1936, and the polls showed results that did not give the majority to any political group. However, the results allowed Adolfo Suárez’s UCD to form a government that was responsible for carrying out essential tasks in domestic policy, such as:
- The creation of a new constitutional order began with the opening of the Cortes.
- The treatment of the grave economic crisis, for which the law dictated urgent measures, including the devaluation of the peseta to boost exports and revive the Spanish economy.
- The attempt to quickly resolve claims of Basque and Catalan nationalists, creating pre-autonomous bodies, first in these two communities and later extended to the whole country.
In the field of foreign policy, the main step was the initiation of negotiations for the entry of Spain into the European Community. Entry would mean international recognition of the country’s rare political transition and, of course, economic recovery, not to mention the end of the isolation that had been submitted to the country for nearly four decades, far from the major international forums.
But the establishment of democracy in Spain needed, for the sake of the country’s situation, a great deal of state, with the participation of all political forces to successfully undertake the necessary structural changes in the field of the economy. These agreements must necessarily pass through a broad consensus that was achieved in late 1977 with a very important package, highlighting budget measures, income, tax reform, education reform, energy, and public enterprises.
Together, these agreements did not develop fully, but they did serve to regulate wages, expand social security coverage for workers, improve the supply of public education, and begin a more just and generous tax. In short, the Moncloa Pacts helped to improve the deficit, lower inflation, and increase corporate profits, but they did not solve the decline in the number of unemployed.
The end of this short but intensive political transition can be said to have arrived in 1978 with the adoption of the Constitution, which determines the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Of the Constitution of 1978, we highlight the following aspects:
Main Aspects of the 1978 Constitution
- Bill of Rights: Includes a comprehensive statement of rights and abolishes individual rights, even the death penalty.
- Church-State Relations: The State has no official religion, although the text provides state collaboration with the Catholic Church because this is the majority religion of the Spanish.
- Representation Systems: Hereby established a Court elected by universal suffrage among the Spanish over 18 years and consisting of a House of Representatives with a minimum of 300 members and a maximum of 400, and a Senate with a vocation for territorial representation.
- Executive: The Prime Minister is proposed to the Congress of Deputies by the King. The candidate must get an absolute majority of votes on the first ballot.
- Judiciary: It represents and embodies the independence of the judiciary, creating the Constitutional Court next to the Supreme Judicial Council, set up as the last guarantor of constitutional rights.
- State Planning Organization: Indissolubility of the country is guaranteed, but the right to autonomy of nationalities and regions making up the national unity is recognized, and finally, the organization of government in municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions is established.