This book analyzes the decay of Liberal politics in Spain as the regional version of the general crisis that engulfed most of Europe between 1916 and 1923. Romero enriches the important wider debate about this watershed period of European history when, in the face of unprecedented mass social protest and political mobilization, incumbent governing elites struggled to find a valid formula of social containment in the dawning of mass politics which also saw the spread of the radical new doctrines of Bolshevism and Fascism. Above all, this book examines Spain’s "crisis of modernization," a process marked by complex social and political realignments through which the nature of civil society was profoundly altered. It resulted in an unprecedented spiral of violence and a polarization that firstly led to an authoritarian formula of social control in 1923, and ultimately to the outbreak of civil war in 1936.

This reinterpretation of the history of modern Spain from the Enlightenment to the threshold of the twenty-first century explains the surprising changes that took Spain from a backward and impoverished nation, with decades of stagnation, civil disorder, and military rule, to one of the ten most developed economies in the world. The culmination of twenty years' work by the dean of economic history in Spain, founder of the Revista de Historia Económica and recipient of the Premio Rey Juan Carlos, Spain's highest honor for an academic, the book is rigorously analytical and quantitative, but eminently accessible. It reveals views and approaches little explored until now, showing how the main stages of Spanish political history have been largely determined by economic developments and by a seldom mentioned factor: human capital formation. It is comparative throughout, and concludes by applying the lessons of Spanish history to the plight of today's developing nations.

The book presents various investigation into 20th-century European dictatorships, with its focus on Franco`s dictatorship and the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in Spain (1936/1939-1975/1978) was a modern form of authoritarianism, with a strong totalitarian period, like many other dictatorships of the time. Francoism occupies a place in history alongside other different dictatorships of its age, and a comparative analysis might prove to be a powerful tool in order to understand how, in the middle of the 20th century, such a repressive and authoritarian form of political control emerged. One of the most forgotten fascisms, which at the same time was influenced by and influenced other dictatorships, there are many aspects of the transnational connections of Francoism that remain under-researched. Following this methodology, thus, an attempt is made to situate Francoism in the context of the other dictatorships of the time, in an attempt to transcend explanations centered on the nation. The chapters cover groundbreaking topics such as the Spanish Civil War as one of the first total wars or Spanish fascism in context as one of the main European totalitarianisms. The chapters always have more than one dimension: they speak of interrelation, entanglement, collaboration and diffusion, and, in general, put the different dictatorships (essentially: Francoism, diverse Fascisms and Communism) in context and comparison.

The Enciclopedia de Linguistica Hispánica provides comprehensive coverage of the major and subsidiary fields of Spanish linguistics. Entries are extensively cross-referenced and arranged alphabetically within three main sections: Part 1 covers linguistic disciplines, approaches and methodologies. Part 2 brings together the grammar of Spanish, including subsections on phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Part 3 brings together the historical, social and geographical factors in the evolution of Spanish. Drawing on the expertise of a wide range of contributors from across the Spanish-speaking world the Enciclopedia de Linguistica Hispánica is an indispensable reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Spanish, and for anyone with an academic or professional interest in the Spanish language/Spanish linguistics.

Beginning with the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1875 and ending with the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975, this book explores the intersection of education and nationalism in Spain. Based on a broad range of archival and published sources, including parliamentary and ministerial records, pedagogical treatises and journals, teachers' manuals, memoirs, and a sample of over two hundred primary and secondary school textbooks, the study examines ideological and political conflict among groups of elites seeking to shape popular understanding of national history and identity through the schools, both public and private. A burgeoning literature on European nationalisms has posited that educational systems in general, and an instrumentalized version of national history in particular, have contributed decisively to the articulation and transmission of nationalist ideologies. The Spanish case reveals a different dynamic. In Spain, a chronically weak state, a divided and largely undemocratic political class, and an increasingly polarized social and political climate impeded the construction of an effective system of national education and the emergence of a consensus on the shape and meaning of the Spanish national past. This in turn contributed to one of the most striking features of modern Spanish political and cultural life--the absence of a strong sense of Spanish, as opposed to local or regional, identity. Scholars with interests in modern European cultural politics, processes of state consolidation, nationalism, and the history of education will find this book essential reading.

Using a wealth of varied sources, this book is an inspiring and essential gateway to understanding the foundations of modern Spain. Francisco J. Romero Salvadó employs a chronological framework to chart the country's experience, commencing with the Restoration of the Bourbon Monarch in 1874 up to the present day. Modern Spain is a vital contribution to the study and debate of this country's history and politics. It provides a thorough, yet concise, study of nearly 150 years of tumultuous historical evolution. It examines the crisis of traditional liberal politics and the subsequent ill-fated attempts at reform through the military dictatorship headed by General Miguel Primo de Rivera and the progressive Second Republic that ensued. The outcome being three years of tragic civil war, followed by the long 40-year dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. It concludes by exploring Spain's successful and surprisingly rapid transition to democracy and the challenges that it now faces in the 21st century. Romero Salvadó uproots the many myths and blatant distortions that have often surrounded the history of Spain. By offering an analysis within a European context, he also challenges the traditional view of the exceptional character of the country, encapsulated in the motto 'Spain is different!' On the contrary, this book so convincingly contends, Spain is a perfect example to show the troubled and often violent path to modernity that western societies had to undergo in their transition from elite to mass politics.