Across Western Europe, the global financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath not only brought economic havoc but also, in turn, intense political upheaval. Many of the political manifestations of the crisis seen in other Western and especially Southern European countries also hit Spain, where challenger parties caused unprecedented parliamentary fragmentation, resulting in four general elections in under four years from 2015 onwards. Yet Spain, a decentralised state where extensive powers are devolved to 17 regions known as ‘autonomous communities’, also stood out from its neighbours due to the importance of the territorial dimension of politics in shaping the political expression of the crisis. This book explains how and why the territorial dimension of politics contributed to shaping party system continuity and change in Spain in the aftermath of the financial crisis, with a particular focus on party behaviour. The territorial dimension encompasses the demands for ever greater autonomy or even sovereignty coming from certain parties within the historic regions of the Basque Country, Catalonia and, to a lesser extent, Galicia. It also encompasses where these historic regions sit within the broader dynamics of intergovernmental relations across Spain’s 17 autonomous communities in total, and how these dynamics contribute to shaping party strategies and behaviour in Spain. Such features became particularly salient in the aftermath of the financial crisis since this coincided with, and indeed accelerated, the rise of the independence movement in Catalonia.

With a focus predominantly on the two governments of José Maria Aznar between 1996 and 2004, and the José Luis Zapatero government after 2004, this book provides an introduction for students of Spain's history and its contemporary politics.

A comprehensive work which offers a new and provocative approach to Spanish from political and historical perspectives.

The Politics of Contemporary Spain charts the trajectory of Spanish politics since the transition to democracy through to the present day, including the aftermath of the Madrid bombings.

An introductory textbook on contemporary Spanish politics, this book shows how Spain made a smooth transition from authoritarian to democratic rule, each chapter dealing with a different aspect of this process. The book goes on to analyse the consequences of the socialist administration of Zapatero.

This contribution to European historical literature provides a clear and dispassionate account of successive ecclesiastical-secular conflicts and controversies in Spain and deftly summarizes the diverse ideological and intellectual currents of the times.

This fully revised and updated third edition reflects the considerable changes in Spain over the last decade as the country celebrates 40 years of its constitution. The author gives fresh insight into the formal and informal workings of this dynamic southern European democracy. Thoroughly examining Spain’s historical background, political culture, core political institutions and foreign policy-making, each chapter provides a research-based overview of the studied topic which can then be used as the basis for further research by students. Key themes of the book include: A thorough overview of contemporary Spanish politics, especially the governments of Zapatero and Rajoy; Spain’s political culture and institutional framework; The Spanish economy, and the consequences of the economic and sovereign debt crisis; Foreign policy-making; the reaction to the global anti-terrorist coalition and the Madrid bombings; Policy-making process and the system of interest intermediation; Party system and electoral process; The dynamics of regional/territorial politics and the Basque, Catalan and Galician nationalisms, particularly the quest for Catalan independence; External relations with the European Union, the Mediterranean and Latin America; Constitutional reform; Immigration. Richly illustrated with maps and presenting large amounts of statistical and quantitative data, this book is an indispensable source of information for students, academics and the wider public interested in Spanish politics.