Spanish: Monarchies & Dictatorships – Transition From Franco Dictatorship (1939-1975) To Democracy With Dr Marta Simó-Comas From University of Reading

In this session, Dr Marta Simó-Comas will discuss the Transition from Franco Dictatorship (1939-1975) to Democracy.

When General Franco died on 20 November 1975, Spain had already begun its Transition to Democracy. However, the country’s political future was still up for grabs, and the biggest question remained unanswered: would Franco’s death put an end to one of the darkest periods in the history of Spain, or would Francoism survive without Franco? After all, in 1969, Franco had appointed Prince Juan Carlos as his successor to guarantee the continuity of his regime. Nonetheless, it was soon apparent that the new King was determined to give democratic legitimacy to his monarchy, presiding over the gradual dismantling of the political structures of Franco’s regime until the freedoms and rights lost at the end of the Civil War (1936-1939) were restored.

But what compromises had to be made along the way? What was the price of Spain’s ticket to democracy? And how have the deals that were struck in the 1970s shaped the Spain of today?

In this session, we will retrace Spain’s path to Democracy and debate the dilemmas it presented at every turn.

Lecturer Profile (Please Click): Dr Marta Simó-Comas  

The session will be conducted in English with references to Spanish.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Spanish and related disciplines.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying Spanish at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans (similar to Zoom) and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: