Modern Spain - by Francisco J Romero Salvadó (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

A successful attempt to frame the problematic nature of Spanish politics and the shortcomings of its representatives in the context of the European liberal and democratic revolutions. 'Modern Spain' offers clear arguments running through an illuminating analysis and provides an accessible and engrossing narrative.
Pablo La Porte, Professor, Heriot-Watt University, UK

Francisco J. Romero Salvado is a leading expert on modern Spanish history. He writes clearly and incisively, showing a rare ability to marshal large amounts of data to develop his argument effectively and concisely. His work will be of great help to both scholars and students of both modern Spanish and wider European history.
Angel Smith, Professor of Modern Spanish History, University of Leeds, UK

Romero is a maestro who has produced a much-needed addition to the existing historiography on Modern Spain. Enjoyable, detailed, and full of characters, this monograph dissects the sources of past and current social and political anxieties and wonders, while entertaining and challenging readers in each paragraph.
Gregorio Alonso, Associate Professor in Hispanic History. University of Leeds, UK

About the Author

Francisco J. Romero Salvadó is Associate Professor in Modern Spanish History at the University of Bristol, UK. He is the author of several books, including Political Comedy and Social Tragedy: Spain, a Laboratory of Social Conflict, 1892-1921 (2020), Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War (2013), La larga guerra civil española del Siglo XX(2011), and Foundations of the Civil War (2008).