Contemporary Spanish History

OBJECTIVES

This course has been designed to offer a well rounded vision of historical vicissitudes such as politics, societal norms and economics in a period that begins at the start of the 20th century and continues on to present day. The main idea is to give an overview of the principal historical factors that attributed to form what is known as modern day Spain. It is to permit the students an opportunity to integrate into their studies useful references to understand the idiosyncrasies of the Spanish culture. The understanding of the Spanish mentality, culture, or even just the realization of the importance of reading the newspaper to contextualize the language and vocabulary to better comprehension and language skills.

PROGRAMMING

1. Geographic and Political Maps of Modern Day Spain

1.1 The Autonomous Communities (=comunidades autonomas) and Their Nationalities
1.2 The Parliamentary Monarchy
1.3 The Official Languages
1.4 Population

2. 1898-1931: The Restauration and Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera

2.1.1 Conservatives and Liberals
2.2 The Period of the Last Colonies (1898)
2.3 The New Colonial Adventure in Morocco
2.4 The Working class Movement & ¨The Tragic Week¨
2.5 The Neutrality in the 1st World War
2.6 The Regeneration
2.7 Krausism and the Institution of Free Education
2.8 Regionalisms: the ?Renaixenca? and the ?Rexurdimiento?
2.9 The Origen of Iberic Nationalisms
2.10 The End of the Restauration and the Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
2.10.1 Political and Social Changes
2.10.2 The End of the Dictatorship and the Fall of the Monarchy of Alfonso XIII

3. 1931-1975: The 2nd Republic, the Civil War and the Francoism

3.1 The Second Republic
3.1.1 The Democratization of the Army
3.1.2 The Separation of Church and State
3.1.3 The Regional Question
3.1.4 The Agrarian Reformation
3.1.5 Social Rights

3.2 The Civil War 1936-1939
3.2.1 Factors that Provoke the Conflict
3.2.2 Opposing Sides: Nationalists and Republicans
3.2.3 International Assistance
3.2.4 Stages of the Battle
3.2.5 The Intellectuals
3.2.6 Main Battles
3.2.7 The End of the War
3.2.8 Social, Economic and Political Consequences

3.3 Francoism
3.3.1 The Totalitarian State
3.3.2 The Fundamental Laws
3.3.3 The Blue Division in the 2nd World War
3.3.4 The Marshall Plan
3.3.5 Economic Recovery
3.3.6 The Legacy of Franco
3.3.7 International Opportunities
3.3.8 ETA and the assassination of Carrero Blanco
3.3.9 The End of Francoism: Juan Carlos

4. 1975-2005 Democratic Spain
4.1 Political Transition
4.2 New Democratic Elections
4.3 The Constitution of 1978 & The Restoration of the Monarchy
4.4 The Failure of the Military Coup d'état.
4.5 Cultural Revitalization
4.6 Admittance into the European Union and NATO
4.7 The Terrorism of ETA
4.8 Economic Progress
4.9 Ideological Polarization: PSOE & PP
4.10 The Nationalisms
4.11 The European Ideal
4.12 International Relations

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