Present-day Spain and the Context of International Relations

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this Course is to provide students with as detailed an overview as possible of Spain’s
International Relations and Foreign Policy within the period dating from the Second World War until the
Present Day. With this aim in mind, a specific methodology has been designed in terms of the kind of
students participating in the Course, while also taking into account its duration, as well as the
distribution of its sessions which will be divided between those of a practical kind and those which are
theoretical in character.

METHODOLOGY
The syllabus will span the academic year’s second semester in two weekly modules, each with a
duration of two hours. In the theoretical sessions, classes will be based on explanations of the
fundamental aspects of each of the subject blocks. Once the Course has moved forward, one session in
three will be dedicated to the screening of, and commentary on, historical documentaries and movies
specifically chosen as back-up to the explanations and analysis offered in class. Amongst others,
projections will include those chapters dealing with the question of international relations belonging to
documentary series such as La Guerra Civil Española; Franco, Juan Carlos I y La Transición Democrática
Española. The movie ¡Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall! will also be screened.

SYLLABUS
SUBJECT BLOCK 1. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR AS AN INTERNATIONAL EVENT.
The Domestic Conflict and its Internationalization. France and Britain’s Non-Intervention Policy.
Resorting to Aid from Hitler. The International Brigade. Soviet Aid and the Moscow Gold. The End of the
War within its European Context.
SUBJECT BLOCK 2. SPAIN AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
The Character of the Franco Regime. The Regime Families and the Struggle in the Name of Duty. From
Neutrality to Non-Belligerence: the Temptation to Enter the War. The Entry of the United States in the
Conflict and the Change of Direction in the Franco Regime’s Foreign Policy. Germany’s Defeat and
Diplomatic Isolation: the Withdrawal of Ambassadors.
SUBJECT BLOCK 3. INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION (1945-1953).
Autocracy and Isolationism in the International Context. Portugal and Spanish America: The Dual Hubs
of the Regime’s Foreign Relations. The Issue of Israel. The Case of Spain at the United Nations. The
Opposition to the Franco Regime: from Hope to Disappointment.
SUBJECT BLOCK 4. THE ROAD TOWARD INTEGRATION WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO (1953-
1959).
“The Cinderella of the West”: the Cold War and International Recognition (Membership of the United
Nations, The 1953 Concordat and the Agreements with the United States). The Decolonization of
Morocco. The Issue of Gibraltar.

SUBJECT BLOCK 5. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE SIXTIES.
Economic Growth and Social Change. Tourism and Emigration. Overtures to the European Economic
Community. The Revision of the Agreement with the United States. The Independence of Guinea.

SUBJECT BLOCK 6. FRANCO’S DICTATORSHIP IN CRISIS.
The Friendship and Cooperation Agreement with the United States. The Crumbling of Francoism. The
Impact of “The Revolution of the Carnations” in Portugal. The Deterioration of Relations with the Holy
See. The Putting Down of Internal Opposition and International Protests. The Crisis of the Sahara.
SUBJECT BLOCK 7. THE TRANSITION TOWARD DEMOCRACY. 1975-1982.
Spanish Society and the Building of a New Regime. Political Parties and the Constitution of 1978. The
Renewal of Friendship with the United States and the Inauguration of NATO Membership. Entente with
Eastern Europe.