The death of General Francisco Franco in November of 1975 ended
thirty-six years of fascist-style dictatorship in Spain. The
subsequent transition to liberal parliamentary government was
remarkably smooth, particularly when compared to the recent
difficulties experienced by other states, such as the former Soviet
Republics and Eastern Europe. Ortiz traces Spain's success back to
the development of a liberal tradition and a public sphere in the
last decades of the 19th century during the Restoration period. He
uses this era as a test case to demonstrate that liberal practices
can develop even within a political situation where state
institutions and the social infrastructure do not necessarily
support them.
"Paper Liberals" dispels the notion that Western Europe ends at
the Pyrenees and argues instead that, while on the periphery, Spain
should not be excluded from the mainstream of European history.
Clarifying a period in contemporary Spanish history that has been
largely misunderstood, this study underscores the importance of the
Spanish example as a comparative model to the countries customarily
thought of as the European center (Britain, France, and Germany).
Ortiz examines the formation and expansion of liberal political
culture during the Regency of Maria Christina from 1885 to 1902,
and he details the pivotal role of the Spanish press, which
dominated the public sphere of Regency Spain, as the vehicle for
this remarkable transformation.
General
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