The Politics Of Contemporary Spain

by Balfour,Sebastian

• ISBN13: 9780415356770
• ISBN10: 0415356776
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-05-24
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

While Spain is now a well-established democracy closely integrated into the European Union, it has suffered from a number of severe internal problems such as corruption, discord between state and regional nationalism, and separatist terrorism. The Politics of Contemporary Spain charts the trajectory of Spanish politics from the transition to democracy through to the present day, including the aftermath of the Madrid bombings of March 2004 and the elections that followed three days later. It offers new insights on the main political parties and the political system, on the monarchy, corruption, terrorism, regional and conservative nationalism, and on Spain's policies in the Mediterranean and the EU. It challenges many existing assumptions about politics in Spain, reaching beyond systems and practices to look at identities, political cultures and mentalities. It brings to bear on the analysis the latest empirical data and theoretical perspectives. Providing a detailed politicalanalysis in an historical context, this book will be of vital importance to students and researchers of Spanish studies and politics.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	vii
List of contributors	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction: Spain since the transition to democracy: an overview	1	(197)
SEBASTIAN BALFOUR
1 From consensus to competition: the changing nature of democracy in the Spanish transition	6	(21)
JONATHAN HOPKIN
2 The monarchy of Juan Carlos: from dictator's dreams to democratic realities	27	(12)
PAUL PRESTON
3 Corruption, democracy and governance in contemporary Spain	39	(22)
PAUL M. HEYWOOD
4 Using terror against terrorists: the Spanish experience	61	(20)
PADDY WOODWORTH
5 Terrorism and nationalist conflict: the weakness of democracy in the Basque Country	81	(25)
JOSÉ MANUEL MATA
6 Convergència i Unió, Catalonia and the new Catalanism	106	(15)
ANDREW DOWLING
7 From National-Catholic nostalgia to constitutional patriotism: conservative Spanish nationalism since the early 1990's	121	(25)
XOSÉ-MANOEL NÚÑEZ SEIXAS
8 The reinvention of Spanish conservatism: the Popular Party since 1989	146	(23)
SEBASTIAN BALFOUR
9 The Socialist Party in government and in opposition	169	(29)
MÓNICA MÉNDEZ-LAGO
10 Between ambition and insecurity: Spanish politics and the Mediterranean	198	(17)
RICHARD GILLESPIE
11 Spain in the new European Union: in search of a new role and identity	215	(20)
MARY FARRELL
Index	235