History and Government
History
For a substantial part of its existence, Spain was under the Roman rule, which started from 218 BC and lasted five centuries. After the Romans, it was the turn of Visigoths to rule the country. The Arabs followed soon after and rapidly established Muslim culture in the country, particularly the Southern regions of Cordoba and Granada. The Arabic influence can be assessed by the remnants of Moorish architecture spread all over the country.
The Middle Ages saw Christianity spreading its roots in Spain. 1469 was a watershed year in Spanish history. It was in this year that King of Aragon, Ferdinand, and Queen of Castile, Isabella, married and captured Granada, which is known as the last Muslim stronghold on the Peninsula. This year marked the beginning of Spain’s “Golden Age” as the centre of the Habsburg Empire of Charles V (Charles, Carlos I of Spain). The late 16th Century saw the reign of Philip II that contributed a great deal for the prominence of Lope de Vega, El Greco, Cervantes, and Velazquez.
The Habsburg Empire was seriously weakened during 17th Century and gradually the country saw the revival under the Bourbons, led by Carlos III. However, the 18th and 19th centuries were marked by Napoleonic wars and internal political vendettas.
A left wing republic was created by the abdication of King Alfonso XIII in 1931. But the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 gave General Franco the absolute power over the country. He ruled the country with impunity until 1975 when monarchy was restored. Finally, democratic constitutional monarchy was established in the country in 1978.
The 1980s and early 1990s saw the domination of Felipe Gonzalez's led Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE, Socialist Party). He was largely responsible for the overall development of the country and took Spain to European Union and NATO. However, corruption scandals in early 1990s led to a huge drop in popularity of PSOE, and it was only after the parties like Basque and Catalan regional parties that it managed to cling on to power.
Finally, in 1996, the right-wing Partido Popular (Popular Party) under Jose Maria Aznar replaced PSOE in the Cortes. The Popular Party ruled Spain till 2004, when the infamous Madrid Bombings tilted the scales in favour of PSOE under the leadership of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Spain has always been engulfed with territorial problems in Basque province and Gibraltar. Both the regional problems have resulted in violent struggles and a constant source of consternation for Spanish government.
Government
Spain has followed its democratic constitutional monarchy since 1978, when the bicameral parliament (Cortes) was divided into the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, which holds legislative power.
The 350-member Congress is elected by proportional representation every 4 years, and the 202 senators are elected by direct elections. Besides this, Spain has 17 autonomous regions, which elect their respective governments after every 4 years.
SPAIN
