SpainThe Transition From ditactorship to Democracy
... “Franco purged Basque and Catalan nationalists from administrative positions, forbade the use of regional languages in governmental discourse, emasculated the regional governments established during the civil war and even prohibited the Catalan dance, the Serrano” (Kohler 60). ... Social changes brought about by economic prosperity and new ideas helped set the stage for Spains transition from autocracy to democracy. A New King and the Beginning of Democracy General Franco died in his bed in November 1975. ... Instead, he had a mobile television unit dispatched to the palace and, wearing the uniform of armed forces chief, told the nation that no attempt to disrupt Spains new democracy by force would be tolerated. ... Prime Minister Gonzalez governed Spain atop a majority for his own PSOE party that, in effect, made Spain a single party democracy. ... (25) Has Democracy Been Successful? ... Growth was also been associated with an impression of fairness, a sense of relative justice stemming from comparisons they make in respect to each other. ... The sense of feeling better off is pervasive and provides a strong base of support for the socialist government and for Spanish democracy. ... These data would suggest that democracy has, indeed, been successful in Spain. How to Make a Successful Transition From Autocracy to Democracy Timothy Frye believes ethnicity and sovereignty are the major factors in a successful transition. He states: Since 1970, approximately twenty-five countries have attempted transitions from some form of non-democratic rule. ... How ethnicity is determined also seems to impact resolving the ethnic question and building a democracy. ... Such a broad base of ethnicity would seem to mitigate the threat to the ethnic group from dominant group immigration because an individual would become Basque by virtue of living and working in the Country. ... About this he suggests the less centralized political power is during the transition process, the greater the resources available to a republic should it decide to press for sovereignty (599). ... The third factor, choice of electoral strategy, is a critical time in the transition to democracy from non-democratic rule. ... On the other side, elections inject uncertainty into the process of transition. Still, the choice of electoral rules can really shape the future path of the transition. ... The Cortes continued as the locus of power in the emerging democracy that provided a powerful incentive for groups seeking ethnic autonomy to work within the system. ... The electoral laws and the creation of autonomous regions for ethnic minorities in the Basque Country, Catalonia and elsewhere played important roles in strengthening the centripetal forces in favor of a united Spanish democracy (Frye 602). Navarro offers some other reasons for Spain’s successful transition: o Although Spain did not have a democracy when Franco died, they did have a capitalist economy and seasoned entrepreneurs.