S3E35: Spain - From Global Empire To "El Desastre" To A Kingdom Without A King

"An Organic Democracy"? "Spain is different. Come to Spain."

Spain’s ignominious defeat in 1898 was an utter shock to Spaniards. Hopes of two republics vanished with civil war, and Franco’s “Organic Democracy” gave way to Spain’s Golden Age that was ultimately supplanted by polarized politics and inconclusive elections.

Dr. Julio Ponce of the University of Seville places Spain's polarized politics in the perspective of its near past history. In this episode, we uncover the history behind the following:

1. Was Spain the World’s First Truly Global Empire?
2. Why Seville Was the Wall Street of the 16th Century.
3. How America's defeat of Spain in 1898 shocked Spaniards. They called it "the disaster".
4. Who was responsible for the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana, which led to the Spanish-American War?
5. How does the Spanish Empire's decline compare to the British Empire's decline?
6. Why sus Franco support Franco during the Spanish Civil War?
7. Spain's slogan during Franco’s dictatorship: “Spain is different. Come to Spain.”
8. How Spain was a Kingdom Without a King!
9. How did Spain transition from a dictatorship to a democracy?
10. How does Spain's Decentralized Unitary System compare to a federal system?
11. What is Spain's current challenge in its judicial system?
12. When was Spain’s modern Golden Age and what happened to it?

About my guest: Dr. Ponce is a Professor at the Dept. of Contemporary History at the University of Seville. His scholarship spans research in the History of Political and Administrative Institutions as well as the History of the State from the local perspective - such as cities and provincial councils in Spain. His research and analysis also focus on Political, Social and Economic History as well as the study of public authorities as creators of political cultures. He is the author of biographies of political figures in Seville, biographies that were awarded distinctions, by the Provincial Council of Seville and the international Juan Valera Award. He is the author of many books and book chapters, including his book Gibraltar and the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39: Local, National and International PerspectivesTo learn more about Dr. Ponce, you can visit his homepage.

In this episode, Dr. Ponce talks about Spain's polarized politics. In a prior episode, which was recorded just after our midterm elections in 2022, Dr. David Schultz explained how America's politics and people became so polarized, and why that polarization will subside in a decade's time. Listen to Dr. Schultz here: https://bit.ly/HbN-S2E39s

I hope you enjoy these episodes.

Adel

Host of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Behind News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast

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