From Franco's Dictatorship to the 1978 Constitution
Revise almost forty years of Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975), his death, and the Transition to democracy through to the 1978 Constitution and the 23-F coup attempt. Exam adapted to the Secondary and Sixth Form curriculum — the direct continuation of the Spanish Civil War.
Francoism (1939-1975) was General Francisco Franco's personal dictatorship, established after his victory in the Civil War. With no free elections or political parties, and strong repression of dissent, it went through an initial period of international isolation and economic autarky (the 'years of hunger') and, from the 1960s, a period of strong economic growth known as developmentalism.
After Franco's death on 20 November 1975, Spain began its Transition: Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King, and Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez led the political reform that brought the first democratic elections since 1936 (1977) and the adoption of the Spanish Constitution in 1978.
The Transition was not without danger: on 23 February 1981, Lieutenant Colonel Tejero stormed the Congress of Deputies in an attempted coup that failed, partly thanks to the King's televised intervention calling for loyalty to the Constitution.
1 Apr 1939
End of the Civil War. Franco proclaims himself Head of State and the dictatorship begins.
1940s
Economic autarky and international isolation. The so-called 'years of hunger', with rationing cards.
1953
Pacts with the United States (military bases) and Concordat with the Holy See: Spain begins to emerge from isolation.
1959
Stabilisation Plan: autarky is abandoned and the economic growth of the 1960s (developmentalism) begins.
20 Nov 1975
Death of Franco. Juan Carlos I is proclaimed King of Spain two days later.
1976
Adolfo Suárez, appointed Prime Minister, drives the Law for Political Reform, approved in a referendum.
1977
First democratic elections since 1936. Suárez's UCD wins.
6 Dec 1978
Referendum and adoption of the Spanish Constitution, still in force today.
23 Feb 1981
23-F: attempted coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Tejero. It fails after the King's intervention.
1982
Electoral victory of Felipe González's PSOE, often seen as the symbolic end of the Transition.
Revise the subject with our interactive games and exams:
History of Spain · Secondary, Sixth Form
Francoism (dictatorship, no freedoms) and the Transition (peaceful reform towards democracy). Telling them apart is the basis for not mixing up their dates and key figures.
Juan Carlos I, Adolfo Suárez, and the King's role on 23-F. Each figure with their key moment in the democratic process.
How Spain moved from the isolation and hunger of the 1940s to the economic growth and tourism of the 1960s — an economic shift as important as the political one.
"A Year 10 student kept confusing the Law for Political Reform (1976) with the Constitution (1978). Seeing the question about which came first, they understood that the reform opened the legal path for the Constitution to be voted on afterwards."
Tricks and techniques to master this topic faster:
Basic timeline: end of the war (1939) → autarky (1940s) → developmentalism (1960s) → Franco's death (1975) → Constitution (1978) → 23-F (1981).
Francoism had NO democratic elections or free political parties — the key to telling it apart from the Transition.
King Juan Carlos I was key at two moments: appointing Suárez to lead the reform, and stopping the 23-F coup by calling for loyalty to the Constitution.
For Sixth Form: the Pacts with the USA and the Concordat with the Holy See (both from 1953) brought Spain out of international isolation even before the dictatorship ended.
If you are studying Francoism and the Transition — History Exam, these curriculum topics complement each other:
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