For the reformist sectors of the Franco regime, the monarchy established by General Franco was a red line that could not be crossed. Regardless of popular will, the king was an indisputable institution, guaranteeing the continuity of the system and its servants, and also allowing for a controlled transition. A referendum on the form of government was impossible, but not only that: everything that represented the image, value, and symbol of the Republic, such as the tricolor flag, was persecuted for several years. The struggle continued beyond the approval of the 1978 Constitution, beyond the years of institutional and political transition.

The Spanish government will approve the declassification of documents related to the attempted coup of February 23, 1981, this Tuesday. On the 45th anniversary of the events of 1981, the government is taking this step to settle a "historical debt" with the public, as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated in a message on social media. The declassification will take effect this Wednesday with its publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), and from that moment on, all the documentation will be available to "all interested parties." the Moncloa websiteAccording to Spanish government sources, the news has been applauded by the PSOE's coalition partners, although they have already called for going further and unblocking the reform of the Official Secrets Act, which dates back to the Franco regime.

According to the official narrative, February 23rd was the day everything could have collapsed, the day Spain's fragile and fledgling democracy saved itself (through the providential intervention of King Juan Carlos) from the turbulent tradition of coups and pronunciamientos that punctuates modern Spanish history. But in reality, it was the day Spanish democracy finally took shape as it is today: it already had a Constitution, institutions, and international recognition, and all it needed was a coup. A pat on the back from the state that would function as a self-fulfilling prophecy: you see, how there's the rustling of sabers? You see, how we should be grateful to King Juan Carlos for having given us (and, moreover, saved) democracy? You see, how everything hangs by a thread, and it's best not to make too many demands because everything could fall apart at any moment? Just in case, and so that no one tries to rush things (so that no left-wing extremism or national demands from Catalans or Basques reawaken the fascist beast), we will proceed to implement LOAPA and thus everything will be more harmonious (the acronym LoapaIn Spanish, they mean organic law on regional harmonization(It was, so to speak, a step backward before it even began). To a significant extent, the spirit of the Transition consisted of a cautious, and often cynical, management of the traps set by the powers of the state within the state itself, on the arduous and not-so-exemplary path (there were dozens of deaths) from one regime to another.

Three weeks after the publication in France of the emeritus king's memoirs, Juan Carlos I gave an interview this Wednesday on the public television channel France 3 in which he elaborated on ideas from the book. ReconciliationIn a very friendly conversation, the father of the current King of Spain reviews the key moments of the Transition and speaks about Felipe VI, for whom he always has kind words. However, the King Emeritus believes that the Spanish political situation and the global context have placed him in a difficult position. "He is a good king, but he is going through a very difficult time and we must support him," he says. When the interviewer, journalist Stéphane Bern, asks him why he is going through a difficult time, Juan Carlos offers a vague answer. "The political moment, in all countries, is very difficult," he replies before the interviewer moves on to another topic. In the book, The former monarch makes direct criticisms of the Spanish government, which she accuses of weakening the monarchy and democracy.as well as the pro-independence political parties, but in the interview he doesn't mention the issue directly and simply says that his son is going through a difficult time.

Tomorrow marks 50 years since Juan Carlos I became Franco's successor with the title of king. For a couple of hours, the State suspended the official mourning period, and TVE switched from the continuous feed of Franco's lying in state to the broadcast of the oath of office from the Congress, then the Spanish Parliament. Juan Carlos, who was 37 years old, swore by God and on the Gospels to uphold the principles of the National Movement. He was dressed in military uniform. He looked tired and distraught, overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility.

I don't know which team of writers composes the speeches for the King of Spain, but I always imagine them laughing when they choose the phrases. They laugh at the emptiness, at the cliché, just as gossip columnists laugh when they talk about "gestures of obvious complicity" or the "favorite corner" of a celebrity's house.

The day after 50th anniversary of the death of Francisco FrancoThe royal household has celebrated the restoration of the monarchy. The event, held at the Royal Palace, was marked by the absence of King Juan Carlos I and also of yesterday's main figure, the Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, who declined to attend after... the sentence for revealing secrets imposed by the Supreme CourtIsabel Díaz Ayuso also did not attend, instead scheduling a second event in Congress, also presided over by Felipe VI, to counter-program a press conference called to attack García Ortiz and Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister. "November 20th, 2025 will go down as a historic day for Spanish democracy. The courts have convicted a State Attorney General for committing a crime with the sole objective of attacking a political opponent. These actions are typical of a dictatorship," the Madrid president said, at the same time as the democratic process of the Transition was condemned.

"The dictator died in bed and the dictatorship in the streets," Nicolás Sartorius said some years ago. The first part is obvious: that's how it was. And it expresses the reality of a subjugated society, entrenched in fear, incapable of bringing about a democratic rupture. The second part is more debatable. If the streets had to wait for the dictator's death, it's because no one was able to sufficiently mobilize the population and gain enough support at all levels to overthrow a regime—let's not forget—built on the military victory in the Civil War. That is to say, on the army and fascist ideology. No: Francoism wasn't brought down by the streets, where mobilizations were still sufficiently limited and fear had resigned a large part of society. What the dictator's death revealed was the grip of a regime incapable of building a continuation. And it is here that an interesting process of distancing occurred among the various powers that had become comfortable under Francoism, who showed a certain degree of adaptation to the new reality.

In just a few days, we have received news of three people who almost 45 years ago were protagonists of the attempted coup d'état of February 23, 1981: Juan Carlos I, then head of state, who has published his memoirs with a French publisher, and Anna Balletbò, who on that February 23rd was a socialist deputy for Barcelona and died last October 24th at the age of 81.

Every October 24th, the International Day Against Climate Change is commemorated to raise awareness of its effects on human health, ecosystems, and the socioeconomic stability of regions. The impact of extreme events such as hurricanes and droughts, which have particularly affected Catalonia in recent years, highlights the need to address their consequences.

"After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, it seemed to me that if I got a doctorate in history, I could have an academic career and a comfortable, quiet, and boring life until my retirement," Susan Stryker (1961) commented last month at the CCCB Cultura y Cultura in Barcelona.

Katharina Volker's first novel explains, in a first-person monologue, Sarah's visit to the doctor who has to operate on her to "set her free" from her vagina.. The protagonist of The Appointment (La Campana / Anagrama, 2021) tells, with an often very black sense of humour, the series of identity problems - national and intimate - that have led her to make the decision to change her sex. Sarah's testimony, dense, shocking and at times lyrical, is in the process of being translated into fifteen languages after the book was well received in the United Kingdom, where the author, born in Germany in 1987, has been living for fifteen years.

Since Franco's death, Spanish society has shown signs of tolerance in many areas. The Transition, of which a large majority is proud, was based on inclusive agreements between very diverse political forces, with a confrontational past. There was no major opposition to such controversial measures as the amnesty. I do not mean to say that there was no significant dissent, but it was channelled institutionally.