Introduction to Spain

Spain
By: Ryan Benson
ITL/FST 180 A



It is impossible to speak of Spain without the idea of political upheaval following close behind. However, from the powerful, global empires of the 16th and 17th centuries to the civil war that crippled the country at the advent of WWII, Spain’s past history contrasts sharply with the present day. This said, in order to truly understand the country as a whole, I will begin the study of Spain with some basic geographical, social, cultural, and economic facts.

BASIC FACTS:

In a study of the geographic, social, cultural, and economic facts, I have decided to compare selected statistical information to that of the United States. This is done merely to provide a basis of understanding for otherwise cryptic or obscure social information that often seems out of place, trivial, and rather difficult to comprehend.

Basic Information:
Population: 40,448,191
Capital: Madrid, 3,200,000

Geography:
Location: Spain is located on the tip of Southwestern Europe, to the east of Portugal and south of the tip of France.

Borders:
Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea to south and east, Portugal to east, North Atlantic Ocean to extreme west, and Pyrenees Mountains to the north (southwest of France’s border).

Area:
Spain: 504,782 square kilometers, 499,542 land, 5,240 water
(slightly smaller than the state of Texas)
United States: 9,826,630 square kilometers, 9,161,923 land, 664,707 water

Climate:
Temperate. Clear, hot summers are typical away from the sea, while more moderate and cloudy bordering the coast. Winters often prove to be quite cold towards Spain’s interior, while only cool and partly cloudy along the coast.

Terrain:
A large, flat, dissected plateau surrounded by hills. Slopes to the sea on southern and eastern sides. The Pyrenees Mountains lie to the north.

Land Use:
Arable land—27.18% Spain, 18.01% United States
Permanent Crops—9.85% Spain, 0.21% United States

Current Environmental Issues:
Spain currently faces a relatively few number of environmental issues. However, among them includes the pollution of the Mediterranean from sewage, runoff, and offshore oil production. The water quality within the country is also continually a concern along with the quantity of water available for the public’s use. Deforestation and desertification have also been important in the last twenty years.

PEOPLE

Population Growth Rate:
0.116% Spain
0.894% United States

Infant Mortality Rate:
4.31 deaths/1,000 births, Spain
6.37 deaths/1,000 births, United States

Life Expectancy:
79.78 years, Spain
78.00 years, United States

Ethnic Groups:
Mediterranean, Nordic

Religion:
94% Roman Catholic
6% Other

Language:
Castilian Spanish (official), 74%, Catalan, 17%, Galician, 7%, Basque, 2%

GOVERNMENT

Type:
Parliamentary Monarchy

National Holiday:
National Day, 12 October 1492 (Christopher Columbus's 'discovery' of America)

Constitution:
Approved: 31 October 1978
Referendum: 6 December 1978
Effective: 29 December 1978


ECONOMY

GDP-Composition:
Spain—3.8% agriculture, 29.4% industry, 66.8% service
United States—0.9% agriculture, 20.6% industry, 78.5% service

Unemployment Rate:
7.6%, Spain
4.6%, United States

Population Below Poverty Line:
19.8%, Spain
12.0%, United States

20th Century Spanish History: A Vast Transition

HISTORY OF SPAIN

Even as Spain has accumulated a relatively vibrant and decorated history—from emerging colonies after the discovery of the new world in the 15th century to Spanish losses to European nations, particularly the British during the 1800s—much of its political history and development of national identity have occurred within the 20th century.

Throughout its history, Spain has repeatedly demonstrated a high degree of political disassociation and dissatisfaction with its leaders. Though originally established as a traditional monarchial government, political unrest and upheaval in the 1870s and later in the early 1920s (led by Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera) ensured the downfall of this established system and the transition to a non-political, military government. However, only seven years later in 1930, Primo de Rivera, who had restored constitutional rule and became Prime Minister in 1925, resigned, allowing for the advent of Republican control over Spain. At the same time, a progressive and somewhat liberal Constitution was enacted, incorporating the separation of Church and state, and autonomy for the Basque Country and Catalonia. Many believed this to be the end of political unrest within the country.



Much to the dismay of its people, dissatisfaction with governmental rule would soon follow, and after the assassination of monarchist politician José Calvo Sotelo, the political uprising sponsored by Gen. Francisco Franco would be initiated. Franco and his supporters, including the Roman Catholic Church and monarchists, would pave way for the Spanish Civil War of 1936. Just three years later and with support from both Germany and Italy, Franco accepted the surrender of the Republican government, and now under control of Spain, refused to enter WWII. Even as referendums by the Spanish people showed popular support for the reestablishment of the monarchy, Franco ignored most of his public’s requests. Though Spain was permitted to join the United Nations in 1955, serious political upheaval remained in the country through the 1960s.



Finally, in 1969, Franco appointed Juan Carlos de Borbón (Bourbon), grandson of Alfonso XIII, as his political successor. Just six years later, after Franco’s death, Juan Carlos oversaw the establishment of democratic regime. After elections in 1977, the varying political organizations within Spain agreed on a constitution in December of 1978—for the most part silencing the political unrest present for most of the 20th century. Even so, radical political groups have remained within Spain, such as the ETA, whose Marxist-Leninist ideals still appeal to some of the public.

However, Spain's tumultuous history during the 20th century only scratches the surface of political and social complexity within the country. The Spanish public has only recently begun to recognize the Arab occupation of Spain during the Middle Ages-a realization that has only been reached in the past 200 years. The Spanish Civil War only aided in complicating the political and social aspects of the country, and resulted in the complete stagnation of Spain's economy. Though it may have never entered a World War, the political unrest and instability within the country aided in the advent of World War II, further tarnishing the country's image abroad.

With the arrival of the 21st century, Spain has appeared to be relatively stable politically, socially, and economically. After relative economic depression from the 1940s-early 1990s, Spain’s economy grew at a pace greater than that of most of its European counterparts through the year 2000, proving that stability often allows for rapid expansion and growth. Still, Spain’s economy continues to expand and fewer anarchists remain today than twenty years ago. As long as the constitutional monarchy within Spain continues to allow the public’s voice to be heard, and the government continues to recognize the country's storied history and unique social structure, it appears poised for future growth.

A Piece of Spanish Culture: Salvador Dali

RELATION TO SPANISH CULTURE

As much a part of Spain’s history as political upheaval, artistic expression has played a supportive role in the development of Spain’s national identity. From artists such as El Greco to Velazquez to Picasso, Spanish artists contributed much to the end of The Renaissance period, to the initiation of the Baroque Era, and to art forms such as cubism. However, no one Spanish artist ever garnered as much personal attention as did Catalonian, Salvador Dali. Dail is included on this page for many reasons-not only was he an endlessly unique and complex individual, but his ideals closely parallel those of Spain as a nation. Somewhat eccentric and mysterious, Dali's rejection of establishment and social control are reminiscent of the Spain of the 20th century. More than just another painter, Dali pushed the envelope of artistic expression, and most of all, reinitiated thought surrounding the art of painting.


-Dali's Persistence of Memory

A modern surrealist, Dali was born on May 11, 1904. Rejected from academia due to his lack of attention and over-pompous ways, Dali experimented with many forms of artistic media before meeting with Pablo Picasso in 1926. While in school, Dali’s cubist works were most popular among his peers and he experimented with the style as he developed his own. Though he tasted movements such as avant-garde and attempted styles influenced by the classically academic, Dali eventually found his place with surrealism. One of Dali’s most famous works and one of his first influenced by surrealism, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931.


-Salvador Dali

However, even as Dali was well respected within his group of Spanish surrealists, his obsession with Hitler after the end of the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of WWII was met with disapproval. Still, only after verbally supporting Francisco Franco’s post-war government did Dali’s surrealist group disown him. Unaffected by this turn of events, Dali experimented the rest of his life with media that personally interested him. After experimenting with pop art, Andy Warhol later claimed that Dali had a vast influence on the style.

Influenced by the mathematical logic of physics, most of Dali’s later works represent this interest, even forcing him to reevaluate some his earlier paintings (such as 1954s The Disintegration of The Persistence of Memory). While adopting these new mathematical ideals and logic, Dali also began to shy away from the psychological aspects of many of his earlier paintings.


-Salvador Dali Museum, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain (decorated with symbols from Dali's works)

Though widely known for his works of art, most of Dali’s fans recognize him for his often eccentric and bombastic ways. From taking the pens of those desiring autographs to referencing himself in the third person during television appearances, Dali’s personality will always stand along side his work and to the understanding of him as an individual. When he died on January 23, 1989, he left behind over 1,500 works, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, short films, an animated cartoon collaboration with Walt Disney, book illustrations, and even theatre set designs. Dali’s work, partly due to his long life span, crosses generational boundaries and inspires the creativity within everyone. If one thing is for certain, it is that Dali always went out of his way to create the unexpected.