This document provides an overview of modern Spanish history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It covers several key periods and events: the fall of the Roman Empire and arrival of the Visigoths and Muslims in the 8th century; the discovery of America in 1492; the Spanish Golden Age in the 16th-17th centuries; the French Revolution of 1789 and subsequent instability in 19th century Spain including multiple changes in government; the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 and Francisco Franco's dictatorship from 1939-1975; and the transition to democracy after Franco's death.

1. UNIT 6 (UNIT 2 BOOK)
MODERN SPAIN II

2. MIDDLE AGES
PREHISTORY
HISTORY
PALEOLITIC NEOLITHIC EGYPT GREECE
ANCIENT HISTORY
HUNTERS
WHO LIVED IN
CAVES
FIRST
SETTLEMENTS
(VILLAGES).
AGRICULTURE
BEGINS
WRITING INVENTION
(3500 BC)
JESUS CHRIST IS
BORN (YEAR 0 A.D.)
THEFALLOFTHEROMANEMPIRE
VISIGOTHS
MUSLIMS
(711.A.D)
CHRISTIANS
(722A.D.)
DISCOVERYOFAMERIA
Catholic
Monarchs
MODERN
AGE
16THcentury:
CarlosIandFelipeII
1492 A.D.
ROME
17thcentury
18thcentury
Baroque:
GOLDEN
AGE
Renaissance
FRENCHREVOLUTION(1789A.D.)
BIG
BANG
2-3 million years B.C.
(humans appeared)
1789 A.D.
5TH century A.D.
CONTEMPORARYAGE

3. CONTEMPORARY AGE:19TH CENTURY
FRENCH
REVOLUTION
(1789 A.D.)
FERNANDO
VII’s reign
ISABEL II
19TH CENTURY
WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE
KING
AMADEO I
de SABOYA
FIRST
REPUBLIC
(democracy
but without
monarchy)
KING
ALFONSO
XII
1875-1885
1808 1814
ABSOLUTISM
(1814-1820)
LIBERAL
TRIENNIUM
(1820-1823)
OMINOUS
DECADE
(1823-1833)
LIBERAL
IDEAS
(1833-1868)
REGENTS: GENERAL ESPARTERO &
MARIA CRISTINA
It began in 1789 and continues up to the present day
IN SPAIN, 19TH CENTURY...
(1870-1873)
1873-1874
RESTORATION
(1875-1923)
KING
ALFONSO
XIII
1902-1923

4. CONTEMPORARY AGE:
20TH CENTURY
THE END OF
19TH
CENTURY
20TH CENTURY
KING
ALFONSO
XIII
PRIMO DE
RIVERA
DICTATORSHIP
SECOND
REPUBLIC
CIVIL WAR
FRANCO’S
DICTATORSHIP
TRANSITION TO
DEMOCRACY

5. YEARS OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY
ISABEL II (1833 –
1868)
Isabel II’s wasn`t popular among the different political parties at
that time because of her liberal ideas.
When he died, the government
became too weak to continue
She was helped closely by one
military politician called Leopoldo
O’Donnell
General Juan Prim sent the Queen into exile
and he started looking for a new monarch to take
over

6. King AMADEO I de SABOYA
(1870-1873)
The General JUAN PRIM took the control of
the government and spent 2 years looking
for a new monarch…
Eventually he found him in SAVOY (Italy)
AMADEO I DE SABOYA His reing started badly when his main
supporter, GENERAL PRIM, was assasinated
It was an extremely unstable period: He had to deal with
violent conflicts between different political parties, the Cuba
revolution, rebellions by Carlists…
Unable to cope, he returned to Italy…
1868-1870
1870-1873
1873

7. FIRST REPUBLIC (1873-1874)
After Amadeo left Spain and came back to Italy
Spain became a REPUBLIC (democratic form
of government in which there wasn’t a monarch)
But the period of political and social instability continued.
THERE WERE 4 PRESIDENTS DURING THIS PERIOD (1 YEAR)
General Manuel Pavia tired of this situation initiated a
successful military coup which led to the end of the Republic
The Monarchy was restored and Alfonso XII, Isabel
II’s son, became the new king of Spain
SO…
1873
1873-1874
1874

8. SPANISH RESTORATION (1875-1923).
Alfonso XII’S reign
The Spanish Restoration or Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period that...
Began when the First Spanish Republic ended and
the monarchy was restored again under Alfonso XII
Finished with the
II REPUBLIC
King Alfonso XII (1875-
1885)
Although he was young, he was popular.
He ruled a Constitutional monarchy (not an absolute one)
under the Constitution of 1876
Under his reign only two political parties were
permitted.
LIBERALS
(left wing)
CONSERVATIVES
(right wing)
These parties took turns
to hold the power
(Peaceful turn)
1875 1931The Spanish Restoration or Bourbon Restoration

9. King Alfonso XII (1875-
1885)
Alfonso XII’S reign (1875-1885)
Despite his popularity there were two attempts to assassinate him
LIBERALS
(left wing)
CONSERVATIVES
(right wing)
In this new system of alternating power, there were
two key political figures:
Mateo Sagasta
(Prime Minister 8
times)
Antonio Cánovas del
Castillo
(Prime Minister 6 times)
Characteristics
of this period
Cons
Pros
Spain was stable again. Economic prosperity and
modernisation. Cuba and Puerto Rico (peace)
Electoral fraud (FAKE ELECTIONS!!): the king chose the
government and the result of the election was decided in advance.

14. Alfonso XIII’s reign (1885-1923) and Primo de
Rivera’s dictatorship (1923-1930)
1885 After Alfonso XII’s death, his son Alfonso XIII became
the heir of the throne…
1885
-1902
His mother Maria Cristina ruled as a regent until the young Alfonso turned
sixteen in 1902 and became King Alfonso XIII
He was a baby
SO…
During the regency period, Spain lost its colonies in Cuba, Puerto Rico and
Philippines and suffered violents rioting in Barcelona
1902-1923
Primo de Rivera lost all confidence in the Spanish government and
organised a coup. Alfonso XIII supported him and Rivera became a
dictator
Alfonso XIII’S reign
1923
1923-1930 Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship

15. Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship and II
Republic
1923-
1930
Primo de Rivera wasn’t a good leader and Spain went bankrupt
under his rule and, eventually, the army stopped supporting him
and Alfonso XIII forced him to resign
1931 People no longer trusted Alfonso XIII and the Republicans won the elections.
THE MONARCHY WAS ABOLISHED AND THE II REPUBLIC WAS ESTABLISHED
1931-1936
(1939)
1931
Second Republic lasted until the end of the Civil war (1939)
A new Constitution was established (rights improvement): freedom of
speech, vote to women, took away some privileges from nobility, limited
the power of the church
Opposition Monarchists, the church,
the military
Primo de Rivera’s
dictatorship
II Republic

16. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)
In July 1936, General FRANCISCO
FRANCO led a military coup and
the CIVIL WAR STARTED…
SPAIN was divided into two sides:
The NATIONALISTS
(supporters of
Franco)
The REPUBLICANS
(supporters of the
Republic)
The war officially ended in April
1939 with a Nationalist victory

17. FROM DICTATORSHIP (1939-1975)
TO DEMOCRACY (1975-…)
General Franco established a dictatorship which lasted until his death in 1975
REPRESSION
CULTURAL RESTRICTIONS
CONSEQUENCES
LACK OF FREEDOM
STARVATION
Because of the shortage/lack of food and
other basic products, people had ration
books which specified the quantity of
necessity goods they could buy
Around 26,000 people were sent to prison
for their political beliefs
The press was restricted, trade unions were
banned and protests were repressed
Many artists were forced to leave Spain
(Pablo Picasso) other were even killed
(Federico García Lorca). Other cultural
tradition were repressed.

18. THE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
In 1969, Franco chose Prince Juan Carlos as his
successor (Alfonso XIII’s grandson)
Franco thought that the regime (dictatorship) would continue under
Juan Carlos (absolute monarchy), however, as soon as he became king,
Juan Carlos tooks the steps to make Spain a constitutional monarchy.
In 1975, General Franco died and the TRANSITION
from a dictatorship to a democracy began
In 1976, King Juan Carlos I appointed/designated Adolfo
Suárez as Prime Minister. He was in charge of organising the
first free elections (1977) and become a democratic state.
In 1978, The Spanish Constitution
was approved by Parliament and
the Spanish citizens
Right to strike and form trade unions
Legalisation of all political parties
Release political prisioners

19. IMPORTANT EVENTS IN EUROPE (20TH CENTURY)
5. Leading the United Kingdom
to declare war on Germany.
1. The trigger for the war was the assassination of the heir
to the throne of Austria-Hungary in Serbia.
2. The Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia
3. Russia supported Serbia
4. Germany invaded neutral Belgium and
Luxembourg before moving towards France
FIRST
WORLD
WAR
(WWI)
1914

20. FIRST WORLD WAR (WWI)
THE GREAT WAR
1914-1918
Central
Powers
Allied Powers
(Allies)
Triple Entente
Germany
Austro-Hungarian
Empire
France
United Kingdom
Russia
IMPORTANT EVENTS IN EUROPE (20TH CENTURY)
WORLD WAR I

21. IMPORTANT EVENTS IN EUROPE (20TH CENTURY)
WORLD WAR II
BEFORE WWI
AFTER WWI
AFTER THE WORLD WAR I, MOST OF THE COUNTRIES ESTABLISHED
A DEMOCRACY, BUT THEY WERE THREATENED BY TWO
IDEOLOGIES: COMMUNISM AND FASCISM

22. IMPORTANT EVENTS IN EUROPE (20TH CENTURY)
WORLD WAR II
FIRST WORLD WAR (WWII)
1939-1945
AXIS Powers (Allies)
Germany
Italy
Japan
France
United Kingdom
Russia
USA (1944)
1941

23. Desembarco de Normandía: The USA Army arrived Europe (North France)

24. BERLIN
WALL

25. COLD WAR (1947-1991): PEACEFUL PERIOD?
WESTERN
BLOC
(capitalist)
COMMUNIST BLOC
IRON CURTAIN

26. After the WWII tensions between the two nations grew out, the Cold War rivalry/competition between the United
States and the Soviet Union lasted for much of the second half of the 20th century resulted in mutual suspicions,
tensions and a series of international incidents that brought the world’s superpowers to the brink of disaster.