On Wednesday, 20 November 2013, Francesc de Carreras Serras, holder of the Chair in Constitutional Law at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, delivered a lecture on «The Political Transition (1975-1978): From Personal Dictatorship to Constitutional Democracy». The lecture was one of a series of continuing education lectures organized by the UIC's Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences.
De Carreras began by defining as “admirable” the legal changes that took place after the death of Francisco Franco in 1975 until the democratic constitution came into force in 1978.
The speaker shed light on the subject with a historical overview that took in the beginnings of real democracy initiated by the Cádiz Constitution of 1812, the structural changes that occurred in the ten years from 1933 to 1943, and finally the Franco dictatorship.
Referring to the postwar period in Europe, De Carreras said, “The anomaly of Spanish history is that Spain was living under a dictatorship while Europe embarked on a process of peace, prosperity and social democracy”. He alluded to the two distinct phases of the Franco dictatorship and explained how Spain was able to steer towards progress, even within the political context of a dictatorship.
De Carreras went on to outline the critical role of the monarchy in the transition period that followed Franco’s death. He said, “The king became a key figure because he was a driver of change. He was able to bring people together and arouse loyalty in a way that nobody else could on the right, the political centre and even the left”.
In conclusion, De Carreras talked about the formation of the new constitution and emphasized, “The law is a fundamental part of constitutional democracy”.
