A People Betrayed

In his comprehensive history, Paul Preston explores Spain's journey from a declining global power in the late 19th century, marked by its defeat to the United States in 1898, to the profound societal rifts caused by the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939. He details the rise of Francisco Franco, whose brutal dictatorship terrorized the population and exploited the working class while aligning Spain with fascist regimes during World War II. Despite the transition to democracy after Franco's death in 1975, Preston illustrates how lasting issues of corruption and political incompetence continue to challenge social cohesion in modern Spain.