kingdom · Iberia

Kingdom of Spain

1975 CE – present · capital Madrid

Spain's present parliamentary monarchy, built through the peaceful transition from Franco's dictatorship to democracy.

Origins

Two days after Franco's death, Juan Carlos I was proclaimed king on 22 November 1975, ending Francoist Spain. With Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez he dismantled the dictatorship: the Law for Political Reform of 1976, free elections in June 1977 and the Constitution of 1978, approved by referendum.

Rule and society

Spain became a parliamentary monarchy divided into 17 autonomous communities, recognising Catalan, Basque and Galician identities. The king's stand against the coup attempt of 23 February 1981 secured democracy. Felipe González's Socialists governed from 1982 to 1996, joining the European Economic Community in 1986 and keeping Spain in NATO, which it had joined in 1982, after a referendum that year. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics and Seville Expo marked modernisation.

To the present

Spain remains a parliamentary monarchy. ETA declared an end to violence in 2011, Felipe VI succeeded his father in 2014, and the Catalan independence crisis of 2017 tested the constitutional order.

Lineage

Francoist Spain 1936 CE – 1975 CEKingdom of Spain

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Spain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-spain
MLA
“Kingdom of Spain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-spain. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Spain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-spain.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Spain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-spain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻