The Kingdom of
Presented and Planned by:
Kim Keller
Alesha Prince
Katie Poniatowski
David Holzen
Demographics
Area: 504, 782 square km
Death Rate: 9.9 deaths per 1,000
Birth Rate: 9.72 births to 1,000
Age Structure:
0-14 years – 14.5%
15-64 years – 64.4%
65+ years – 18.1%
0.072% growth rate (primarily due to
immigration)
4.1 deaths to 1,000 live births
76% of population is Roman Catholic
GDP (PPP) $34,600
17.5% unemployment as of 2009
1814 to 1833: During reign of Fernando VII, Spanish colonies of
America gain their independence, except Cuba and Puerto Rico.
1873 to 1874: The First Republic. The Republic deals w/ war in Cuba,
the third Carlist war. General Pavia dissolves the Cortes and
establishes the government of General Serrano.
1874: General Martinez Campos rises in Sagunto and proclaims the
restoration of the Bourbons under Alfonso XII.
1876 to 1878: Defeat of Carlism, which brings end to ten year war in
Cuba
1895: The Cuban war of independence breaks up.
Spain History Cont.
1898: War w/United States puts end to Spanish colonial empire: Cuba,
Puerto Rico and Philippines
1914 to 1918: Spain remained neutral in the First World War
1936 to 1939: Military rising in Morocco, headed by General Francisco
Franco, spreads starting the Spanish Civil War. Republicans lose.
1939 to 1945: Spain stayed out of WW2
1955: Agreement between US and Soviet Union lets Spain enter the
United Nations
1956: Sidi Mohamed ben Yusef, Moroccan Sultan, reaches agreement w/
Franco to end Spanish protectorate over Morocco.
Recent Events in Spain
1958: Spanish government hands over Tarfaya (an area in the South of
Morocco)
1968: Spain grants Equatorial Guinea its independence (October 12th).
1969: Territory of Ifni handed over to Morocco. Border w/ Gibraltar is
closed.
1973: Head of the government, Luis Carrero Blanco, is assassinated in
the bombing attack by Basque separatist organization
1976: New Government proposes a bicameral Cortes and requests that
workers be allowed to organize their own unions apart from the 'vertical
syndicates'.
1978: Spain became a Parliamentary Monarchy.
Recent Events Cont.
1980: The Basque Country and Catalonia legally decome
autonomous regions.
2002: Batasuna, the political wing of the Basque terrorist
organization ETA, was banned.
2004: Spain suffered its most horrific terrorist attack: 191
people were killed and 1,400 were injured in bombings at
Madrid's railway station.
2005: Despite strong opposition from the Catholic
Church, Spain legalized gay marriage
Executive Branch- King
• Chief of State: King Juan Carlos I
▫ Figurehead of the Country of Spain
1978– Relinquished absolute power
1981– Attempted military coup
▫ Duties:
 Commander in Chief of the Armed
Forces
 On Christmas Eve gives national speech
 Travels across Spain and World
representing Government of Spain.
▫ All rolls of King are purely Ceremonial
President/Prime Minister
• Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
April 17, 2004- present
▫ Elected by Congress of Deputies
▫ Indirectly elected by legislature
▫ Constitutional right to dissolve
Cortes
Vice President and
Minister of Presidency
Maria Teresa Fernandez De La Vega
Duties
 Takes posistion of President when temporaly absent
 Usually handpicked by the Prime Minister from the
members of the Cabinet
Second Vice President
Elena Salgado
April 2009- present
She is also the Minister of Economy and
Finance
Duties:
▫ Manage the economic status of the nation
Spain directly elects a legislature, the Cortes Generales (General
Courts).
This court consists of two chambers:
The Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)
The Senate (Senado).
--There are two essential differences between the two houses.
•The first is by way of electoral practice. Both are elected on a provincial basis. The
number of seats in Congress is allocated in proportion to population.
•The second difference is in legislative power. With few exceptions, every law is
approved with the votes of Congress. The Senate can make changes or refuse laws but
the Congress can ignore these amendments.
Congress and Senate serve concurrent terms that run for a maximum of
four.
•The president of the Court is appointed by the King on proposal of General Council of
the Judiciary.
•The Council consists of the president of the Supreme Court, who presides, and
twenty members appointed by the King for a five-year period.
•Members are nominated by the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.
•Each House elects, by a majority of three-fifths of its members, four members from
lawyers and other legal experts of recognized professional standing with more than
fifteen years of active service in their profession.
•Each House nominates also by a three-fifths majority, a further six members chosen
from judges and magistrates of all judicial categories currently in active service.
•Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
•Organic Law of the Judiciary, of July 1st 1985, establishes operation and
control of Courts and Tribunals, together with the statute and system of
incompatibilities of the members of the General Council
•Its functions: appointments, promotions, inspection and the disciplinary
system.
•Spanish territory is divided for jurisdictional purposes in: Municipalities
(municipios)
•Judicial Districts (partidos judiciales), Provinces (provincias) and
Autonomous Communities (Comunidades Autonomas).
• In addition, Spanish law is based on civil law with
judicial review.
• Justice derives from people and is administered on
behalf of the King by judges and magistrates of the
Judiciary.
• Supreme Court of Justice is the highest
jurisdictional body of the State, except in maters
relating to constitutional guarantees, which are
incumbent on Constitutional Court.
Spain’s Bureaucracy
• “Red tape” has surrounded the country since
Spain's existence.
• It has become culturally normal and a way of life
for the Spanish to have to fill paperwork out.
• To live there you must has a residency visa (for
out of country) This does not permit you to
work in Spain.
Bureaucracy Cont.
• “Applying for a Spanish residence visa is as
fruitless as trying to ride a bicycle to the moon.”
• Taxes are levied by three tiers of government:
the central government, autonomous regional
governments and local municipalities
• Till recently, Tax evasion was an encouraged way
of life.
Political Parties
• Spanish Socialist Workers Party
▫ Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol
 PSOE
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Oldest political party in Spain
Founded by Pablo Iglesias 1879
First time in power was during 2nd Republic
Spain's leading opposition party
Political Parties Cont.
• Communist Party of Spain
▫ Partido Comunista de Espana
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 PCE
Formed during revolutionary upsurge following WWI
In the mid-1950s, the PCE began vigorous efforts to
break out of its isolation and adapted policies designed
to bring together a broad coalition of parties
end of the Franco era the PCE, under the leadership of
Santiago Carrillo, was the most effective political
organization in Spain.
dogmatic Marxism reduced its appeal for the electorate
Political Parties Cont.
• Popular Alliance
▫ Alianza Popular
 AP
• Conservative right wing party
• founded in 1976 by former Franco ministers under the leadership of
Fraga
• perceived by the electorate as both reactionary and authoritarian
• elections were held in June 1977, the AP garnered only 8.3 percent
of the vote
• Teamed up with numerous other smaller parties in hopes to gain
power.  epic failure
Political Parties Cont.
• Democratic and Social Center
▫ Centro Democratico y Social
 CDS
• Formed October 1982 by Suarez
• The new centrist party fared poorly in the
October general elections, gaining only two
parliamentary seats.
• Known for mudslinging
•Minority groups have a number of descendants of populations from former colonies especially
Equatorial Guinea
•Immigrants from several Sub-Saharan and Caribbean countries.
•Modern Jewish community in Spain has been formed in three waves: migration from what was
formerly Spanish Morocco, the flight of Jews escaping from Nazi oppression, and immigration
from Argentina.
•Spanish law allows Sephardi Jews to claim Spanish citizenship.
•The arrival of the Gitanos, a Romani people, began in the 16th century; estimates of the
Spanish Gitano population fluctuate around 700,000
•Distinct cultural groups within Spain include the Basques, Catalans, and Galicians.
•Increasing number of Muslims, who number approximately one million in Spain
•“Shared identity" between the more local level or Autonomous Community and the Spanish
level makes the identity question in Spain complex and far from univocal.
•Founding member of the European Union in 1993 and signed the Maastricht
Treaty.
•After return of democracy following the death of Franco in 1975, broke out of
the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations,
enter the European Community, and define security relations with the West.
•Member of NATO since 1982
•Spain's EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy.
•With the normalization of diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2001,
Spain completed the process of universalizing its diplomatic relations.
•Spain has maintained its special identification with Latin America.
Economy
• The Basque country and Catalonia are the Spanish
economy´s main industrial regions and just five of
Spain's provinces (Barcelona, Biscay, Madrid, Navarre
and Oviedo, all situated in the north and east) produce
over half the country's industrial output.
• Has had a dramatic increase in unemployment, totaling
to almost 17.5%
•Catholic 76%
•Non-religious 19%
•Islam 2.3%
•Judaism .1%
•Others 1.7%
•54% rarely or never go to church
•15% go to church a few times per year
•10% a few times per month
•19% attend church every Sunday or multiple times per week
•About 22% of the entire Spanish population attends religious services at least once per
month
The Languages of Spain
Basque (2%) in the Basque Country and Navarre (blue)
Catalan (17%) in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands (lavender)
Galician (7%) in Galicia (cream)
Spanish is the official language (red)
Parliamentary Monarchy
Definition: A state headed by a monarch who is not actively
involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the exercise of
sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true
governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a
prime minister, premier, or chancellor - who are drawn from a
legislature (parliament).
Much like the system of Great Britain
Spain Facts
• Spain has established itself as a major
participant in multilateral international security
activities
• Spain has been an effective example of transition
from dictatorship to democracy for formerly
non-democratic South American states, as
shown in the many trips that Spain's King and
Prime Ministers have made to the region.