The Parable of Spanish Europeanism: Political Parties and Public Opinion (1975-2020)

Authors

Guido Levi Università di Genova

Keywords:

Spanish parties, Spain, Pro-European movement, Euroscepticism, European integration

Abstract

The Parable of Spanish Europeanism: Political Parties and Public Opinion (1975-2020)

Euroscepticism is a recent phenomenon in Spain, but the relationship between parties, movements and Iberian public opinion with Europe is more complex and articulate than it is normally believed. The essay traces its history from the years of the Democratic Transition to the present day, moving through the accession negotiations, the socialist executives led by Felipe Gonzàlez and the popular governments chaired by José María Aznar, the great recession and the austerity policies and even the current one marked by the Covid 19 pandemic and the health and economic emergency. The study tries to highlight the characteristics of the different periods examined, the various leaders who alternated at the head of the country, the changing international background contexts, trying to provide an overview and an interpretative line.

Received: 22-04-2021

Admitted: 29-05-2021

Author Biography

Guido Levi, Università di Genova

Guido Levi è professore associato di Storia delle Relazioni Internazionali presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche dell’Università degli Studi di Genova. È docente di Historia de las Relaciones Internacionales después de 1945, Storia delle Relazioni Internazionali per i Media e Storia dei Partiti e dei Movimenti Politici in Europa nei corsi di laurea magistrale in Relazioni Internazionali e in Informazione ed Editoria. Tra le pubblicazioni più recenti segnaliamo la monografia L’europeismo ai tempi dell’Assemblea costituente (Cedam/Wolters/Kluwer, 2020) e la curatela, insieme a Daniela Preda, del volume Euroscepticisms. Resistance and Opposition to the European Community/European Union (Il Mulino, 2019). Maggiori informazioni su: www.spagnacontemporanea.it/levi