The reformists of the Franco regime at the Cortes: The Independent Parliamentary Group

Authors

  • Miguel Ángel Giménez Martínez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rep.179.07

Keywords:

Spain, Francoism, transition to democracy,  Cortes, parliamentary groups.

Abstract

Among the actors that took part in the process of democratic change in Spain, a prominent role was occupied by the reformists, leading figures who, at the death of Franco, held relevant positions within the dictatorship’s institutions and carried out several attempts to transform the regime in a democratising sense. Some of these reformists, deputies of the Cortes, decided during the spring of 1975 to form the Independent Parliamentary Group (IPG), which served as an authentic wake-up call in the dull existence of the House, dominated as it was by ultraconservatism. Through its initiatives, the IPG re-invigorated Spanish political life, and its influence was patent during the discussion of the Political Reform Law. Through the analysis of unpublished documents, this paper aims to reconstruct the activity of the Group and assess the contribution of its members to the transition to democracy.

Issue

Section

ARTICLES