Spain and Its Achilles' Heels: The Strong Foundations of a Country’s Weaknesses

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Why was Franco exhumed from the Valley of the Fallen in late 2019? How is it that he was there in the first place? Why did Catalonia erupt suddenly in October 2017? Why don’t you hear so much about the Basque Country anymore? How did Podemos gather momentum so quickly in 2014-15, and why did half of that support vanish five years later? Isn’t it counterintuitive that a Catholic-majority country also has the most LGBT-friendly society in the world? Understanding the most significant events in recent Spanish politics requires spelling out the unspoken but enduring foundations of the country’s deepest fears and weaknesses, its Achilles' heels. In Greek mythology, an Achilles' heel is a vulnerability that can lead to downfall despite the apparent general strength of the full body. Casla uses this term to define the underlying factors that, while by no means unique, are characteristic of a particular society, delimit what is possible and shape the political debate. They are the primary political frailties without which a country’s politics cannot be properly comprehended. Cover Additional Praise Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Spanish Politics Beyond Franco and Catalonia Chapter 2: Achilles’ Heels: The Strong Foundations of a Country’s Weaknesses 2.1 Weakness and Distinctiveness 2.2 Distinctiveness and Politics (in Theory) 2.3 Politics (in Practice) and the Past Chapter 3: The Territory and the People: How Many Nations? 3.1 The Oldest Nation in Europe or a Product of the Nineteenth Century? 3.2 In Pursuit of a ‘Constitutional Fitting’ 3.3 The Catalan Question 3.4 The Basque Country, Foralismo and a National Question Shaped by Violence 3.5 Nationalisms, Bubbles and Ambiguities Chapter 4: Dealing with the Past: Franco’s Legacy 4.1 In the Valley 4.2 The Pact of Silence 4.3 Politics of Historical Memory since the 2000s 4.4 When the Past Is Very Present: Historical Memory of the Basque Country 4.5 Unintended Consequences and New Old Players Chapter 5: Who Weaves the Social Safety Net? 5.1 Thirty Years Late 5.2 Austerity and Outrage 5.3 The Housing Bubble and Wealth Inequality 5.4 The General Failure of Regional Minimum Income Schemes 5.5 Governing in Times of Coronavirus, and Afterwards Chapter 6: ‘It’s the Church We Have Lit Upon, Sancho’: Catholicism and Conservative Politics 6.1 A Display of Emptiness 6.2 Franco Under the Liturgical Canopy 6.3 National Catholicism 6.4 The Catholic Church and the Democratic Era 6.5 The Church, Historical Memory and the Nation, Today Chapter 7: Vulnerabilities Need Not Be Weaknesses Time Line Bibliography Index About the Author