The Road to Democracy: A Case Study of the Democratic Consolidation in Spain

Abstract: This thesis is a case study of the democratic consolidation in Spain. The study initially presents theories on democratic consolidation, as interpreted and defined by renowned political scientist. Then, different factors are presented known to have contributed to democratization in the Spanish case. These are; the role of the military refurbishment, the impact of EU membership, the actions of King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, the role of the 1978 Spanish constitution, and civil society’s role. The study then utilizes the previously presented theories on democratic consolidation to test whether or not the factors known to have contributed to democratization also contributed to democratic consolidation in the country. The results of the study demonstrate that the following factors were important for Spain’s democratic consolidation; ensuring civilian control over the military, that the 1978 Constitution ensured that Spain’s different regions would enjoy a certain degree of autonomy, that Spain’s EU membership required the country to fulfil the unions democratic membership criteria, and that Juan Carlos I and Adolfo Suárez sought to democratize Spain. It was also found that civil society’s role was not as relevant for democratic consolidation in Spain as it has been in other cases.