Interrogating Francoism

Helen Graham, author of The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction, here brings together leading historians of international renown to examine 20th-century Spain in light of Franco's dictatorship and its legacy.

Interrogating Francoism uses an effective three-part structure to look at the old regime, the civil war and the forging of Francoism; the nature of Franco's dictatorship itself; and the 'history wars' that have since taken place over the dictator's legacy. Social, political, economic and cultural historical approaches are integrated throughout the text and 'top down' political analysis is incorporated along with 'bottom up' social perspectives. The book places Spain and Francoism in comparative European context and explores for the first time in an integrated fashion the relationship between the historical debates and present-day political and ideological controversies in Spain.

In part a tribute to Paul Preston - the foremost historian of contemporary Spain in the world today, and the most widely read inside Spain as well as beyond -Interrogating Francoism includes a comprehensive bibliography of Professor Preston's own work, as well as extensive further readings in English. It is a crucial volume for all students of 20th-century Spain and also for anyone who wants to understand Spain's centrality to the history and memory of Europe's dark 20th century.