Old and new discourses of the Transition. The consenso nostalgia

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Published 04-10-2012
Manuel Ortiz Heras

Abstract

The prevailing account of the Transition has lead to a canonical version full of deep-rooted topics and myths that make hardly easy to criticize a stereotyped explanation of democratization. In fact, to express the need for a review of some aspects of political change in Spain is still a rather awkward exercise. This is due to the mainstream hypothesis that emphasised the transitional process as a model and a symbol of a golden peaceful stage in recent Spanish history. The unthinking adherence to these ideas also coined the term consenso as the key analytical concept of that calm and idealized period. But the daily press resources and the memoirs of some important figures of the period can help us to question this politically motivated approach. Our contention is to show that the praised consenso did not exist in critical and very troubled moments during the political change. So, to claim the transition and democracy as a collective achievement is today a social requirement in Spain that cannot be tarnished by an exclusive discourse.

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Keywords

transition, consensus, reform, reconciliation, disillusionment, pact

Section
Miscellany