The New Spain: From Isolation to Influence

by Kenneth Maxwell, Steven L. Spiegel

Since Franco's death in 1975, Spain has undergone an extraordinary transformation, developing from an authoritarian regime to a self-confident and consolidated democracy. After decades of international isolations, Spain is rapidly emerging as an influential participant in international political, economic, and security issues. Spain has also experienced a remarkable economic transformation, privatizing industries, raising living standards, and attaining membership in the European Community. The New Spain focuses on the countrys progress toward democracy and examines the manifold political, economic and social challenges with which Spain continues to grapple. The book concludes with an analysis of the countys agenda for ht e29990s and the dilemmas facing Felipe Gonzalez in his fourth term as prime minister. The lessons learned from Spains transition to democracy have broad international implications. The New Spain will be of interest to students of the political and economic changes taking place in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Latin America, as well as those concerned with Spains future role within the European Community.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Kenneth Maxwell was the founding Director of the Brazil Studies Program at Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) (2006-2008) and a Professor in Harvard's Department of History (2004-2008).

From 1989 to 2004 he was Director of the Latin America Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 1995 became the first holder of the Nelson and David Rockefeller Chair in Inter-American Studies. He served as Vice President and Director of Studies of the Council in 1996. Maxwell previously taught at Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Kansas.


Kenneth Maxwell founded and was Director of the Camões Center for the Portuguese-speaking World at Columbia and was the Program Director of the Tinker Foundation, Inc. From 1993 to 2004, he was the Western Hemisphere book reviewer for Foreign Affairs. He is a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books and was a weekly columnist between 2007 and 2015 for Folha de São Paulo and monthly columnist for O Globo from 2015.

Maxwell was the Herodotus Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and a Guggenheim Fellow. He served on the Board of Directors of The Tinker Foundation, Inc., and the Consultative Council of the Luso-American Foundation. He is also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Brazil Foundation and Human Rights Watch/Americas. Maxwell received his B.A. and M.A. from St. John's College, Cambridge University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.