Synopses & Reviews
The first edition of this book was published in 1966. It became a standard work as a survey of economic, social, and political origins of modern Spain leading up to the apparent defeat of the liberal tradition with General Franco's victory in the Civil War. Since 1966 there has been a revolution in Spanish historiography. The more modern history of Spain, a neglected, even dangerous field, virtually unexplored, has since come into its own. In this edition, Raymond Carr has added new chapters that examine Francoism, its political system, and the society it sustained. He brings the story up to the death of General Franco in 1975, and in an extensive bibliographical essay considers the recent contribution of Spanish scholars to the period 1808-1939.
Review
Praise for the first edition: "A turning point in Spanish historiography; nothing comparable in scope, profundity, or perceptiveness exists...a book which, by any standards, is an outstanding work of historical scholarship."--The Times Literary Supplement
"I do not know what impresses me most about this masterly book--the immense amount of careful and laborious research that has gone into it, or the insight and discrimination that its author has brought to bear on every twist and turn of events. His comments show a deep understanding of Spanish life and, since he has no bias, his conclusions are always convincing...it is the final and conclusive history of this period because it is impossible to imagine anyone ever writing a better one."--New York Review of Books
Praise for the second editions: "Normally, second editions do not rate a review, but an exception must be made for Carr's Spain, 1808-1975....an enormously erudite book; Carr seems to have read almost everything about modern Spain....there is no other book like it in any language."--World Affairs Report
"This remains the best work on 19th- and 20th-century Spain available in English. It has not been surpassed after almost 20 years."--Adrian Shubert, Stanford University