Spain: The Root and the Flower: An Interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People

This is the late John A. Crow's classic study of the cultural history of Spain and its people, which he last updated in 1985 but which seems as fresh and pertinent as when he first wrote it. Crow devoted a lifetime to Hispanic studies and here provides a historical interpretation of Spanish civilization from its earliest beginnings to the present. The scope of this study is remarkable and includes chapters on Roman Spain, the Jews in Spain, the Moors, life in medieval towns, and the Golden Age of Spain, plus a view of Franco's legacy.

John A. Crow was Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was also author of The Epic of Latin America (fourth edition, California, 1992).

Preface

1. THE LAND: THE PEOPLE

2. THE DARK BEGINNING

3. THE CROSS, THE CRESCENT, AND THE STAR

4. THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS: CROSS AND SWORD

5. LIFE IN THE MEDIEVAL TOWNS

6. THE SPANISH RENAISSANCE

7. THE GOLDEN AGE: POLITICS AND THE SOCIAL ORDER

8. BELLES-LETTRES IN THE GOLDEN AGE

9. THE FINE ARTS—END OF THE GOLDEN AGE

10. THE BOURBONS

11. MAIN CURRENTS OF SPANISH THOUGHT (1870-1931)

12. THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BACKGROUNDS OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC

13. THE SPANISH REPUBLIC (1931-1939)

14. COMMUNISM AND FASCISM IN SPAIN

15. VALLEY OF THE FALLEN

16. FRANCO'S LEGACY: ORDER AND PROGRESS

A. The Economic Miracle

The Tourist Industry

The Economy

Salaries, Prices, Inflation

B. Problem Areas

Agriculture

Labor

Emigration

17. SPAIN TODAY THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

A Society in Transition

REFERENCES

IMPORTANT DATES IN SPANISH HISTORY

GLOSSARY OF SPANISH WORDS

INDEX