Table of Contents

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

About the Author

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).

Reviews

"The distinctive features of the book are indeed the author's deep insight into the mores of the country, the fundamental psychology of the Spanish people as shared by geography and history, and his enthusiasm for the brilliance of Spain's culture... Dr. Crow has gleaned from his many journeys since he first went to Spain in 1928... wisdom and understanding which he now distills for us in a lively idiom that is in the best tradition of humane Hispanists." - Times Literary Supplement"