Book Description | From Roman times to the present day, Spain has occupied a significant role in the evolution of our Western world. This book highlights the notable trends, intellectual and social, of each particular era in its history. The imposition of Roman rule created the notion of Hispania as a single entity. Chapters on the Visigoth monarchy, Moorish Spain, the establishment, an empire, the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, all chart the political and economic development of Spain, but also emphasize the extraordinary and diverse artistic and literary achievements of the Spanish people within this one country at these different times. Moving on to the nineteenth century, we read of the rise of liberalism, and of its fall, which ushered in a period of disarray leading to the Civil War and authoritarian rule. Today Spain is a fully integrated and enthusiastic member of the European community. |
About the Author | Sir Raymond Carr, for many years Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford, was in 1999 honoured by Spain with the prestigious Prince of Asturias prize. He is a corresponding member of The Spanish Royal Academy of History and a doctor honoris causa of the Complutense University of Madrid. His publications include Modern Spain 1875-1980, Spain 1805-1975 (Oxford History of Modern Europe), and The Spainish Tragedy: Civil War in Perspective. |