Analysis and summary of the history of Spain

Spain is one of the most representative countries in history since they were among the first to
arrive in America, which is why we developed this analysis.

The history of Spain covers the period from the first human colonization in prehistory on the
Iberian Peninsula to the present day. Although the formation of the Spanish state dates back
to the end of the Middle Ages with the union and invasion (in the case of Navarre and
Granada) of the kingdoms that would eventually form it: Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre and
the Kingdom of Granada, it is from that moment on that it begins to be known as a single state
until today. The first hominids arrived in the territory of present-day Spain approximately
1,200,000 years ago. Several species followed, such as Homo antecessor, the pre-Neanderthals
of Sima de los Huesos (initially identified as Homo heidelbergensis) and the Neanderthals
(Homo neanderthalensis), until about 35,000 years ago modern humans (Homo sapiens)
entered the Iberian Peninsula and gradually displaced the latter, with whom they would
coexist for another 10,000 years. About 27,000 years ago, the last Neanderthal populations in
the south became extinct. Over the following millennia, the territory was settled by Iberian,
Celtic, Phoenician, Carthaginian and Greek peoples, and around 200 BC, C. the peninsula began
to form part of the Roman Republic, constituting Roman Hispania. After the fall of Rome, the
Visigoth Kingdom was established. This Visigothic monarchy began in the 5th century and
lasted until the beginning of the 8th century. In 711 the first Muslim conquest from North
Africa took place; within a few years Islam dominated much of the Iberian Peninsula. For the
next 750 years, the Muslim-dominated kingdom would be known as al-Andalus, and while
much of the rest of Europe remained in the dark ages, Al-Andalus experienced a splendid
multicultural, scientific and artistic flourishing.1

Gradually, the Reconquista took place, and the Christian kingdoms progressively took territory
from the Muslims. Begun around 722 with the rebellion of Don Pelayo and starting from the
north, it advanced during the 8th to 15th centuries, culminating with the conquest of Granada
in 1492. During this period, the Christian kingdoms developed notably; the union of the two
most important, Castile and Aragon, through the marriage in 1469 of the Catholic Monarchs,
Isabel I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, would make possible the unification of Spain and
the end of the Reconquista.2345

In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs financed the project of the navigator Christopher Columbus in
search of a new trade route with Asia across the Atlantic Ocean, and would proclaim the
expulsion of the Jews. The arrival in the New World and the subsequent conquest of America
forged the creation of the Spanish Empire. Over the following centuries, Spain would rise as a
leading player in the Western world and the leading power of the time. During the 16th and
17th centuries, the period of greatest apogee of Hispanic culture and arts, known as the
Golden Age, would also take place.6789

The Spanish Empire in 1580, following the unification of the Iberian Peninsula under a single
Spanish king Philip II, comprised South America, Central America and the Caribbean, large
areas of North America under varying degrees of influence or control, the Philippine Islands in
Asia, as well as enclaves of varying importance on the coasts of Africa and India. It also
included numerous possessions in Europe, the Spanish Netherlands, the Duchy of Milan and
the Kingdom of Naples, most of which were lost after the Peace of Utrecht in 1713.

Catholic and Imperial Spain was involved during this period in numerous conflicts, especially
against the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, the Protestants, England and France. With the
death of Charles II in 1700, the House of Austria became extinct to make way for the House of
Bourbon after the War of Succession. Spain gradually lost its military preponderance and after
successive crises the country gradually reduced its power; at the beginning of the 19th century
it had already become a second-rate power.151617

Napoleon Bonaparte's First French Empire invades the Peninsula; months later, on May 2,
1808, the popular uprising that would lead to the Spanish War of Independence began. As a
main consequence of the war and after the expulsion of the French in 1814, Spain suffered the
Spanish-American Wars of Independence. The century continued to be characterized in the
metropolis by political instability and the struggle between liberals and supporters of the
Ancien Régime. The First Republic took place between 1873 and 1874. The arrival of the
Industrial Revolution and the Canovian system at the end of the century raised the standard of
living of a middle class that was beginning to consolidate itself in the main urban centers;
however, the Spanish-American War or "Disaster of '98" meant the loss of most of the last
colonies of the former empire, generating a deep shock in Spanish society.18192021

While living standards and integration with the rest of Europe were improving, political
instability marked the first third of the 20th century. In April 1931, when the victory of the
Republican candidates in the main cities was announced in the municipal elections, the Second
Republic was proclaimed on April 14, and King Alfonso XIII left the country in order to avoid a
civil war, which would come 5 years later, in 1936, with the Coup d'état of July 1936. The
Spanish Civil War ended in 1939 with the victory of the Francoist side.222324 Spain was
officially neutral during the Second World War; the postwar period, a period marked by
scarcity and international isolation, was followed by a period of strong economic development
and a certain openness during the 60s and 70s.

Following the death of the dictator Franco, the traditional Spanish Monarchy was restored in
the figure of the Head of State, King Juan Carlos I, and the 1978 Constitution was approved
during the period known as the transition, which guaranteed a gradual evolution of the nation
towards the consolidation of the parliamentary democratic monarchy. Spain joined the
European Economic Community, now the EU, in 1986, organizing important international
events such as the 1982 World Cup or the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and in 2002 it
adopted the euro as its official currency.