This book provides an authoritative account of the tribulations of the forces of progress, beginning in 1969 with the disintegration of Franco's dictatorship and ending with the remarkable Socialist election victory in 1982. `This book is essential reading for whoever wants to understand Spain today and its protagonists, both individual and collective. In the best British tradition, recent politics here becomes history.' - Times Literary Supplement `The range of material now used for Ancient History and other Studies of the ancient world is far greater than a generation ago. The series Approaching the Ancient World makes such material accessible to many students, demystifies technical topics, and provides a guide to the problems and possibilities of using a rich variety of sources and approaches.' - Beryl Rawson, Australian National University Paul Preston is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics. His many books on Spain include Franco: A Biography (1993), The Politics of Revenge: Fascism and the Military in Twentieth-Century Spain (1990) and The Triumph of Democracy in Spain (1986).