Symbolism of the democratic Transition in Spain: a difficult consensus

Abstract

This article addresses the symbolic policy of the democratic transition in Spain on the basis of, on the one hand, the debate on the ability of democratic regimes to develop their own symbolism and, on the other, the particular historical conditions in which the Transition took place. Thus, the symbolic legacy of Francoism rendered necessary a gradual dismantling of its most characteristic elements and the assignment to the new regime of an alternative symbolism, which conveyed its main political values. The importance of the 1978 Constitution as a founding myth of the new democracy is explained by its ability to link up with the Spanish liberal tradition, clearly marked by historical constitutionalism, as well as by the unprecedented legitimacy of a constitutional text approved for the first time in a popular referendum. The article presents a broad empirical basis (Table I and Graph I) that confirms the predominant role of the Constitution in the creation of a democratic public space and in the development of an intense commemorative policy. Finally, there is assessment of the extent to which the crisis of the system following the economic recession of 2008-2012 and the questioning of the autonomic model have damaged the most representative symbols of the democracy established in the late 1970s.