Politics and the Military in Modern Spain

Since 1814 the prominent role of the army has helped set Spain apart from other European countries. Never in this period has it been a good army; in 1914, for example, it was judged inferior to that of Romania. It long floundered wretchedly in Cuba and Morocco, and its quality after years of favor in the Franco regime is not impressive. The military has been a powerful force in Spanish politics not so much for the ambition and greed of its leaders—and still less for their abilities and ideology—but because civilian institutions have failed. In this volume, the author argues this point as he traces the participation of the army, distinguished from the military in a broader sense, in the affairs of Spain. This volume is an analysis of civil-military relations in Spain from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the time of Franco's regime.