Table of Contents

Introduction: The Image of Spain Part I The Formation of a Hispanist Part II: A Reading of the History of Spain 1. Visigoths and Asturians: u0022Spaniardsu0022? 2. Spain and Islam: the Myth of Al-Andalus 3. Reconquest and Crusade: A u0022Spanish Ideologyu0022? 4. Spain and the West 5. Identity, Monarchy, Empire 6. Spain and Portugal 7. Decadence and Recovery 8. The Problem of Spanish Liberalism Part III: Dilemmas of Contemporary History 9. A Republic Without Republicans? 10. The Debate over Responsibilities 11. Moscow and Madrid: A Strange Encounter 12. The Spanish Civil War: Sequel to World War lor Prelude to World War II? 13. Jose Antonio: The Presence of El Ausente 14. Spanish Fascism: A u0022Strange Caseu0022? 15. Francisco Franco: Fascist Monster or Savior of the Fatherland? 16. The Long Shadow of the Army 17. Controversies about History in Contemporary Spain

About the Author

Stanley G. Payne is the Hilldale-Jaume Vicens Vives Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His many books include The Franco Regime: 1936-1975; Fascism: Comparison and Definition; Spain's First Democracy: The Second Republic, 1931-1936; and A History of Fascism, 1914-1945, all published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Reviews

"This is a fascinating and original addition to the canon of single-volume surveys of Spain."--European History Quarterly

"An excellent, balanced discussion of important controversies."--Juan Linz, author of Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes

"Beginning with an informative account of his 'formation' as a Hispanist, Payne addresses critical questions in Spanish history, e.g., the role of Islam, alleged decline and decadence, empire, and interpretations of liberalism. Following is a substantial examination and analysis of what Payne labels 'dilemmas of contemporary history, ' uncommonly valuable as a succinct discussion of major developments since the 1930a, including the origins of the Spanish Civil War. For each of these, Payne reviews and challenges many familiar accounts. Thoughtful yet provocative; indispensable reading for everyone."--CHOICE

"Concise, engaging, and above all scholarly, this volume offers a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of Spanish history."--Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice

"Payne's revivalist presentation of a broad continuity of Spain's history, centered on its Castilian heartland, unfailingly maintains the standards of balance and objectivity that have always been the hallmark of his endeavor."--Robert A. Stradling, author of The Irish and the Spanish Civil War

"Through a critical and distinctive lens of erudition, Payne is able to offer the reader a rational assessment of the various perpetuating stereotypes, including the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries' Black Legend, negativity imposed on the Spanish political milieu of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the romantic Spain of the nineteenth century; and, what Payne terms, a 'composite stereotype of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.'"--Paulette L. Pepin, Historian