Spanish views from a small town

The transition of power is never completely smooth, whatever some might say. Especially not when power is transferred from a dictatorship to a flawed, but functioning, democracy. Francisco Franco, Spain's Generalísimo , died on 20 November, 1975. He left things tidied up. The grandson of the King who had fled at the beginning of the Republic that Franco had defeated, would inherit the country's leadership. Juan Carlos I had been carefully tutored by Franco to continue the dictatorship, albeit now as a monarchy. But the new King knew that that was not what the country wanted. To avoid another civil war, he started the transition to a democracy. It was welcome by most. But not everyone was happy. There were extreme leftists who wanted a more -than- Soviet-style state, the GRAPO (Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre) , who were actively kidnapping for ransom, robbing banks, and killing those they considered politically worthwhile. Then there were the remains of ...