Brief History
Spain, originally inhabited by Celts, Iberians, and Basques, became a
part of the Roman Empire in 206 B.C., when it was conquered by Scipio
Africanus. In the era of exploration, discovery, and colonization, Spain
amassed tremendous wealth and a vast colonial empire through the conquest
of Peru by Pizarro (1532–33) and of Mexico by Cortés (1519–21).
In World War I, Spain maintained a position of neutrality. In 1923, Gen.
Miguel Primo de Rivera became dictator. In 1930, King Alfonso XIII revoked
the dictatorship, but a strong antimonarchist and republican movement
led to his leaving Spain in 1931. The new constitution declared Spain
a workers' republic, broke up the large estates, separated church and
state, and secularized the schools. The elections held in 1936 returned
a strong Popular Front majority, with Manuel Azaña as president.
Spain entered NATO in 1982. A treaty admitting Spain, along with Portugal,
to the European Economic Community, now the European Union, took effect
on Jan. 1, 1986. Later that year, Spain voted to remain in NATO, but outside
of its military command. General elections in March 1996 produced a victory
for the conservative Popular Party, which, although lacking an absolute
majority in the Cortes, received the backing of regional parties for a
coalition government with José María Aznar as prime minister.
On Oct. 16, 1998, Spain issued a warrant for the extradition of former
Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, charging him with the genocide, torture,
and kidnapping of thousands of people, including Spanish nationals, during
his 17-year rule. Eventually, Pinochet was returned to Chile where he
was deemed unfit to stand trial. In March 2000, Prime Minister Aznar of
the center-right People’s Party easily won reelection.
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