Spain

Spain has undergone significant transformations over the past three decades, from a dictatorship to a democracy and from a mostly local and agriculture-based economy to one of the biggest financial systems in the EU and internationally. Until 2008, it enjoyed a major influx of foreign investment and the most rapid economic growth of any of the countries in the EU, resulting in half of the new jobs created during the early days of the Union. Yet, it now faces thehighest rate of unemployment in Europe and slow growth for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the country faces internal strife from the separatist Catalan region and stringent austerity measures. In Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know, veteran journalist William Chislett recounts the country's fascinating and often turbulent history, beginning with the Muslim conquest in 711 and ending with the nation's deep economic crisis, sparked by the spectacular collapse of its real estate and construction sectors. He explains how some of the ghosts of the 1936-39 Civil War were laid to rest and the country moved to democracy, and covers issues such as the devolution of power to thecountry's 17 regions, the creation of a welfare state, the influx of several million immigrants over a very short time span, the religious cleavage, the strengths and weaknesses of the economy and how the country can create a more sustainable economic model.What happens in Spain matters. As Chislett shows, the country is much more than bullfighting and flamenco. It is an international economic power, and its future will significantly shape that of the European Union.

A concise yet nuanced account of the history of Spain., Spain is a model of intelligent concision, and it is splendidly balanced in its judgments and assessments. Perhaps at this moment it is Spaniards themselves who stand most in need of it, but it will attract a wide range of readers., Chislett condenses [Spain's] difficult story in 200 tight pages without a single drop of hearsay or meanness: not only a record, but a declaration of love to a country and a job., This is the one indispensable handbook on contemporary Spain. In lucid prose, it clearly explains everything one needs to know. It is dazzingly good on the economic crisis and the consequent undermining of social cohesion., Objectivity of viewpoint, mastery of facts, depth of reflection, balance in judgement, economy in expression, and sagacity in selection rarely go together - especially in the arena of Spanish historiography. Few writers unite these qualities better than William Chislett in this useful, brisk, reliable, and engaging conspectus of Spain.

William Chislett is a journalist based in Madrid. He covered Spain's transition to democracy (1975-78) for The Times of London and was later the Mexico correspondent for the Financial Times (1978-84). He writes about Spain for the Elcano Royal Institute, which has published three books of his on the country, and he has a weekly column in the online newspaper El Imparcial.