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William Chislett
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Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know® Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

by William Chislett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
See all formats and editions
What happens in Spain, among the euro zone's largest economies, matters. Its high unemployment (over 26%), burgeoning public debt, and banking crisis will be formative for the zone's future.

In Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know®, a timely addition to Oxford's acclaimed What Everyone Needs to Know®
series, veteran journalist William Chislett provides much-needed political and historical context for Spain's current economic and political predicament. 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 in 2010. He explains the country's transition from dictatorship to democracy and covers such issues as the creation of a welfare state, the influx of immigrants, internal strife from the separatist Catalan region, the effects of stringent austerity measures, the strengths and weaknesses of the economy, and how the country can create a more sustainable economic model for the future. In a concise, question-and-answer format that allows readers to quickly access areas of particular interest, the book addresses a wide range of questions, including: What was the legacy of the Muslim presence between 711 and 1492? How did the Spanish Empire Arise? What were the causes of the 1936-39 Civil War? Why did the Socialists win a landslide victory in the 1982 election? What was the impact of European Economic Community membership? What is the violent Basque separatist group ETA? What caused the banking crisis? and more.

This engaging overview covers a wide sweep of Spanish history and helps readers understand Spain's place in the world today.

What Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0199936441
  2. Edition
    Illustrated
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 27, 2013
  6. Part of series
    What Everyone Needs To Know?
  7. Language
    English
  8. File size
    566 KB
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW About This Series

Who it's for:

Busy people with diverse interests, ranging from college students to professionals, who wish to inform themselves in a succinct yet authoritative manner about a particular topic.

What's inside:

An incisive approach to a complex and timely issue, laid out in a straight-forward, question-and-answer format.

Meet Our Authors

Top experts in their given fields, ranging from an Economist correspondent to a director at the Council on Foreign Relations, you can trust our authors’ expertise and guidance.

Popular Topics in the "What Everyone Needs to Know" Series

  • International Politics
  • Environmental Policies
  • World History
  • Sciences & Math
  • Religion & Spirituality

Review

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."--Sir John Elliott, Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History, University of Oxford

"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." --Paul Preston, author of The Spanish Holocaust

"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." --Felipe Fernández-Armesto, William P. Reynolds Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DEKGCVY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (June 27, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 27, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 566 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 247 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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William Chislett

William Chislett

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I covered Spain's transition to democracy for The Times of London between 1975 and 1978 and I then joined the Financial Times and was based in Mexico between 1978 and 1984 covering Mexico, Central America and Cuba. I returned to Madrid in 1986 when I left the FT. Since then I have written 20 books on various countries, mainly Spain. I have written on Spain and Turkey for Spain's Real Instituto Elcano since the think tank was founded in 2002. I also contribute opinion pieces to El País and ABC and have a column in the online newspaper El Imparcial.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
52 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gaylene L. Barron
4.0 out of 5 stars A condensed history of Spain
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a highly condensed piece of literature, of statistical facts in the economic, political history, of such a unique and fascinating country. The reading is long and strenuous, because of the immense amount of information. It is a great resource to have for referencing the history and politics of Spain since the early 30's until today, in a vast over view.
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Dusty Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent briefing about modern Spain
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is written by a journalist and is very readable. It is a mixture of history, economics and modern politics. While the scope is very big, it packs a lot in per page. It is getting a bit dated so, a revision to bring it up to date is due.
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Michael O. Nelson
3.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of political history and economics in spain
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very helpful as a cheat sheet into spain. Bibliography may be quite helpful in the future. Not a good beach read.
4 people found this helpful
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Machine Head
4.0 out of 5 stars overall , a good start1
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014
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Overall, a good book to start with, for a modern understanding of Spanish politics and the economy, over the past 100 years.
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Top reviews from other countries

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gelatto
3.0 out of 5 stars The title should read: Spain: What Everyone Needs ...
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
The title should read: Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know About its Political History. After a brief review of a thousand years of Spanish history, the author goes into greater detail of the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath; but his main focus, and the majority of the book, is devoted to the post-Franco political situation. Numerous pages are devoted to the political parties, particularly their leaders and policies. Elections are covered in depth. Obviously, this is the reason the writer spent many years living in Spain, but he virtually ignores modern day Spanish culture and society at large.
If you're looking for an overview of the Spanish governing process and its history, this book will fit the bill; but if you want to learn about Spain in the larger sense, you won't find it here.
One person found this helpful
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mark dowd
4.0 out of 5 stars Carving out a niche in the market....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2014
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It's rare to find a book that can be taken and read so profitably by both newcomers to the subject but also practised "hispanophiles." I've lived and travelled in Spain, listen to Cadena Ser and read my El País regularly, but still found endless facts and insights into Spanish culture and politics, past and present, which were completely new. The style is accessible, clear and unpretentious. This book is a hugely valuable addition to books on Spain and had definitely carved out its own distinct niche in the market. Excellent value!
3 people found this helpful
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José Luis
5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro sobre España no sólo para extranjeros
Reviewed in Spain on October 16, 2013
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Se trata de un libro relativamente corto en número de páginas, pero que intenta dar una visión objetiva sobre la España de los últimos siglos, incluyendo la actual. Muy útil para extranjeros, pero también recomendable para españoles. Seguramente nuestra visión de los acontecimientos de los siglos XX y XXI difiera de la del autor, pero hay que reconocerle su esfuerzo de objetividad.
One person found this helpful
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Qué2013
5.0 out of 5 stars This book was suggested to us for a good read. We enjoy vacationing in Spain
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2018
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This book was suggested to us for a good read. We enjoy vacationing in Spain. This book was therefore welcomed. We found it interesting and informative.
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JOSÉ LUIS G.
3.0 out of 5 stars Está bien.
Reviewed in Spain on July 27, 2015
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Un resumen somero de la historia de España, especialmente la contemporánea. Está bien conocer la visión de alguien de fuera que ha vivido por largo tiempo entre nosotros.
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