Spain History

Spain was inhabited by different tribes, among which the Celts, the Iberians, the Basques, and others. The Iberians came to the territory of modern Spain from the north of Africa. Gradually the Celtic tribes mixed with the Iberians. As the result there appeared the celt-iberian race. The large part of the country (Ibiza and Cartagena) was conquered by the Carthaginians. In 206 B.C. Spain became a part of Roman Empire. Some time late the Muslims entered the country but were defeated by the Franks. In the 10th century Spain got political independence, with Cordova as a center of this area of the world. A hundred years the internecine wars took place between various Arabian noble families and the country was divided into numerous small caliphates.

The marriage of Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1469 broke the ice between many Spanish states. The process of consolidation began. The main goal of the Inquisition establishment was to root out heresy and to punish Jews and Muslims who were not enough sincere in their Christian belief. Spain as every other country has its own Golden Age. It started soon after Christopher Columbus discovered America and tons of gold and silver were brought to the country. The historians usually call this period – the era of exploration, discovery, and colonization. After the conquest of Mexico, Spain became wealthy colonial empire. But not only acquisition characterized Spain, the country suffered greatly from the losses of its colonies. Belgium, Luxembourg, Milan, Sardinia, and Naples were separated from Spain after the War of the Spanish Succession. As the result of numerous revolutions and wars (18-19th centuries) Spanish colonial empire in the Americas and the Philippines was ruined. For a whole century Spain was under French control till the Peninsular War. Step by step Spanish society was divided into conservatives and liberals, the differences between the rural residents and urban citizens were more evident.

Economic crisis and military dictatorship became the synonyms of Spain in the beginning of 20th century. In the World War I the country took the neutral position. After the abolition of the dictatorship the country adopted new constitution, which proclaimed Spain as a workers' republic. The church was separated from the state, practically all the schools were secularized. The Spanish Civil War (1936 -1939) was a special prelude to World War II. But the transition to the democracy was made only after death of the dictator Francis Franco. In 1982 Spain became a member of NATO, later joined the European Economic Community and the European Union. Nowadays, the economy of the country is the fifth largest in Europe; the tourism makes up a great part of state income.