Social Change and Configurations of Rhetoric: Schooling and Social Exclusion–Inclusion in Educational Reform in Contemporary Spain

Abstract

In the last quarter of the twentieth century, Spanish education experienced a full historical cycle closely related to the profound political change that the country experienced during that period of time. The 1970s witnessed the decline and definitive disappearance of the General Franco dictatorship. Immediately after his death in 1975 a process of political transition commenced that was complete but peaceful and based on the accord of the most relevant political parties and social groups. The first fruit of this process was a new Constitution, which was approved by universal suffrage in 1978. This Constitution established a new political regime that is a parliamentary monarchy, similar to those of some other European countries. Accordingly, in 1986 Spain was admitted as a full member of the European Union. For the first time in the history of the country, an ambitious project was undertaken to decentralize the national territory, which resulted in its division into autonomous communities with a significant degree of self-governance (see Judt, 2006, 516–523, for a brief but effective historical narrative of the events of this period).