US Public Diplomacy and Democratization in Spain

"When the post-war relationship began, Spain was an unlikely candidate for American influence. By the end of the 30s, the Franco dictatorship had adopted Fascist symbols and made common cause with the Axis nations. In 1948, Cold war concerns prompted a slow rapprochement in between Washington and Madrid, leading to the instauration of U.S. military bases in Spanish territory. Both countries had done a political conjuring trick and formalized a marriage of convenience. This volume examines the several US public diplomacy strategies to accomplish an almost impossible mission: to keep a warm relation with a friendly tyrant without drifting apart from Spanish opposition to the dictatorship, and eventually to pave the way for transition to democracy"-- "The process of democratization has been a recurring feature of contemporary international affairs. This book will examine another major case of transition to democracy, that of post-Franco Spain, and consider the extent to which the efforts of the United States in nurturing that transition paid off"--