'Remarkable, well accomplished and up-to-date...a book that manages to keep the attention of the reader from the first page to the last...It gives a complete and comprehensive synthesis of the evolution of Spanish politics and government since the restoration of democracy. And it does so in style.' - Andres Rodriguez-Pose, Government and Policy;'An accessible study for 'all students of modern Spain', yet one whose scholarship will also benefit and provoke discussion among experts...[The author] has such a compendious grasp of detail and is so skilled in marshalling arguments that one can feel challenged to weigh carefully almost every line before proceeding to the next.' - M. Gorman, Journal of Iberian Studies;Despite the widespread attention attracted by Spain's remarkable transition from General Franco's repressive dictatorship to a dynamic democracy, this is the first comprehensive study in English of the new Spanish political system. The book introduces the main institutions and features of the contemporary Spanish state and assesses to what extent these still bear the imprint of the Francoist legacy. Despite some remaining obstacles and difficulties, Paul Heywood argues, the c