Citizenship and democracy in underdeveloped Spain: La Mancha (1977-1979)

Abstract

The concept of citizenship acquires full meaning when the individual responsabilities and rights are exercised in its practical dimension. This paper tries to demonstrate how the reformist archetype of democratization was linked to the weakening of popular mobilization during the post-Franco transition. In other words, the moderate path to democracy encouraged a passive model of citizenship. The new institutional framework shrinked the concept of democratic participation, which was limited to the ballot box. The following pages study the important role played by politicial parties and unions in this process of democratization and political homogenization.