Jorge Anchondo

Javier Cercas', The Anatomy of a Moment. On the 23rd of February, 1981, with Spain wracked by disaffection with its Prime Minister, Adolfo Suarez, for failing to deal with the ETA assassinations of prominent political and police figures, and a deep economic recession that put in question his leadership and his pro-democratic tendencies the army revolted. Cercas analyzes with clear-eyed precision the events leading to the coup which ended Suarez's career and cemented King Juan Carlos as the most powerful figure in Spain's system of government: a Parliamentary Monarchy with an elected head of government. This event, known as the 23-2 coup, finally ended with the official recognition that Franco's regime was over and Spain entered NATO and joined Western Europe as a modern state with democratically elected leaders. A very engrossing read which anybody with an interest in the politics and history of modern Spain must read.