Book
The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Antony Beevor
The modern turning point: civil war, ideology, foreign intervention, and trauma that shaped a century.
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EUROPE
Spain
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Human-curated, AI-assisted reading list
Books for era
Modern-world
A focused slice of this country’s reading list for the selected era.
Book
Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know
William Chislett
Book
The Basques
Mark Kurlansky
Book
Catalonia: A New History
Andrew Dowling
Book
The Spanish Civil War
Helen Graham
Book
The New Spaniards
John Hooper
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Get Oriented
Spain is a hinge civilization: Roman province, Christian-Muslim-Jewish frontier, imperial superpower, and modern European democracy. Its history is shaped by convivencia and conflict, dynastic politics, religious authority, Atlantic expansion, and recurring struggles over regional identity. From the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba to the Catholic Monarchs, from the Habsburg global empire to the Civil War and Franco dictatorship, Spain offers one of the clearest long arcs for understanding state power, religion, empire, and memory in the modern world.
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Why This Country Matters Now
- 1 Spain is a core case for studying democratic transition after dictatorship (Franco → constitutional monarchy).
- 2 Regional autonomy and identity politics (Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia) remain central to Spanish politics.
- 3 Spain’s imperial past still shapes culture, language, and Atlantic connections.
- 4 The Civil War remains a global reference point for polarization, ideology, and memory.
- 5 As a Mediterranean power, Spain sits at key crossroads of migration, energy, and European politics.
Starter Picks
Choose a time budget to start.
This reading path is coming soon. For now, check out the shorter starter picks.
Essential
Spain, 1469–1714: A Society of Conflict
Henry Kamen
A strong backbone for early modern Spain: monarchy, religion, social conflict, and imperial power.
Quick Read
The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Antony Beevor
The modern turning point: civil war, ideology, foreign intervention, and trauma that shaped a century.
Deep Dive
Empire: How Spain Became a World Power, 1492–1763
Henry Kamen
A clear, provocative take on how Spain’s empire actually worked—and why it mattered.
Explore Spain's history by period
Key moments mapped to Strabo’s global eras.
Iberia in Antiquity
1000 BCE – 500 CE
Ancient
Phoenicians, Carthage, Rome, and the making of Hispania
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Iberia in Antiquity
1000 BCE – 500 CE
Ancient
Phoenicians, Carthage, Rome, and the making of Hispania
Al-Andalus & the Christian Kingdoms
711 – 1492
Post-Classical
Islamic Spain, frontier society, convivencia, and reconquest politics
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Al-Andalus & the Christian Kingdoms
711 – 1492
Post-Classical
Islamic Spain, frontier society, convivencia, and reconquest politics
Unification & Atlantic Empire
1469 – 1700
Early Modern
State-building, Habsburg power, conquest, and global networks
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Unification & Atlantic Empire
1469 – 1700
Early Modern
State-building, Habsburg power, conquest, and global networks
Liberalism, Upheaval & a Divided Nation
1808 – 1936
Industrial
Napoleonic shock, constitutional struggles, and social polarization
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Liberalism, Upheaval & a Divided Nation
1808 – 1936
Industrial
Napoleonic shock, constitutional struggles, and social polarization
Civil War, Dictatorship & Democratic Transition
1936 – Present
Modern
Civil War, Francoism, European integration, and memory politics
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Civil War, Dictatorship & Democratic Transition
1936 – Present
Modern
Civil War, Francoism, European integration, and memory politics
Curated Works by Theme
Wander through the ideas, tensions, and cultural forces that shape this country. No agenda required.
Power, Monarchy & the State
Kings, courts, constitutions, and the machinery of rule
Religion, Ideas & Identity
Catholic power, minority communities, and contested modern memory
Empire, Trade & Political Economy
Silver, Atlantic systems, modernization, and European integration
Culture, Regions & Everyday Spain
Language, regional life, cities, and the texture of identity
Geopolitics & Europe’s Southern Gate
Mediterranean strategy, migration, NATO/EU identity, and Atlantic links
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