The
Spanish transition to democracy , or simply
the Transition refers to the restoration of democracy in
Spain after the death of
Francisco Franco in 1975. The transition began shortly after Franco's death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the
Spanish Constitution of 1978, the failure of
an attempted coup on 23 February 1981, or the electoral victory of the
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) on 28 October 1982. Though faced with political and economic crises at the time, the transition to democracy was one of the factors that allowed Spain to join the
European Economic Community and
NATO.