It won’t get monster headlines here in the United States, but we’re giving him his due here. Adolfo Suarez, Spain’s first post-Franco Prime Minister who’s now recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern Spain has died. He was 81 and is an example of a life well spent.
He was someone who tried to tap, capture and use something that had been in short supply Spain: consensus…and use it to grow a democracy.
Suarez was brave. He really had guts.
Suarez he took angry criticism from the left and the right but he took far more seriously his mission backed by King Juan Carlos to navigate Spain from being the last World War II fascist country to a full-fledged modern democracy that could eventually be an integral part of Europe. The slogan some of those in the government used was “evolution without revolution.” How do I know? I watched, studied and reported on the early days of his work: from 1975 – 1978 I was The Christian Science Monitor’s accredited “Special Correspondent” (a kind of super stringer) in Madrid. I wrote a lot about events involving Suarez for the Monitor and a dozen papers I self-syndicated teo, and als reported on some events involving him in several special radio reports for NPR.
His career wasn’t all hosanas,but time and history have proven him to be one of modern Spain’s heroes. Reuters gets it right:
Former Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez, who died on Sunday, steered Spain through one of the most turbulent periods in its political history and built bridges between the “two Spains” after fascist dictator General Francisco Franco died in 1975.
Suarez, who was 81, was hospitalized on March 17 with a respiratory infection. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for many years. His death was reported by state television.
Many Spaniards remember Suarez’s unruffled demeanor during one of the most tense moments in the country’s modern history, an attempted coup on February 23 1981.
Six years earlier, after Franco’s death, King Juan Carlos called on Suarez, a young Francoist minister, to try to unite the two factions who were still in a sense fighting the 1936-1939 civil war, and indeed were further apart than ever after nearly 40 years of fascism exiled thousands of left-wingers.
At the time, his Francoist colleagues called him a turncoat and the main opposition Socialists accused him of opportunism.
Indeed, that’s an understatement. He was detested by many Francoists who considered him (and King Juan Carlos by the way) a traitor, someone who was not honoring Franco’s legacy. He had to also try and implant and consolidate a democractic system on Spain at a time when the country was also battling separatist Basque group ETA terrorism — which usually mean calls from the right for a bigger crackdown.
The immediate aim was to organize Spain’s first democratic elections since the war, which Suarez ended up winning in 1977, serving as prime minister for four years in which the country was beset by myriad economic, political and security problems.
He drew criticism from all sides and eventually resigned.
Suarez at the time was considered in the Spanish political system to be a centrist: parties on the right were fighting a rear-guard action BS some of them had been adjusting to the new democracy, and parties on the left, long suppressed, were clearly on the ascent.
However, Suarez lived to see himself given the credit he deserved:
But decades later, Suarez came to be recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern Spain. A 2007 poll showed that Spaniards regarded him as the most respected prime minister since Franco’s death.
“Prime Minister’s Suarez political career calls to mind the highest spirit of our democratic transition: recognition of dissenting voices, promotion of tolerance and the practice of dialogue. Thanks to that attitude he had the capacity to forge great agreements,” Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, told Reuters.
Handsome, charming both in and out of the political arena and acting with a notable sangfroid at potentially explosive times, Suarez was made a duke in 1981 and formed a close friendship with the king.
“He was a great statesman,” said King Juan Carlos in a TV address, his voice at times trembling…Suarez saw with clarity and great generosity that the welfare and the future of everyone depended on consensus.”
And there you have it.
It was a remarkable feat one that seems more stunning with the passage of each year.
A lawyer by training, Mr. Suárez led a new generation of Spanish politicians who filled the power vacuum left by the death of Gen. Francisco Franco in late 1975.
The government announced three days of official morning and said that Mr. Suárez would receive a state funeral. In a televised address on Sunday, King Juan Carlos called Mr. Suárez “a loyal friend” who had helped lead the country back to democracy, calling it “one of the most brilliant chapters in Spanish history.”
King Juan Carlos picked Mr. Suárez, who was then 43, to form a government in 1976. At the time, Mr. Suárez was a successful but relatively obscure apparatchik of the Franco regime. But he had little of the power-brokering experience that was required to heal deep divisions in Spanish society after four decades of dictatorship and international isolation.A lawyer by training, Mr. Suárez led a new generation of Spanish politicians who filled the power vacuum left by the death of Gen. Francisco Franco in late 1975.
The government announced three days of official morning and said that Mr. Suárez would receive a state funeral. In a televised address on Sunday, King Juan Carlos called Mr. Suárez “a loyal friend” who had helped lead the country back to democracy, calling it “one of the most brilliant chapters in Spanish history.”
King Juan Carlos picked Mr. Suárez, who was then 43, to form a government in 1976. At the time, Mr. Suárez was a successful but relatively obscure apparatchik of the Franco regime. But he had little of the power-brokering experience that was required to heal deep divisions in Spanish society after four decades of dictatorship and international isolation.
When he was first appointed, some considered Suarez a minor league political player who was unlikely to steer Spain into democracy without some major bloodshed — or a clampdown by the military.
But he proved to be the right man at the right time:
Still, despite his ties to Franco, Mr. Suárez was relatively free of any of the stigma that might have attached to him as a member of the regime. He was too young to be associated to the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and the early and most brutal period of Franco’s rule.
By June 1977, when Spain held its first democratic election since 1936, the year the civil war began, Mr. Suárez “epitomized the changing face of Spain and the emergence of a new middle class,” Robert Graham wrote in “Spain: A Nation Comes of Age,” a book about Spain’s democratic transition.
Mr. Graham, a foreign correspondent in Madrid during Mr. Suárez’s premiership, added: “His clean, youthful looks were in themselves a breath of fresh air. He represented what many Spaniards aspired to be — a provincial boy made good, with a devout wife and a large happy family.”
The 1977 general election was won by the Union of the Democratic Center, formed just ahead of the vote as a loose, center-right coalition that included several candidates who had served in the Franco administration without being linked to its most Fascist component.
Mr. Suárez did not run as the official leader of the U.C.D., but he made an address to the nation on the eve of the vote that positioned him at its helm. He could claim direct backing from King Juan Carlos, who had himself been handpicked by Franco and crowned only two days after the dictator’s death.
In a way, Suarez got the credit he deserved.
In another way, he didn’t.
For many of those who don’t live in Spain and believe in democracy, the importance of consensus, and trying to build a political center, Suarez remains an unknown, unsung hero. But when he comes to political heroes, he was the real deal.
PM: Saddened to hear that Adolfo Suarez has died. He was a great leader who led Spain on the difficult path from dictatorship to democracy.
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) March 23, 2014
The finest tribute to Adolfo Suárez "is to strive to follow the path of understanding, harmony and solidarity", Rajoy http://t.co/rgM8aP0kCL
— Embassy of Spain (@SpainInTheUSA) March 24, 2014
Adolfo Suarez, Spain's FW de Klerk, has died. A genuine hero of democracy: http://t.co/Bwp1ButaWu
— Alan Beattie (@alanbeattie) March 23, 2014
"i don't want democracy to, once again, become a parenthesis in the history of Spain." RIP Adolfo Suárez.
— Lisa Abend (@LisaAbend) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suárez passed away today, architect of Spanish Democracy & first democratically elected PM after Franco. #RIP pic.twitter.com/UxjoB79JwJ
— Fernando M Galán (@fernandomgalan) March 23, 2014
‘I never asked anyone where they came from, only where they wanted to go.’ – Adolfo Suarez
— laura (@afrequentflyer) March 23, 2014
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOL DE ADOLFO SUAREZ
— Enloquecida (@Danaalcaine1) March 23, 2014
To Adolfo Suárez, In Memoriam: “The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope”?Teilhard de Chardin
— Miguel Angel Escotet (@DrEscotet) March 23, 2014
EU Liberals offer condolences to family of Spain's Adolfo Suarez, a great Liberal who will be much missed. Spain needs L'ism more than ever.
— Graham Watson MEP (@grahamwatsonmep) March 23, 2014
RIP Adolfo Suárez, a pol whose slippery wiles greased Spain's transition to democracy. I wrote about him in the @LRB: http://t.co/5iSuhXyRu0
— Chase Madar (@ChMadar) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suarez first President of Spain after Franco has die today. one of the true leaders of our time!
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) March 23, 2014
#AdolfoSuarez the only Spanish politician that governed for the people. Gracias por la Democracia, descansa en Paz http://t.co/wcY1L7dXgS
— laralay (@laralay) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suárez, President Who Ushered In Spain's Democracy, Dies http://t.co/vD7hv9OfGO
— NPR News (@nprnews) March 23, 2014
Paul Preston's detailed obit of Adolfo Suárez in @guardian King Juan Carlos had "risked his crown" by choosing him http://t.co/aQ70AJvqwT
— Joe Haslam (@joehas) March 23, 2014
Un abulense… A Spaniard who changed the history of the country forever. DEP Adolfo Suárez.
— RMadridGirl (@RMadridGirl) March 23, 2014
Statesman who brought Spain safely to democracy, stood his ground while bullets flew in the Cortés, is dead. Descanza en paz, Adolfo Suárez.
— Rob Marchant (@rob_marchant) March 23, 2014
Adolfo #Suarez visited the White House in April 1977. He later complained that #Carter never supported him fully. pic.twitter.com/XAYRQsJwnp
— Charles Powell (@CharlesTPowell) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suarez dies. First PM of the Spanish Constitutional Monarchy. Father of the Spanish Constitution 1978. Great statesman & patriot
— Emilio Sáenz-Francés (@ESFrances) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suárez the man who dared to make legal the PC and open doors to democracy in Spain in the 70's has passed away. Peace for him.
— Carmen Magallón (@Cmagallon1) March 23, 2014
My condolences to family of Adolfo Suarez, first President of Spanish democracy. His courageous political example will remain in our memory
— Tono López-Istúriz (@TonoEPP) March 23, 2014
“@OlearyLiz: Great Spanish statesman Adolfo Suarez, dies. Oh for politicians of his stature now! http://t.co/TegmkoGSCm @CharlesTPowell”
— Charles Powell (@CharlesTPowell) March 23, 2014
With + current police state, & Adolfo Suárez death, many saying it's day democracy died. Hard to disagree? #depadolfosuarez #ripadolfosuarez
— Lee Morán (@lee_moran) March 23, 2014
The father of democracy in Spain has died. Adolfo Suarez was the best president in Spain. Adolfo Suarez R.I.P
— Juanan Guerrero (@Juanan_21) March 23, 2014
DEP Adolfo Suárez. Goodbye President, you made us a little bit better. Rest in peace.
— Rach (@RachMAOfficial) March 23, 2014
Adolfo Suarez, the man who inspired and guided the Spanish transition to democracy, just passed away. Thanks Mr. Suarez. Will never forget
— Ticks and TBP's (@ticks7) March 23, 2014
Spain: Democracy Wins. Thanks you very much Adolfo Suarez. (Portada de la revista TIME en 1977) pic.twitter.com/1Nrka1bQAY
— Luis María (@LuismaEx) March 23, 2014
#spain Adolfo Suarez was the only true honest & democratic Spanish president. He didn t bargain principles for money. Rest in peace
— jordidelcor (@jordidelcor) March 22, 2014
Adolfo Suárez's standard of legality in a new democracy: 'to set as normal in the law what is normal in the streets'
— Jordi Cat (@jordicat) March 22, 2014
Looks like Adolfo Suarez, key figure in my PhD research, is about to leave us. A towering figure, with all his flaws pic.twitter.com/gcVK5yCEyP
— Jonathan Hopkin (@jrhopkin) March 21, 2014
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.