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Paul Preston

Juan Carlos Paperback – August 15, 2005

by Professor of History Paul Preston (Author)

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A powerful biography of Spain's great king, Juan Carlos, by the pre-eminent writer on 20th century Spanish history. There are two central mysteries in the life of Juan Carlos, one personal, the other political. How to explain the apparent serenity with which he accepted that his father had surrendered him, to all intents and purposes, into the safekeeping of the Franco regime? In any normal family, this would have been considered a kind of cruelty or, at the very least, baleful negligence. But a royal family can never be normal, and the decision to send the young Juan Carlos away from Spain was governed by a certain 'superior' dynastic logic. The second mystery lies in how a prince raised in a family with the strictest authoritarian traditions, who was obliged to conform to the Francoist norms during his youth and educated to be a cornerstone of the plans for the reinforcement of the dictatorship, eventually sided so emphatically and courageously with democratic principles. Paul Preston -- perhaps the greatest living commentator on modern Spain -- has set out to address these mysteries, and in so doing has written the definitive biography of King Juan Carlos. education, his bravery in defending Spain's infant democracy after Franco's death and his immense hard work in consolidating parliamentary democracy in Spain. The resulting biography is both rigorous and riveting, its vibrant prose doing justice to its vibrant subject. It is a book fit for a king.

Language

English
Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date

August 15, 2005
Dimensions

5.08 x 1.54 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

0006386938
ISBN-13

978-0006386933
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins Publishers; UK ed. edition (August 15, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0006386938
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0006386933
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 1.54 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,030,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,339 in Royalty Biographies
- #9,699 in Political Leader Biographies

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4.5 out of 5

55 global ratings

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Gene Rhea Tucker

Great bio of an intriguing, important figure

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2013

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A good biography of King Juan Carlos of Spain. It is assiduously researched, and generally well-written. Juan Carlos is an oddity, when you think about it. He was generally given all the power of Generalissimo Francisco Franco and could have ruled as a dictator-king, but he chose to brave the storm and lead Spain to democracy. This came, however, with the odious side-effect of reintroducing socialism into Spain. The recent Zapatero regime has run Spain into the Euro-socialist morass and opened up wounds with "memorial commissions," removing Franco statues, and banning (how free speech is that?) symbols of the old dictatorship. Still, Juan Carlos's life is a great tale. He was basically abandoned to Franco by his father Juan of Barcelona, and used as a puppet by both men. The power of his personal conviction to steer Spain to a democratic and constitutional monarchy is heartening. In the end, he is one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. (Except for his dealings with Arafat, who I think makes Franco look like a saint by comparison.) Preston's liberalism does poke through, however. The commies are unflinchingly good it seems, the fascists unflinchingly bad. Franco is presented as a doting old father figure to Juan Carlos throughout the book, as he never had a son himself, and Juan of Barcelona is presented as an unloving, uncaring, power-hungry sot, yet, at the end of all this, Preston writes: "Not only could Franco never match the warmth, good humour and open-mindedness of the Conde de Barcelona [Juan]...." Really? That is the exact opposite impression I got. I saw Juan as a petty and brainless fool, and Juan Carlos as, to sound a bit Freudian, trying to win the love of his absent father. The subtitle is: "Steering Spain from Dictatorship to Democracy," and though Preston tells of Juan Carlos's life in great detail from birth till 1985 or so, he glosses over the rest of his life till 2004 in just a few pages, leaving the story incomplete and unfinished. (Also, Preston glosses over Juan Carlos's personal failings, i.e. mistresses, but ....)

2 people found this helpful

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Dee

A must read if you can get through the excruciating detail

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 17, 2017

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This is an intense read. Almost minute by minute in some cases. Having said that, I wish Preston would tone down the anti-Franco attitude a bit and focus more on the major trends impacting Juan Carlos. The picture is painted in great detail of the forces that influenced him and his life and the circumstances surrounding his rise to the throne and his tenure. But it is precisely all the detail that weakens the book just a bit because you are lost in too much detail about too many obscure players rather than seeing the big picture. Having said all that, I am a huge fan of Juan Carlos and I had trouble putting this down.

One person found this helpful

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Brian Dedora

Spanish history in the making

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 4, 2013

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This detailed and well researched book is a full account of Jaun Carlos' life inside the Franco regime and his personal journey to bring democracy to Spain despite his being groomed to continue Franco's vision. The account of the attempted coup of 1981 reads like a thriller as Jaun Carlos, on the phone for seventeen hours, builds support against the coup and wins a successful plea for true democracy. My understanding of this period in Spain's history coupled with a deep admiration for the King because of this book has allowed me to see both the fragility and strength of Spain's modern political life. Paul Preston's breadth and depth of research is staggering. I recommend this book to anybody wishing to discover the roots of modern Spanish democracy, unreservedly.

One person found this helpful

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Alexander Tonks

One of the great monarchs of the 20th century and of all time.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 17, 2014

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King Juan Carlos I of Spain is a truly remarkable man. It was thanks to him that Spain made the successful and mostly smooth transition from Francisco Franco's absolute dictatorship to a strong parliamentary democracy. The Spanish people owe this man a debt of gratitude and despite the setbacks of the last year, he continues to be loved by the people - together with his son and daughter-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Asturias. This book is both a biography on the King's life and a textbook for how to change a country from a decades old dictatorship into a genuine democracy. I recommend this book to everyone.

One person found this helpful

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Mariposa

Juan Carlos. A biography

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 4, 2013

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An interesting biography of a great King of Spain with a lot of details about his life. Needed this book for my dissertation, unfortunately it doesn't contain much information about his foreign affairs.

But in general a great piece of work

One person found this helpful

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Jorgen Lovland

It is easy to get lost in all the persons mentioned

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 7, 2014

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A fascinating story well told. It is easy to get lost in all the persons mentioned, some overviews of teachers, advisers, ministers etc would have been helpful

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Andromeda

Good but a little hard to understand

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 3, 2006

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I made the mistake of thinking this was just a biography on Juan Carlos but instead its a complex read on Spain during the dictatorship and how it became a democrarcy again. It was a good book and well written but a little difficult to understand.

3 people found this helpful

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pyor66

Lucid historical narrative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 8, 2009

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This is history written with great flair. Preston considers the fortunes and development of Juan Carlos from the moment when, as a ten-year-old, he was handed over to Franco by his father, Don Juan, the Borbón claimant to the Spanish throne. He takes us through his nomination as official successor to Franco to his eventual coronation as King and his progress thereafter. Preston's research is impressive and his ability to communicate in a highly readable style equally so. He is not entirely uncritical but has an obvious regard for his subject. Franco's aim was to produce a monarchical successor in his own image who would carry on the policies of his dictatorship, the movimiento. Juan Carlos' secular, religious and military education was guided to that effect. One has sympathy for the rather lonely life led by Juan Carlos as a young boy and teenager surrounded by dry and traditionalist courtiers and teachers. His contact with his family was minimal and his relationship with his father could hardly be described as warm although he himself was full of filial respect. Juan Carlos was an attentive student at more than his formal studies and had a clear understanding of how he needed to behave to ensure he was nominated as successor to Franco and later as King. He relished his military training and formed close bonds with fellow cadets and officers that would stand him in good stead later when he had to deal with a military class accustomed to dominating political life.

I was left with an admiration for Juan Carlos' intelligent use of power; his eventual outwitting of the right wing military and political elite, culminating in his superb and courageous handling of the attempted military coup in 1981; his unfaltering guidance of Spain towards a democracy that finally satisfied criteria enabling it to join the European Union and NATO. Truly Juan Carlos is a monarch who has done more than any other to form and safeguard his kingdom as a modern constitutional monarchy. Preston has served him well in a biographical narrative that is accurate and has pace and style. This is a key work to understanding modern Spain and encouraging further reading about the Spanish Civil War and its political origins.

6 people found this helpful

C. Etherington

Essential reading for the Iberiophile

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 15, 2009

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This is an excellent book about the personalities involved in the development of Juan Carlos as King of Spain. It is essential reading for any student of Spanish history or, indeed, modern Spain.
It is not, as I expected, a biography of Juan Carlos, but instead an analysis of his relationship with his father and Franco during the formative years of the king's life, and the impact of these relationships upon the development of a man strong enough to take Spain into democracy.
It is a history of a fascinating period in Spain's history centered upon the three chief players in the game.
Preston is sympathetic, but not uncritical, and his easy style makes the book easy to read.

8 people found this helpful

Peter Austerfield

He writes beautifully and engages the reader with a complex story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

As always, Paul Preston's knowledge of modern Spanish history is second to none. He writes beautifully and engages the reader with a complex story.

thomas m.

Delighted.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great price, great condition, great read, prompt delivery.

MR BARRY BOWLER

Real political thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fascinating commentary on post Franco era that was only glimpsed through the contemporary British media.

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