SKU: 12924750258

A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain

Sale price$26.78 Regular price$29.75
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $7.44 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Oct 1 - Oct 6

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern SpainThe culmination of a half century of historical investigation, A People Betrayed is not only a definitive history of modern Spain but also a compelling narrative that becomes a lens for understanding the challenges that virtually all democracies have faced in the modern world. Whereas so many twentieth century Spanish histories begin with Franco and the devastating Civil War, Paul Preston's magisterial work begins in the late nineteenth century with

The culmination of a half-century of historical investigation, A People Betrayed is not only a definitive history of modern Spain but also a compelling narrative that becomes a lens for understanding the challenges that virtually all democracies have faced in the modern world.

Whereas so many twentieth-century Spanish histories begin with Franco and the devastating Civil War, Paul Preston's magisterial work begins in the late nineteenth century with Spain's collapse as a global power, especially reflected in its humiliating defeat in 1898 at the hands of the United States and its loss of colonial territory.

This loss hung over Spain in the early years of the twentieth century, its agrarian economic base standing in stark contrast to the emergence of England, Germany, and France as industrial powers. Looking back to the years prior to 1923, Preston demonstrates how electoral corruption infiltrated almost every sector of Spanish life, thus excluding the masses from organized politics and giving them a bitter choice between apathetic acceptance of a decrepit government or violent revolution. So ineffective was the Republic--which had been launched in 1873--that it paved the way for a military coup and dictatorship, led by Miguel Primo de Rivera in 1923, exacerbating widespread profiteering and fraud. When Rivera was forced to resign in 1930, his fall brought forth a succession of feeble governments, stoking rancorous tensions that culminated in the tragic Spanish Civil War.

With astonishing detail, Preston describes the ravages that rent Spain in half between 1936 and 1939. Tracing the frightening rise of Francisco Franco, Preston recounts how Franco grew into Spain's most powerful military leader during the Civil War and how, after the war, he became a fascistic dictator who not only terrorized the Spanish population through systematic oppression and murder but also enriched corrupt officials who profited from severe economic plunder of Spain's working class.

The dictatorship lasted through World War II--during which Spain sided with Mussolini and Hitler--and only ended decades later, in 1975, when Franco's death was followed by a painful yet bloodless transition to republican democracy. Yet, as Preston reveals, corruption and political incompetence continued to have a corrosive effect on social cohesion into the twenty-first century, as economic crises, Catalan independence struggles, and financial scandals persist in dividing the country.

Filled with vivid portraits of politicians and army officers, revolutionaries and reformers, and written in the "absorbing" (Economist) style for which Preston is so revered, A People Betrayed is the first historical work to examine the continuities of political unrest and national anxiety in Spain up until the present, providing a chilling reminder of just how fragile democracy remains in the twenty-first century.



Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 06/16/2020
ISBN: 9780871408686
Pages: 768
Weight: 2.30lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.40w x 1.60d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2020
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 12924750258

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.0 ★★★★★
Based on 13 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
K
Verified Purchase
KEllwood
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Great shirt
Size: Large, Color: Grey
Great shirt with a good price ..nice fit & nice material . Looks great when ironed !!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2026
M
Verified Purchase
michael h.
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Wonderful product
Size: Large, Color: Sky Blue
Great Shirts this is the second set I have bought and they wear nicely and fit well
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2026
T
Verified Purchase
Toby W.
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 4
Order 1 size larger.
Size: X-Large, Color: Blue White Plaid
Nice shirt. The size is not accurate by any stretch of the imagination. I wear size xl in shirts except for this one. An xl fits like a large. Other than that I like the shirt. I would've given it 5 stars if not for the sizing. I'll give away this one and order an xxl. Just order a size above what you wear and you'll be happy.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2026
N
Verified Purchase
Never received the order
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice fit
Size: X-Large, Color: Grey
Great value for the money. Would buy again.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2026
J
Verified Purchase
John Robinson
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Satisfied with color and fit
Size: Small, Color: Light Purple
For the money, this is a good shirt. True, the material is a bit thin and there is a feeling of 'fragility' (loose threads here and there) but the color is nice, the texture is appropriate. The sizing is what I call "New American". I was a medium my whole life but supersizing has made me into a small. I haven't changed, Americans have grown bigger. I am six feet tall and a bit (180+ cm) and weigh 155 pounds (70kg and a bit). The small fits me just fine everywhere but the shoulders are just barely wide enough. If you have slightly wider shoulders but are similar to me otherwise, this may be too tight for you in that one place.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2025

recommand products