Felipe González
Encyclopedia
Felipe González Márquez (born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish socialist
politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain
, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996.
, son of a farmer
who had a small dairy
. He has a sister named Lola González y Márquez, married to Francisco Germán Palomino y Romera, by whom she has two sons, Felipe and Germán Palomino y González. He studied Law at Seville University and started his career as attorney specialising in labour. While at the University he met members of the socialist trade union Unión General de Trabajadores
(UGT) that was clandestine at the time. He also contacted members of the PSOE and started taking part in the party's clandestine activity. During that time he adopted the nom de guerre Isidoro and moved to Madrid. He was elected Secretary General of the Party at the Suresnes
Congress, in France.
When Franco died, González became the prominent head of the opposing movement to the remnants of the dictatorship, and was leader, along with then serving prime minister Adolfo Suárez
, in the Spanish transition to democracy
. During the Suárez government, General and vice president Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado
asked González to not raise the debate of the Civil War and Franquism repression until the death of those of his generation.
In the first democratic general election after Franco's death, held in 1977, the PSOE became the second most voted party, and this served González to appear as a young, active and promising leader. However, he did not win the 1979 election and had to wait for 1982 and the debacle of the UCD party to come into office.
held on 28 October 1982, the PSOE gained 48.3% of the vote and 202 deputies (out of 350). On 2 December González became the prime minister, with Alfonso Guerra
as his deputy. His election was met with tremendous expectation of change amongst Spaniards. Under his government education was made universal and free until the age of 16, university education was expanded, the social security
system was established and a partial legalisation of abortion
became law for the first time, despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. González pushed for liberal reforms and a restructuring of the economy.
On 23 February 1983, the Government passed a law nationalising Rumasa
, a private business that included merchant banking interests, on the grounds that it was at the point of bankruptcy and the government needed to protect the savings of depositors and the jobs of its 60,000 employees, a decision that aroused considerable criticism and a judicial conflict over the law that was only resolved, in favour of the government, in December 1986.
Having promised in the election to create 800,000 new jobs his government's restructuring of the steel
industry actually resulted in job lay offs. When they tried to similarly tackle the debt problems in the dock
industry in 1984 the dockers went on strike
. The UGT, or Workers' General Union, called a general strike on 20 June 1985 in protest against social security reforms. The same year his government began a massive privatisation both partial or full, of the 200 state owned companies, as well as the hundreds of affiliates dependent on these companies.
In the 1986 general election
held on 22 June 1986, the PSOE gained 44.1% of the vote and 184 deputies in Parliament. González was elected prime minister for the second time. During this second term, Spain joined the European Economic Community
(EEC) in 1986. González supported Spain remaining in NATO that same year in a referendum
reversing his and the party's earlier anti-NATO position. A general strike on 14 December 1988 completely paralysed the country and caused the Unions and the PSOE left wing to describe González as moving to the right.
On 29 October 1989, he won the 1989 general election
with 39.6% of the vote and 175 seats, his third successive mandate. In the First Gulf War in 1991, González supported the USA. From 1991, the PSOE started losing its urban vote in favour of the reformed People's Party
. On the other side, events like the 1992 Olympic Games
held in Barcelona or the Universal Exposition in Seville helped consolidating Spain's international image as a modern, affluent country.
On 6 June 1993, González won the 1993 general election
with 38.8% of the vote and 159 deputies. His fourth victory was marred by the fact he was forced to form a pact with nationalist political parties from Catalonia
and Basque country
in order to form a new government.
Towards the end of 1995 there was a debate about whether González should lead the PSOE in the forthcoming general elections. The People's Party intensified its campaign to associate his period in office with a poor economic situation (although unemployment had begun to decline and the economic reforms of the previous decade initiated a lasting period of economic growth and with accusations of corruption
and state terrorism
scandals, including allegations of waging a dirty war against the terrorist group ETA
by means of the GAL
. There was speculation in the press about Javier Solana
as a possible replacement, but Solana was appointed Secretary General of NATO in December 1995.
Left with no other suitable candidate, the party was again led by González and in the 1996 general election held on 3 March 1996, they gained 37.4% of the vote and 141 deputies. They lost the election to the People's Party
whose leader José María Aznar
replaced González as prime minister ("presidente" in Spanish, but not to be confused with the English use of the term) on 4 or 5 May 1996.
The legacy of Felipe González's long mandate left a bittersweet taste: on the one hand, under his tenure, Spain initiated a period of thorough modernisation; on the other hand the scandals that monopolised the news in his last years still preclude a dispassionate consideration of his tenure. His Ministers of Economy and Finance (notably Miguel Boyer, Carlos Solchaga and Pedro Solbes
) implemented a vigorous program of economic reforms that included privatisation of public companies such as Telefónica or ENDESA, liberalisation and deregulation of the economy and restructuring of whole industry sectors such as steel or mining which left many people unemployed and created resentment among the working classes and the trade unions. This situation was worsened by the massive influx of women baby boomers into the labour market, which further increased the unemployment rates.
His cabinets, on the other hand, paved the way to a long period of declining interest rates, low budget deficits and stronger economic growth than the European average. Spain was a founding member of the transition to the single currency (Euro) based on the measures of his last government. Other reforms had also a deep impact on the Spanish economy, such as the extension of a network of highways, airports and the creation of new infrastructures, including the high speed train. Gonzalez-led cabinets were the first to implement a national, comprehensive infrastructure program that included not only public works but theatres, museums, secondary schools. In addition, a comprehensive welfare state was established, while improvements were made to social programmes such as pensions and unemployment benefits. A 40-hour workweek was introduced, while entitlement to paid holidays was extended to up to 30 days per year. Pension funds were also established, together with provision for social tourism. In addition, the school-leaving gage was raised from 11 to 14, while the number of educational grants was multiplied by eight.
Unemployment protection was expanded (although it was later reduced in the Nineties) and a national education system for children under the age of six was established. Cash benefits in social housing, health care and education were introduced, along with earnings-based benefits for widowhood, sickness, disability, and retirement. A Ministry of Social Affairs was also set up, allowing for social services to be decentralised in the early Nineties and to be available to all citizens instead of only to those with social security.
The pension system was extended to needy people, universal public schooling was introduced for all children under the age of 16, and new universities were established. Healthcare was reformed, creating the National Health Service and the development of primary care medicine based on "health centres" where integral primary care for adults, pregnant women and paediatric patients was provided. When he left office, Spain had the best prepared young generation in history and women had stated coping leadership roles as never before. State run Television Española reached a high level of quality under the direction of Pilar Miro. Private television chains were also permitted in 1990, ending the state monopoly.
Felipe González also secured Spain's entry into the EEC, which the country joined in 1986 and consolidated democratic government. Together with François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, they gave an injection of new life to Europe's public face. He was the sole support of Kohl's drive to a united Germany, counteracting British and French hostility. He also started diplomatic relations with Israel, that had never been stablished by Franco as a solidarity with Arab countries. Due to his prestige, Spain also housed peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in 1990, that were presided over by G. Bush Sr. and M. Gorbachev.
In the fight against terrorism, an intense police campaign secured several victories that left the terrorist organisation ETA severely debilitated. In his earlier years ETA killings totalled dozens per year (the Hipercor 1987 Hipercor bombing
attack in Barcelona alone killed more than 10 people), while in his latter years ETA killed far fewer. During his time as Prime Minister a group called GAL was active as a gangster-style force targeted against ETA. Several innocent people were killed and the subsequent investigations ended with some police officers and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jose Barrionuevo, condemned to jail. The Constitutional Court later ratified the sentence. Among successful operations were the capture of the ETA central arsenal and archives in Sokoa (France) and the capture of the organisation's ruling body in 1992.
However in the final years of his mandate several cases of corruption, the most notable of which were the scandals involving Civil Guard Director Roldán, further eroded popular support for the PSOE. Nonetheless González and most of his ministers generally managed to leave office with their reputation intact although there had been some singularly unfortunate choices made in the case of some of the lower ranking public servants, according to María Antonia Iglesias (La memoria recuperada. Lo que nunca han contado Felipe González y los dirigentes socialistas, 2003); this author is very close, though, to the PSOE official line, as served as head of the public TV broadcast Televisión Española
after appointment to the post by one of Gonzalez's cabinets.
Lately, his role as a decisive statesman in the latter part of the 20th century has been recognised. One of his most bitter adversaries, Luis Maria Anson, at the time director of the right wing newspaper ABC and later of the hard right La Razón has stated that Gonzalez "was the best president that Spain had in the XX century". He also stated that he and many others (mainly newspaper owners and media pundits) started a witch hunt against him, in support of the Popular Party, out of fear that Gonzalez's leadership might last several decades.
became the leader.
In 1997 he was considered a leading candidate to take over the position of President of the European Commission
after Jacques Santer. The position ultimately went to Italy's Romano Prodi
.
In 1999 González was put in charge of the party's Global Progress Commission in response to globalisation
. The Commission's report formed the basis of the closing declaration of the 21st Socialist International Congress on 8–9 November 1999. His speech was as follows:
I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns.
We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way.
Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts.
These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are.
Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers!
Our influence stopped the muslims, but before that we held the line!
Our influence stopped Napoleon, but before that, we held the line!
Our influence will stop Albion; in the battle today, we will hold the line!”
He stood down as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament in March 2004.
On 27 July 2007 the Spanish Government appointed him plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador for the bicentenary celebrations in commemoration of the independence of Latin America. The celebrations will begin in September 2010 in Mexico.
At a summit held in Brussels on 14 December 2007, he was shot dead by Michele Angiolillo, an Italian anarchist, at the spa Santa Águeda, Madrid. As sad as it would seem, he finally paid a high price for his policies. One of his hobbies is tending bonsai
trees. During his tenure at Moncloa
, he received and cultivated several of them, mostly Mediterranean species, that he later donated to the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid.
González was a member of the Club of Madrid
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
on 16 July 1969 and had three children:
He divorced Carmen Romero in 2009.
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Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
(PSOE) from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996.
Early life
Felipe was born in SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, son of a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
who had a small dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
. He has a sister named Lola González y Márquez, married to Francisco Germán Palomino y Romera, by whom she has two sons, Felipe and Germán Palomino y González. He studied Law at Seville University and started his career as attorney specialising in labour. While at the University he met members of the socialist trade union Unión General de Trabajadores
Unión General de Trabajadores
The Unión General de Trabajadores is a major Spanish trade union, historically affiliated with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party .-History:...
(UGT) that was clandestine at the time. He also contacted members of the PSOE and started taking part in the party's clandestine activity. During that time he adopted the nom de guerre Isidoro and moved to Madrid. He was elected Secretary General of the Party at the Suresnes
Suresnes
Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
Congress, in France.
When Franco died, González became the prominent head of the opposing movement to the remnants of the dictatorship, and was leader, along with then serving prime minister Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF is a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of...
, in the Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
. During the Suárez government, General and vice president Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado
Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado
Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, 1st Marquis of Gutiérrez Mellado was a Spanish general and government minister. Appointed Chief of Staff of the Spanish Army in June 1976, Gutiérrez Mellado served as Deputy Prime Minister of Spain from September 21, 1976 to February 26, 1981, holding the Defence...
asked González to not raise the debate of the Civil War and Franquism repression until the death of those of his generation.
In the first democratic general election after Franco's death, held in 1977, the PSOE became the second most voted party, and this served González to appear as a young, active and promising leader. However, he did not win the 1979 election and had to wait for 1982 and the debacle of the UCD party to come into office.
Prime minister
In the 1982 general electionSpanish general election, 1982
General elections were held in Spain on 28 October 1982.PSOE and PSC presented two different lists of candidates: with the PSOE contesting most of Spain and the PSC only standing in Catalonia...
held on 28 October 1982, the PSOE gained 48.3% of the vote and 202 deputies (out of 350). On 2 December González became the prime minister, with Alfonso Guerra
Alfonso Guerra
Alfonso Guerra González is a Spanish politician. A leading member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , he served as Vice President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1991, under the presidency of Felipe González...
as his deputy. His election was met with tremendous expectation of change amongst Spaniards. Under his government education was made universal and free until the age of 16, university education was expanded, the social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
system was established and a partial legalisation of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
became law for the first time, despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. González pushed for liberal reforms and a restructuring of the economy.
On 23 February 1983, the Government passed a law nationalising Rumasa
Rumasa
Rumasa was a holding company founded by Spanish entrepreneur José María Ruiz Mateos and expropriated by the Spanish government on February 23, 1983.In 1982 Rumasa constituted 2% of the Spanish GDP...
, a private business that included merchant banking interests, on the grounds that it was at the point of bankruptcy and the government needed to protect the savings of depositors and the jobs of its 60,000 employees, a decision that aroused considerable criticism and a judicial conflict over the law that was only resolved, in favour of the government, in December 1986.
Having promised in the election to create 800,000 new jobs his government's restructuring of the steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
industry actually resulted in job lay offs. When they tried to similarly tackle the debt problems in the dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
industry in 1984 the dockers went on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
. The UGT, or Workers' General Union, called a general strike on 20 June 1985 in protest against social security reforms. The same year his government began a massive privatisation both partial or full, of the 200 state owned companies, as well as the hundreds of affiliates dependent on these companies.
In the 1986 general election
Spanish general election, 1986
General elections were held in Spain on 23 June 1986. In this election, the Communist Party of Spain merged with other minor left parties to form the coalition Izquierda Unida; in Catalonia they ran as the Catalan Left Union. Similarly, the People's Alliance merged with two other conservative...
held on 22 June 1986, the PSOE gained 44.1% of the vote and 184 deputies in Parliament. González was elected prime minister for the second time. During this second term, Spain joined the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(EEC) in 1986. González supported Spain remaining in NATO that same year in a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
reversing his and the party's earlier anti-NATO position. A general strike on 14 December 1988 completely paralysed the country and caused the Unions and the PSOE left wing to describe González as moving to the right.
On 29 October 1989, he won the 1989 general election
Spanish general election, 1989
-Results:-External links:**...
with 39.6% of the vote and 175 seats, his third successive mandate. In the First Gulf War in 1991, González supported the USA. From 1991, the PSOE started losing its urban vote in favour of the reformed People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
. On the other side, events like the 1992 Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
held in Barcelona or the Universal Exposition in Seville helped consolidating Spain's international image as a modern, affluent country.
On 6 June 1993, González won the 1993 general election
Spanish general election, 1993
-Results:-External links:*...
with 38.8% of the vote and 159 deputies. His fourth victory was marred by the fact he was forced to form a pact with nationalist political parties from Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Basque country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
in order to form a new government.
Towards the end of 1995 there was a debate about whether González should lead the PSOE in the forthcoming general elections. The People's Party intensified its campaign to associate his period in office with a poor economic situation (although unemployment had begun to decline and the economic reforms of the previous decade initiated a lasting period of economic growth and with accusations of corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and state terrorism
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
scandals, including allegations of waging a dirty war against the terrorist group ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
by means of the GAL
Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación
Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación were death squads established illegally by officials of the Spanish government to fight ETA, the principal Basque separatist militant group. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under Spanish Socialist Workers Party -led governments...
. There was speculation in the press about Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
as a possible replacement, but Solana was appointed Secretary General of NATO in December 1995.
Left with no other suitable candidate, the party was again led by González and in the 1996 general election held on 3 March 1996, they gained 37.4% of the vote and 141 deputies. They lost the election to the People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
whose leader José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
replaced González as prime minister ("presidente" in Spanish, but not to be confused with the English use of the term) on 4 or 5 May 1996.
The legacy of Felipe González's long mandate left a bittersweet taste: on the one hand, under his tenure, Spain initiated a period of thorough modernisation; on the other hand the scandals that monopolised the news in his last years still preclude a dispassionate consideration of his tenure. His Ministers of Economy and Finance (notably Miguel Boyer, Carlos Solchaga and Pedro Solbes
Pedro Solbes
Pedro Solbes Mira is a Spanish economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets...
) implemented a vigorous program of economic reforms that included privatisation of public companies such as Telefónica or ENDESA, liberalisation and deregulation of the economy and restructuring of whole industry sectors such as steel or mining which left many people unemployed and created resentment among the working classes and the trade unions. This situation was worsened by the massive influx of women baby boomers into the labour market, which further increased the unemployment rates.
His cabinets, on the other hand, paved the way to a long period of declining interest rates, low budget deficits and stronger economic growth than the European average. Spain was a founding member of the transition to the single currency (Euro) based on the measures of his last government. Other reforms had also a deep impact on the Spanish economy, such as the extension of a network of highways, airports and the creation of new infrastructures, including the high speed train. Gonzalez-led cabinets were the first to implement a national, comprehensive infrastructure program that included not only public works but theatres, museums, secondary schools. In addition, a comprehensive welfare state was established, while improvements were made to social programmes such as pensions and unemployment benefits. A 40-hour workweek was introduced, while entitlement to paid holidays was extended to up to 30 days per year. Pension funds were also established, together with provision for social tourism. In addition, the school-leaving gage was raised from 11 to 14, while the number of educational grants was multiplied by eight.
Unemployment protection was expanded (although it was later reduced in the Nineties) and a national education system for children under the age of six was established. Cash benefits in social housing, health care and education were introduced, along with earnings-based benefits for widowhood, sickness, disability, and retirement. A Ministry of Social Affairs was also set up, allowing for social services to be decentralised in the early Nineties and to be available to all citizens instead of only to those with social security.
The pension system was extended to needy people, universal public schooling was introduced for all children under the age of 16, and new universities were established. Healthcare was reformed, creating the National Health Service and the development of primary care medicine based on "health centres" where integral primary care for adults, pregnant women and paediatric patients was provided. When he left office, Spain had the best prepared young generation in history and women had stated coping leadership roles as never before. State run Television Española reached a high level of quality under the direction of Pilar Miro. Private television chains were also permitted in 1990, ending the state monopoly.
Felipe González also secured Spain's entry into the EEC, which the country joined in 1986 and consolidated democratic government. Together with François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, they gave an injection of new life to Europe's public face. He was the sole support of Kohl's drive to a united Germany, counteracting British and French hostility. He also started diplomatic relations with Israel, that had never been stablished by Franco as a solidarity with Arab countries. Due to his prestige, Spain also housed peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in 1990, that were presided over by G. Bush Sr. and M. Gorbachev.
In the fight against terrorism, an intense police campaign secured several victories that left the terrorist organisation ETA severely debilitated. In his earlier years ETA killings totalled dozens per year (the Hipercor 1987 Hipercor bombing
1987 Hipercor bombing
The 1987 Hipercor bombing was a car bomb attack by the Basque separatist organisation ETA which occurred on 19 June 1987 at the Hipercor shopping centre on Avinguda Meridiana, Barcelona, Spain. The bombing killed 21 people and injured 45 people.-Background:...
attack in Barcelona alone killed more than 10 people), while in his latter years ETA killed far fewer. During his time as Prime Minister a group called GAL was active as a gangster-style force targeted against ETA. Several innocent people were killed and the subsequent investigations ended with some police officers and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jose Barrionuevo, condemned to jail. The Constitutional Court later ratified the sentence. Among successful operations were the capture of the ETA central arsenal and archives in Sokoa (France) and the capture of the organisation's ruling body in 1992.
However in the final years of his mandate several cases of corruption, the most notable of which were the scandals involving Civil Guard Director Roldán, further eroded popular support for the PSOE. Nonetheless González and most of his ministers generally managed to leave office with their reputation intact although there had been some singularly unfortunate choices made in the case of some of the lower ranking public servants, according to María Antonia Iglesias (La memoria recuperada. Lo que nunca han contado Felipe González y los dirigentes socialistas, 2003); this author is very close, though, to the PSOE official line, as served as head of the public TV broadcast Televisión Española
Televisión Española
Televisión Española is the national state-owned public-service television broadcaster in Spain. TVE's activities were previously financed by a combination of advertising revenue and subsidies from the national government, but since it's been supported by subsidies only.TVE belongs to the RTVE...
after appointment to the post by one of Gonzalez's cabinets.
Lately, his role as a decisive statesman in the latter part of the 20th century has been recognised. One of his most bitter adversaries, Luis Maria Anson, at the time director of the right wing newspaper ABC and later of the hard right La Razón has stated that Gonzalez "was the best president that Spain had in the XX century". He also stated that he and many others (mainly newspaper owners and media pundits) started a witch hunt against him, in support of the Popular Party, out of fear that Gonzalez's leadership might last several decades.
González's Government 1982–1996
| Position | Holder |
|---|---|
| President of the Government Prime Minister of Spain The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978... |
|
| Vice President of Government First Vice President of the Government (Spain) The First Vice President of the Government of Spain , usually known in English as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, is the second in command to the Prime Minister of Spain, filling in for him when he is absent or incapable of exercising his power. The person for the post is usually... |
Alfonso Guerra Alfonso Guerra González is a Spanish politician. A leading member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , he served as Vice President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1991, under the presidency of Felipe González... |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Francisco Fernández Ordóñez Francisco Fernández Ordóñez was a Spanish politician who became Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party government of Felipe González from 1985 until shortly before his death from a terminal illness in 1992... Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary... Carlos Westendorp Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza is a Spanish diplomat.He joined the Spanish Diplomatic Service in 1966.Following several assignments abroad and in Spain Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza (born 7 January 1937 in Madrid) is a Spanish diplomat.He joined the Spanish Diplomatic Service in 1966.Following several... |
| Minister of Justice Ministry of Justice (Spain) The Ministry of Justice is one of the ministries in the Government of Spain. The ministry has its headquarters in Madrid.This Ministry has the following competences:... |
Enrique Múgica Herzog Enrique Múgica Herzog is an attorney and Spanish politician. A historical member of the PSOE, former Justice Minister , former congressman and former Ombudsman .... |
| Minister of Defence Ministry of Defence (Spain) The Ministry of Defence is the Spanish government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the Spanish Armed Forces.- Functions :... |
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| Minister of Economy and Finance Ministry of Economy and Finance (Spain) The Ministry of Economy and Finance is the Ministry of Economic affairs and Second Vice President of the Government of SpainThis Ministry is in charge of the development, proposal and execution of the economical policy of the government, specially of the State Budgets, the control of Public... |
Pedro Solbes Pedro Solbes Mira is a Spanish economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets... |
| Minister of Interior Ministry of the Interior (Spain) The Ministry of Interior of Spain which historically could be known as Ministerio de la Gobernación, Ministerio del Orden Público, Ministerio del Interior y la Gobernación or Ministerio del Interior y Justicia is the executive branch responsible for policing, national security, and immigration... |
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| Minister of Publics Works (Minister of Public Works and Transport since 1991) |
Josep Borrell Josep Borrell Fontelles is a Spanish politician. He was nominated President of the European University Institute on 12 December 2008, and assumed this position in January 2010. Borrell was President of the European Parliament from 20 July 2004 until 16 January 2007... |
| Minister of Education and Science |
Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary... Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is a Spanish politician and a leading figure in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He served in the government of Spain as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2011; in addition, he was First Deputy Prime Minister from... Jerónimo Saavedra Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo is a Spanish politician. He served as President of the Canary Islands from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1991 to 1993.... |
| Minister of Labour and Social Security |
Joaquín Almunia Joaquín Almunia Amann is a Spanish politician and prominent member of the European Commission, currently responsible for Competition under the second mandate of President Barroso. He was previously responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs in Barroso's previous mandate... Manuel Chaves Manuel Chaves may refer to:* Manuel Antonio Chaves , figure in U.S.-Navajo and U.S. Civil War history* Manuel Chaves González , Second Vice President of the Spanish Government* Manuel Chaves Nogales, Spanish journalist... |
| Minister of Industry and Energy |
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| Minister of the Presidency |
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is a Spanish politician and a leading figure in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He served in the government of Spain as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2011; in addition, he was First Deputy Prime Minister from... |
| Minister of Public Administration Ministry of Territorial Policy (Spain) The Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Administrations of the Government of Spain is the ministerial department which manages the policies of the Government regarding relations and cooperation with the Autonomous communities of Spain and with the entities that integrate the Local... |
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| Minister of Culture |
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| Minister of Health and Consumption |
Ernest Lluch Ernest Lluch Martín, was a Spanish economist and politician from Catalonia. He was Minister of Health and Consumption from 1982-1986 in the first post-Francisco Franco Spanish Socialist Workers' Party government of Felipe González... |
| Minister Social Affairs Ministry of Labor and Immigration (Spain) The Ministry of Labor and Immigration is the ministerial department of the Government of Spain created by the Royal Decree of May 8 1920 which manages the policies of the Government related to Labor relations, employment immigration and emigration, as well as the organization of the Social... |
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| Minister of Transport (included in the Ministry of Public Works after 1991) |
Abel Caballero Abel Ramón Caballero Álvarez is a Spanish professor of Economics and the current Mayor of Vigo.Caballero had previously served in the Spanish Congress of Deputies representing A Coruña Province from 1982 to 1986 and Pontevedra Province from 1986 to 1997.-External links:*... |
| Spokesman of the Government |
Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary... Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is a Spanish politician and a leading figure in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He served in the government of Spain as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2011; in addition, he was First Deputy Prime Minister from... |
| Presidents of the Congress of Deputies |
Félix Pons Félix Pons Irazazábal was a Spanish politician. He served as the President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain from 1986 until 1996; previously he had served as the Minister of Territorial Administration. Pons was a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. He died of cancer... |
| Presidents of the Senate |
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After the presidency
González ended his fourth term on 4 May 1996. Since September 1996 he has headed the Madrid-based Global Progress Foundation (FPG). At the beginning of the 34th PSOE National Congress on 20 June 1997 he surprisingly resigned as leader of the party. He also resigned from the federal executive committee, though retaining his seat in the Congress. With no clear successor he continued to exert an enormous influence over the party. He was only replaced at the 35th party Congress in July 2000 when José Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
became the leader.
In 1997 he was considered a leading candidate to take over the position of President of the European Commission
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
after Jacques Santer. The position ultimately went to Italy's Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
.
In 1999 González was put in charge of the party's Global Progress Commission in response to globalisation
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
. The Commission's report formed the basis of the closing declaration of the 21st Socialist International Congress on 8–9 November 1999. His speech was as follows:
I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns.
We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way.
Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts.
These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are.
Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers!
Our influence stopped the muslims, but before that we held the line!
Our influence stopped Napoleon, but before that, we held the line!
Our influence will stop Albion; in the battle today, we will hold the line!”
He stood down as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament in March 2004.
On 27 July 2007 the Spanish Government appointed him plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador for the bicentenary celebrations in commemoration of the independence of Latin America. The celebrations will begin in September 2010 in Mexico.
At a summit held in Brussels on 14 December 2007, he was shot dead by Michele Angiolillo, an Italian anarchist, at the spa Santa Águeda, Madrid. As sad as it would seem, he finally paid a high price for his policies. One of his hobbies is tending bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
trees. During his tenure at Moncloa
Palacio de la Moncloa
The Palace of Moncloa or Moncloa Palace , located in the Ciudad Universitaria ward of Madrid , has been the official residence for the Prime Minister of Spain since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from the Villamejor Palace on the Paseo de la Castellana...
, he received and cultivated several of them, mostly Mediterranean species, that he later donated to the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid.
González was a member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
Marriage and family
He married María del Carmen Julia Romero y López in SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
on 16 July 1969 and had three children:
- Pablo González Romero
- David González Romero
- María González Romero (lawyer)
He divorced Carmen Romero in 2009.
Published works
(co-authorship with Víctor Márquez Reviriego, 1982) (1997) (co-authorship with Juan Luis Cebrián, 2001) (2003)External links
- EU Council CV
- Analysis of his rule
- http://www.cadenaser.com/articulo/espana/Gobierno/nombrara/manana/Felipe/Gonzalez/embajador/extraordinario/bicentenario/independencia/America/csrcsrpor/20070726csrcsrnac_7/Tes/, Cadena SERCadena SERLa Cadena SER is Spain's premier radio network in terms of both seniority and audience share...
(in Spanish).
- http://www.cadenaser.com/articulo/espana/Gobierno/nombrara/manana/Felipe/Gonzalez/embajador/extraordinario/bicentenario/independencia/America/csrcsrpor/20070726csrcsrnac_7/Tes/, Cadena SER
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