The Fundamental Laws of the Realm were a set of laws organizing the powers of the Spanish state

Spanish State

Francoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....

 during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

. In 1977, during the transition

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...

, an eighth law with the same status as the others was brought into effect, altering the legislative framework, in order to bring to a head the process of political reform. Rather than a constitution, the laws were fuero

Fuero

Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...

s, as they had not been developed or approved by elected representatives.

The Fundamental Laws were revoked by the Spanish Constitution of 1978

Spanish Constitution of 1978

-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...

.

The eight laws were:

• The Labour Charter of 1938: influenced by the Italian Labour Charter of 1927, it regulated the labour conditions and economic life of Spain. Though it established a minimum wage and limits on the length of the working day, these concessions were subordinate to the national interest.

• The Law Constituting the Cortes of 1942: created with an eye to a coming Allied victory in WWII. It recreated the Cortes Generales as a limited instrument of collaboration, for creating and promulgating new laws. The first Cortes of Francoist Spain was inaugurated on July 18, 1942.

• The Charter of the Spanish of 1945: fixed the rights and duties of the Spanish. It was intended to convey the impression of democratisation to Potsdam
  Potsdam Conference
  The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
  
  .

• The National Referendum Law of 1945: established the use of referendums to settle important points. The Law of Leadership Succession made it obligatory to hold a referendum to change the fundamental laws.

• The Law of Leadership Succession of 1947: regulated the Succession. Spain was made a kingdom. Franco remained leader for life. Created the Council of the Kingdom and the Council of the Regency (approved by referendum in 1947).

• Law of the Principles of the Movimiento Nacional
  Movimiento Nacional
  The Movimiento Nacional was the name given to the nationalist inspired mechanism during Francoist rule in Spain, which purported to be the only channel of participation to Spanish public life...
  
   of 1958: established some organising principles for the judiciary of Franco's Spain.

• The Organic Law of the State of 1967: enumerated the ends of the state and fixed the powers and duties of the Head of State, as well as creating formally the office of Chief of Government (approved by referendum in 1966).

• The Law for Political Reform of 1977: Political reform was begun in 1976. This law established the minimum conditions for the election of a new Cortes by universal suffrage and authorised it to carry out the constitutional reforms of the transition. The law was submitted to a referendum on referendum on 15 December 1976
  Spanish political reform referendum, 1976
  A referendum was held in Spain on 15 December 1976 to approve the Political Reform Act of 1977 which had been approved by the Spanish Parliament, The Cortes Generales...
  
  , receiving majority support from those who participated. Thus, in the state's time of rupture, the existing legal structures were used to create a parliamentary monarchy.

External links

• Texto del Fuero del Trabajo de 1938
• Texto de la Ley Constitutiva de las Cortes de 1942
• Texto del Fuero de los Españoles de 1945
• Texto de la Ley de Referéndum de 1945
• Texto de la Ley de Sucesión en la Jefatura del Estado de 1946
• Texto de la Ley de Principios del Movimiento Nacional de 1958
• Texto de la Ley Orgánica del Estado de 1967
• Esquema didáctico de la Leyes Fundamentales