Spanish Socialist Workers' Party - Modern History (1974 - Present Day)

Present Day)

Its 25th Congress was held in Toulouse in August 1972. In 1974 at its 26th Congress in Suresnes, Felipe González was elected Secretary General, replacing Rodolfo Llopis Ferrándiz. González was from the "reform" wing of the party, and his victory signaled a defeat for the historic and veteran wing of the Party. The direction of the party shifted from the exiles to the young people in Spain who hadn't fought the war.

Llopis led a schism to form the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (historic) González showed intentions to move the party away from its Marxist and socialist background, turning the PSOE into a social-democratic party, similar to those of the rest of western Europe. In 1977 PSOE became the official opposition party with 29.2% of the vote and 118 seats in the Parliament. Their standing was further boosted in 1978 when the 6 deputies of the Popular Socialist Party agreed to merge with the party.

In their 27th congress in May 1979 González resigned because the party would not abandon its Marxist character. In September the extraordinary 28th congress was called in which González was re-elected when the party agreed to move away from Marxism. European social-democratic parties supported González's stand, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany granted them money. The PSOE party symbol was changed from the anvil with the book to the social-democratic rose in the fist, as used by the French Socialist Party. In the referendum of 1978, PSOE supported the Spanish Constitution, which was approved. In the 1979 Spanish general election the PSOE gained 30.5% of the vote and 121 seats, remaining the main opposition party.

At the 28 October 1982 Spanish general election, the PSOE was victorious, with 48.5% of the vote (10,000,000 total). Felipe González became Prime Minister of Spain on 2 December, a position he held until March 1996.

Though the party had previously opposed NATO, after reaching the government most party leaders supported keeping Spain inside the organisation. The González administration organised a referendum on the question in 1986, calling for a favourable vote, and won. The administration was criticised for avoiding the official names of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and NATO, using the unofficial Atlantic Alliance terms. A symbol of this U-turn is Javier Solana who campaigned against NATO but ended up years later as its Secretary General.

PSOE Supported the United States in the Gulf War (1991). The PSOE won the 1986, 1989 and 1993 general elections.

Economic crisis, and state terrorism (GAL) against the violent separatist group ETA eroded the popularity of Felipe González, and in 1996, the PSOE lost the elections to the conservative People's Party (PP). Between 1996 and 2001 the PSOE weathered a crisis, with Gonzalez resigning in 1997. The PSOE suffered a heavy defeat in 2000 (34.7%).

The PSOE remained as the ruling party in the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Asturias.

In 2001, a new general secretary, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (also known as ZP), was elected, renewing the party. Later, the PSOE won the municipal elections of 2003.

PSOE strongly opposed to the Iraq War, which was supported by the PP.

On 13 November 2003 the PSOE (Socialist Party of Catalonia, PSC) increased its vote total but scored second in the regional election in Catalonia, after Convergence and Union. After a period of negotiations, the party formed a pact with Republican Left of Catalonia, Initiative for Catalonia Greens and the United and Alternative Left, and have governed in Catalonia since then.

On 14 March 2004, the PSOE won the 2004 Spanish general election with almost 43% of the votes, following the 11-M terrorist (March 11) attacks, and maintained their lead in the elections to the European Parliament.

In 2005, PSOE called for a Yes vote on the European Constitution. It has since PSOE also favoured the negotiations between the government and ETA during the 2006 cease-fire, which de facto ended with the Barajas Airport terrorist attack.

On 9 March 2008 the PSOE won the 2008 Spanish general elections again with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero remaining Prime Minister of Spain. The Socialists increased their share of seats in the Congress of Deputies from 164 to 169 after the latest election.

However, after waning popularity throughout their second term, mainly due to their handling of the worsening economic climate in Spain in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the PSOE were defeated in the general elections of November 2011,