スペイン王国は欧州連合の将来を左右しうる経済規模を持つ国際的な大国です。たった30年の間に、フランコ将軍の長期独裁体制から王政復古を遂げ民主化し、地方と農業を基盤とした経済から大きな発展を遂げました。2008年までは外国からの投資の流入が多く、EU加盟国の中で最も急速な経済成長を遂げ、EU発足当初の新規雇用の半分がスペインで創出されました。しかし、現在では欧州で最も高い失業率を記録し、成長が鈍化しています。さらに、カタルーニャ独立派の内紛と厳しい緊縮財政にも直面しています。（スペインの経済規模は2022年現在、EUで第5位、世界で第15位。）
本書は、711年のイスラム教徒による支配に始まり、近年の不動産価格の暴落に端を発した深刻な経済危機に至る、この国の激動の歴史を概説するものです。1936-39年の内戦の亡霊がどのように鎮まり、民主化したかを説明し、国内17地域への権力委譲、福祉国家の創設、短期間に流入した数百万人の移民、宗教間の亀裂、経済の強みと弱み、国がより持続可能な経済モデルを構築する方法などを取り上げ、紹介します。
   

• Concise and authoritative introduction to Spain's politics and culture
• Contextualizes Spain's current economic crisis within its longer political and economic history

 
Spain has undergone significant transformations over the past three decades, from a dictatorship to a democracy and from a mostly local and agriculture-based economy to one of the biggest financial systems in the EU and internationally. Until 2008, it enjoyed a major influx of foreign investment and the most rapid economic growth of any of the countries in the EU, resulting in half of the new jobs created during the early days of the Union. Yet, it now faces the highest rate of unemployment in Europe and slow growth for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the country faces internal strife from the separatist Catalan region and stringent austerity measures. 
　　　　
In Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know, veteran journalist William Chislett recounts the country's fascinating and often turbulent history, beginning with the Muslim conquest in 711 and ending with the nation's deep economic crisis, sparked by the spectacular collapse of its real estate and construction sectors. He explains how some of the ghosts of the 1936-39 Civil War were laid to rest and the country moved to democracy, and covers issues such as the devolution of power to the country's 17 regions, the creation of a welfare state, the influx of several million immigrants over a very short time span, the religious cleavage, the strengths and weaknesses of the economy and how the country can create a more sustainable economic model.
　　　　
What happens in Spain matters. As Chislett shows, the country is much more than bullfighting and flamenco. It is an international economic power, and its future will significantly shape that of the European Union.