From the Holy Inquisition and Franco's dictatorship to marriage equality in a blitz

This is one of the most impressive transformation any country has experienced of such a short period of time. For centuries, Spain was ruled by the most arch-conservative families, organizations and governments. General Francisco Franco managed to avoid pledging allegiance to fellow dicators Hitler and Mussolini and therefore kept his Country out of World War II. Although the two helped him in winning the Spanish Civil War with troups and material, Franco kept his own style of fascism by allying closely with the Catholic Church - in contrast to Italy and in particular Germany. No wonder, since the Holy Inquisition was practically an invention of the Spanish state, respectively the Spanish crowns as they aimed to purge the the Islamic rulers of Al-Andalus and their Moorish and Jewish subjects.

So Franco – and also his Portugese counterpart Zalazar – manged to keep the Iberian Peninsuala under tight control until the old and sick general died and bequeathed the realm to the young heir of the Bourbon throne Juan Carlos I. Contrary to all expectations the new King called for elections and a transition to democracy, giving up all his recently obtained powers. A decade later, Spain joined NATO and European Union and another two decades later Spain opened marriage to the members of the LGB community in 2005, including full adoption rights and in 2007 allowed transgender persons the right to have their identity legally recognized without mandatory genital surgery, being one of the most simple and unbureaucratic legislations in the world.