Democratic Junta of Spain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Democratic Junta of Spain Junta Democrática de España
President	Antonio García-Trevijano
Founded	1974 (1974)
Dissolved	1976 (1977)
Merger of	Communist Party of Spain People's Socialist Party Comisiones Obreras Democratic Justice Party of Labour of Spain Socialist Alliance of Andalusia Carlist Party Independents
Succeeded by	Democratic Coordination
Ideology	Democracy Antifascism Laicism
Political position	Centre to Far-left

The Democratic Junta of Spain (also known as JDE) was a group in Spain. It brought together different political parties, worker unions, and other groups. These groups all wanted democracy in Spain. They were not allowed to exist openly during the time of the Francoist State, which was a period when Spain was not a democracy.

History of the JDE

How the JDE Started

The Democratic Junta of Spain was created by Antonio García-Trevijano. He wanted to form a strong group of different forces that were against the government of Francoist Spain. This included the Communist Party of Spain, led by Santiago Carrillo. It also included important people connected to Don Juan de Borbón, like Rafael Calvo Serer.

The JDE officially began on July 29, 1974, in Paris, France. Santiago Carrillo and Rafael Calvo Serer launched it. Later, more groups joined. These included the Party of Labour of Spain, the Carlist Party, and the Popular Socialist Party. The worker union Comisiones Obreras also joined. Many independent people, like José Vidal Beneyto and José Luis de Vilallonga, became members too.

The JDE's 12 Main Goals

The Democratic Junta of Spain had a list of twelve main goals. These goals were written by Antonio García-Trevijano. They showed what the group wanted for Spain's future.

• Goal 1: A New Government. They wanted a temporary government to take over. This government would give all Spanish people, aged eighteen and older, their full rights back. This meant recognizing all freedoms and democratic rights.
• Goal 2: Forgiveness for Political Acts. They wanted to forgive everyone who had been punished for political reasons. They also wanted all political prisoners to be released right away.
• Goal 3: Legal Political Parties. They wanted all political parties to be allowed to exist legally, without any exceptions.
• Goal 4: Freedom to Form Groups. People should be free to form groups. Worker unions should also get their independence back.
• Goal 5: Rights to Strike and Protest. People should have the right to stop working to demand things (strike). They should also be able to gather peacefully and protest.
• Goal 6: Free Press and Information. They wanted freedom for newspapers, radio, and opinions. State media, especially television, should give fair and true information.
• Goal 7: Independent Courts. The courts should be fair and not controlled by the government.
• Goal 8: Neutral Armed Forces. The army should not be involved in politics. Its only job should be to protect the country from outside threats.
• Goal 9: Recognize Regional Identities. They wanted to recognize the special identities of the Catalan, Basque, and Galician peoples within Spain.
• Goal 10: Separate Church and State. The government and religion should be separate.
• Goal 11: Vote on Spain's Future. They wanted a vote (referendum) where people could choose if Spain should be a republic (with a president) or a monarchy (with a king).
• Goal 12: Join Europe and Be Peaceful. Spain should join the European Communities (which later became the European Union). They also wanted Spain to respect international agreements and live peacefully with other countries.

Joining Forces: The "Platajunta"

In 1976, the Democratic Junta of Spain joined with another group called the Democratic Convergence Platform. They combined to form a new, bigger group. This new group was called Democratic Coordination. It was also known as the "Platajunta." This merger helped unite different groups working for democracy in Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Junta Democrática de España para niños