The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Espa�ol or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. It is a social democratic party, a member of the Socialist International.

Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero in a meeting in San Sebasti�n

Its strongholds have been the miners and industrial workers of Biscay, Guip�zcoa and Asturias, the landless labourers of Andalusia and Extremadura and, since the 1970s, the public officers across Spain. It has had strong ties with the Uni�n General de Trabajadores trade union. For decades, UGT membership was a requisite for PSOE membership. During the ruling of PSOE in the 1980s, though, UGT protested the PSOE economic policy, even calling to a general strike (14-D) on 14 December of 1988.

History

It was founded on 1879 by the historical Spanish workers' leader Pablo Iglesias. The PSOE formed the Government during the second Spanish Republic (1931-1936) and as part of the Spanish Popular Front ("Frente Popular"), elected to government in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, it divided into two wings: the left, revolutionary, and Marxist wing, led by Francisco Largo Caballero, and the right, reformist wing, led by Indalecio Prieto and Julian Besteiro.

During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975) the PSOE was illegal and it was persecuted. Many of their leaders and militants were assassinated, imprisoned or they exiled to France, the United States, or Mexico.

In a congress at Suresnes (France, 1974), Felipe Gonz�lez was elected as general secretary. He showed intentions to move the party away from its Marxist and socialist path, turning the PSOE into a social-democratic party, similar to those of the rest of western Europe. In 1979, he threatened to run for the leader position if the party did not abandon Marxism. He succeeded and banned the Marxist wing, directed by the Trotskyist newspaper New Clarity, similar to the British Socialist Appeal (former Militant). These movements were encouraged by the European social democracy; German SPD granted money to PSOE. The party symbol was changed from the anvil with the book to the Social Democratic fist with a rose.

In the first democratic elections (1977), it arose as the second party of Spain, with 30% of the votes.

In the referendum of 1978, PSOE favoured the Spanish Constitution, which was aproved. In 1979 it obtained similar results as in 1977.

In 1982, the PSOE won an historic electoral victory, with more than 10,000,000 votes (48%). Felipe Gonz�lez became Prime minister, a position that he occupied from 1982 to 1996. In spite of its appearance as a party with a progressive economic program, the PSOE combined social reforms with a liberal and capitalist economic policy.

Though the party had previously opposed the NATO, after reaching the government most party leaders defended to maintain Spain inside the organisation. The Gonz�lez 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 years later as its Secretary General.

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

An economic crisis, scandals of corruption and state terrorism against the Basque violent separatist group ETA eroded the popularity of Felipe Gonz�lez, and in 1996, the PSOE lost the elections to the conservative Partido Popular ("Popular Party") (PP). Between 1996 and 2001 the PSOE weathered a crisis, suffering a hard defeat in 2000 (34.7%), after agreeing with Izquierda Unida ("United Left") (IU).

It still has remained as the ruling party in the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Asturias. On 13th November 2003 the PSOE won the Catalonian election, and obtained the autonomous government, Generalitat de Catalunya, through a pact with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia, ERC, left-wing independentist) and Iniciativa per Catalunya (Initiative for Catalonia, ICV, left-wing).

In 2001, a new general secretary, Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero, was elected, replacing Felipe Gonz�lez, and renewing the party. Later, the PSOE won the municipal elections of 2003.

In 2004, the PSOE won the Spanish legislative elections with almost 43% of the votes, following the 11-M terrorist attacks, and the elections to the European Parliament.

PSOE calls for Yes to the European Constitution proposal in the referenda to be held in 2005.

PSOE maintains good connections with many of the Spanish artists and intellectuals who enjoyed the Spanish transition to democracy. The party has received different degrees of support from people like Antonio Banderas.

Glossary of PSOE terms

• Baron. The regional leaders. They can be very powerful, especially if they run an autonomous community. There have been conflicts between barons and the central directorate. Some barons are Pasqual Maragall (Catalonia), Jos� Luis Ibarra (Extremadura), Manuel Chaves (Andalusia). (Enrique Bar�n was a PSOE minister for Industry, the surname is a coincidence). The term baron is more colloquial than official, representing the great power than these persons have in the party.
• Compa�ero ("companion"). A term of address among Socialists, similar to the communist comrade. After the social-democratization, it is out of vogue and only used during campaigns or by the most leftist socialists.
• Currents. There have been several internal groups within PSOE, based on personal or ideological affinities. Some of them have ended with separation from the PSOE. The failed trial of primary elections for PSOE candidates was an attempt to conciliate currents. Examples of currents are "Guerristas" (followers of Alfonso Guerra), "Renovadores" (renewers, right-wing of the Party) or Izquierda Socialista (Socialist Left).

See also: Politics of Spain, PASOC, Hotel Crillon

de:Partido Socialista Obrero Espa�ol es:Partido Socialista Obrero Espa�ol fr:Partido socialista obrero espa�ol ja:スペイン社会労働党 sv:PSOE