Page "Autonomous communities of Spain" Paragraph 3

Centralism, nationalism, and separatism played an important role in the Spanish transition to democracy.

For fear that separatism would lead to instability and a dictatorial backlash, a compromise was struck among the moderate political parties taking part in the drafting of the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

The aim was to appease separatist forces and to disarm the extreme right.

A highly decentralized state was established, compared to both the previous centralist Francoist regime and the most modern territorial arrangements in Western European nations.

In this regard, the current Spanish Estado de las Autonomías is often described as one of the most decentralized states in Europe.