b'Assessing the Impact of Spains Democracy on Freedom of Expression and Access to InformationAlysia R. AppelbaumSponsor: Dr. Grazyna WalczakThis research focuses on the degree to which freedom of expression and unobstructed access to information have improved since transitioning away from dictatorial rule during the Franco era and its implications for Spains democracy. General Francisco Franco rose to power during a tumultuous period of Spains history in which he ruled from 1936 to 1975. The first few years of Francoist Spain were engulfed by intense socio-political changes and a brutal civil war that would determine the direction of the country for much of the twentieth century. His regime, through its government policies and extrajudicial punishment of bad actors, created an atmosphere in which a democracy was unable to thrive. Francoism was defined by intense suppression of distinctive national identities (i.e., Basque, Catalan, Galician, etc.), the control of the flow of information, and the persecution of political opponents. One characteristic necessary for a thriving democracy is the free flow of information between the government and its constituents. The Constitution of 1978 put in place, with Article 20, protections that would allow freedom of expression and the press. However, as discussed in this paper, the move towards greater transparency and free access to information has been slow-moving in post-Franco Spain.42'