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MCC's Brunch Talk event series continued in the spring semester of 2026 with a lecture by Lasse B. Lassen, visiting fellow at MCC, who presented his current research on Spain’s transition to democracy from a German comparative perspective. The lecture focused on the political and historical dilemmas of memory politics and transitional justice, offering an in depth analysis of how Spain navigated the legacy of the Franco dictatorship.
The presentation traced the key stages of Spain’s political transition, from the 1977 Amnesty Law to the adoption of the 1978 Constitution. It highlighted Spain’s deliberate choice to prioritize reconciliation and political stability over legal accountability for past abuses. Particular attention was given to how this decision shaped Spain’s memory culture, especially in the public representation of the Civil War and the Franco era through museums, memorials, and public monuments.
A further central theme of the lecture was the analysis of Spanish West German relations during the period of democratic transition between 1975 and the early 1990s. The research examined Germany’s role in supporting Spain’s integration into European and Western structures, as well as the development of political, party political, and security cooperation between the two countries.
The lecture concluded that Spain’s transition should be seen not only as a significant historical case in its own right, but also as an influential model in international comparison. It contributed to debates in Germany on dealing with the past after reunification, as reflected in the recollections of Willy Brandt and Helmut Kohl. Following the presentation, Rodrigo Ballester, Head of the Center for European Studies, and Orsolya Apagyi joined the discussion with questions and reflections that further enriched the exchange.
