In the early 20th century, Spain was still reeling from its humiliating defeat in 1898 at the hands of the United States and its loss of colonial territory. Hobbled by a corrupt government, the nation was ripe for Miguel Primo de Rivera's coup in 1923, and then the people endured the long dictatorship of Francisco Franco and the desolation of the Spanish Civil War. Democracy came only in 1975, yet as Paul Preston reveals, political incompetence continues into the 21st century, as economic crises, Catalan independence struggles, and financial scandals divide the country.