Prefaces by Henry Ettinghausen and David Bassa ? Epilogue by Toni Strubell Franco Lives On traces the birth of democracy in Spain in 1978 after forty years under Franco?s dictatorship. It reveals the hidden side of what happened during the Spanish Transition. This study is the key to understanding the opaque workings of justice and the incapability of dialogue shown by the political powers in Madrid in recent years in response to challenges such as the referendum in Catalonia or the demise of ETA. What became of Franco?s ministers after the arrival of the new Spanish Constitution? Were they driven out of the corridors of power or did they stay there and add to their wealth and political influence? The answers can be found in this book, which spotlights how the political elite in Spain have lacked the capacity for renewal seen in other European Union States. The author, Lluc Salellas i Vilar, has produced an extensive piece of investigative journalism on the families and individuals who wielded greatest influence during the dictatorship and the role which they and their relatives have continued to play ever since.