Imperial ambitions brought on imperial excess, however, and adventurism finally sapped the strength of Spain. In modern times, Spain has gone from empire to republic to dictatorship to kingdom and finally to a constitutional monarchy. Spain lost the last remnants of its empire to the U.S. in 1898 and was torn by a horrific civil war in the 1 930s. Fascist dictator Francisco Franco, with the help of Hitler and Mussolini, emerged victorious from the civil war and ruled until his death in 1975. He left Spain in the care of King Juan Carlos I, who soon led Spain toward democracy.
Spanish culture is a unique combination of European flair and medieval North African style.
Though Moorish rulers were long ago banished from Spain, their lasting presence, in the form of exquisite architecture and abstract designs, remains to attract visitors from all over the world. Spain's contribution to Western culture and civilisation is hard to overstate and continues to the present day. Among Spain's greatest artists are E1 Greco, Velazquez, Goya, Picasso and Miro. Its writers and thinkers include Seneca, Cervantes, St. Teresa de Avila, Federico Garcia Lorca and Nobel Prize-winner Camilo Jose Cela. In music, Pablo Casals, Andre Segovia, Montserrat Caballe and Placido Domingo have few peers.