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| 1980, Oct.–Dec |
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| Prime Minister Suarez faced increasing criticism, both from within his party and by the opposition, for his handling of economic problems, terrorism, and issues of regional autonomy. | 1 |
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| 1981, Jan. 29 |
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| Prime Minister Suarez resigned unexpectedly, and before his replacement, Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, was sworn in, Lt. Col. Antonio Tejero and a group of Civil Guards seized control of the Cortes building on Feb. 23 in an attempt to effect a MILITARY COUP. Tejero held the deputies to the Spanish Cortes hostage for 18 hours while Gen. Milans de Bosch declared a state of emergency in Valencia and sent tanks out into the streets. The insurrection was quelled by the firm action of the king in securing pledges of personal loyalty from key military leaders. | 2 |
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| Feb. 25 |
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| Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo was confirmed as prime minister. | 3 |
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| March 27 |
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| A demonstration march involving an estimated one million persons was organized in Madrid by the political parties and the trade unions, in support of “liberty, democracy, and the Constitution.” Similar demonstrations occurred simultaneously across Spain, with the largest number of participants in Catalonia, Andalusia, and Valencia. | 4 |
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| June 22 |
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| The Cortes passed the first divorce bill since the 1930s. It went into force on July 20. | 5 |
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| July 10 |
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| Autonomy statutes for Valencia, Murcia, and La Rioja entered into force. | 6 |
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| Aug. 16 |
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| Autonomy statutes for Aragon, Castile–La Mancha, Canary Islands, and Navarre entered into force. Autonomy statutes for other states were subsequently passed as well, completing the post-Franco redrawing of the Spanish administrative map. | 7 |
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| Oct. 25 |
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| Unveiling of Picasso's Guernica (housed in New York since 1939), at the Prado Museum in Madrid. | 8 |
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