Editing Juan Carlos I (section)

=== 1981 coup d'état attempt ===
{{Main|1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt}}
An attempted military coup, known as 23-F, occurred on 23 February 1981, when the [[Cortes Generales|Cortes]] were seized by members of the [[Guardia Civil]] in the [[Chambers of parliament|parliamentary chamber]]. During the coup, the King, wearing his uniform as Captain-General of the Armed Forces, gave a public [[Broadcasting|television broadcast]] calling for unambiguous support for the legitimate democratic government. The broadcast is believed to have been a major factor in foiling the coup. The coup leaders had promised many of their potential supporters that they were acting in the King's name and with his approval, but were unable to demonstrate either, and the broadcast — coming just after midnight on the night of the coup — definitively showed the King's opposition to the coup makers.<ref name="autogenerated2" />

When Juan Carlos became king, [[Communist Party of Spain|Communist]] leader [[Santiago Carrillo]] had nicknamed him ''Juan Carlos the Brief'', predicting that the monarchy would soon be swept away with the other remnants of the Franco era.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2014/06/02/actualidad/1401714609_333815.html |title=El Rey abdica: La utilidad de un rey &#124; Política |work=EL PAÍS |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=10 June 2014|last1=Cebrián |first1=Juan Luis }}</ref> After the collapse of the attempted coup however, in an emotional statement, Carrillo remarked: "Today, we are all monarchists."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elpais.com.co/elpais/opinion/editorial/anonimo/retiro-rey |title=El retiro del Rey |publisher=El Pais |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> Public support for the monarchy among democrats and leftists, which had been limited before 1981, increased significantly following the king's handling of the coup.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Anita |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spanish-king-rebrands-for-the-recession-1911276.html |title=Spanish King rebrands for the recession – Europe – World |newspaper=The Independent |date=26 February 2010 |access-date=10 June 2014 |location=London}}</ref>

However, this event remains controversial and has led to several [[1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt#Alternative theories|alternative theories]] that cast doubt on the sincerity of the King's defense of democracy. The King had close ties with the leader of the rebellion, who had served him as Secretary General of the Royal Household. Above all, Juan Carlos and the main political parties were aware of a plan to put General [[Alfonso Armada]] in charge of the government, particularly in order to crack down on the [[Basque independence]] organization [[ETA (separatist group)|Euskadi ta Askatasuna]] (ETA). Although Juan Carlos strongly condemned the coup attempt — more than six hours after the armed guards invaded Congress — it is still difficult to establish whether he acted out of democratic conviction or because the operation was not going as well as expected, with little support. The reasons for the trial of the coup plotters are still classified.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2023-03-03 |title=España, una monarquía zombi |url=https://www.eldiplo.org/285-geopolitica-del-cannabis/espana-una-monarquia-zombi/ |access-date= |website=El Dipló |language=es}}</ref>