¿Existió una 'estrategia de la tensión' en España?

This article offers an analysis of the Spanish extreme right during the years of transition from dictatorship to democracy (1977-1982). The usual explanation for violence carried out by Spanish rightists in this period was that such actions formed part of an alleged 'strategy of tension' which sought to achieve a military coup d'état by means of political destabilization. The author traces the different dynamics of the diverse rightist groupings and concludes that such a 'strategy' never existed in fact, outside the discourse of radical right spokespersons and the press that aired their views. Furthermore, the author argues that, on the contrary, the impact of terrorist outrages facilitated the understanding between those in favor of democratic institutional change, and strengthened their hand in promoting stability.