A Coruña enjoys a reputation for being a liberal, progressive, democratic and even republican town. This study presents a collection of documents on which these attitudes are manifested throughout the historical stages, supplemented by an interesting and illustrating foreword by the historian and president of the Real Academia Galega, D. Xosé Ramón Barreiro Fernández.

In the history of Spain which took place between the significant dates of 1808 -start of liberalism- and 1874 -start of the restoration- we can clearly differentiate a series of periods marked by the presence or absence of freedom and political rights, and that were especially visible in the validity or suspension of the constitutional system. Through the activity of the Council of A Coruña it can be promptly followed a succession of events that marked changes of direction in the Spanish policy of this period, stressing its resolute bet at several points to start or contribute to the fight for freedom. However, it is not the aim of this study to present the Spanish political history through a documentary selection of A Coruña, but to highlight the role played by municipal authorities and the citizenship at that most significant time that allowed changes of a progressive and democratic character, offering, in contrast, the performance of Corporations contrary to these principles and ideology.

The sources used are all of primary character, namely contemporary with the facts, and are preserved, except very few cases, in the Arquivo Municipal of A Coruña. These are basically political texts that respond to four types of documents: edicts, proclamations, manifestos and records of agreements of the municipal corporation.

All this makes of this book, which opens the collection "Retallos da nosa historia", a work of great importance and interest for the popularization of the "little story" of the town of A Coruña, with the added interest of presenting the names of the most influential people of the period.