Although there are precursors in the early years of the 20th century – the Ley de Accidentes de Trabajo (Work Accidents Act) of 1900 and the creation of the Instituto Nacional de Previsión or INP (National Institute of Social Security) in 1909 – the history of health insurance in Spain begins in 1943, shortly after the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), with the founding of the Seguro Obligatorio de Enfermedad or SOE (Compulsory Insurance Against Illness) by the Falange Española, the Spanish fascist party.
