Final answer:
The claim that Spain did not have colonies in Africa is false; Spain colonized parts of Morocco and Western Sahara. The Reconquista was both a military and religious effort to restore Christian rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain's colonial empire extended to the Americas, Philippines, and faced challenges from other European powers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Spain was one of the very few world powers that did not establish a colony in Africa is false. Spain indeed had colonial interests in Africa, specifically in the regions of Morocco and Western Sahara. The reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, known as the Reconquista, was indeed a military and religious campaign intended to reclaim Spanish territories from Moorish (Muslim) control and to restore Christian rule, which makes it a true statement. The history of Spanish colonization not only included African territories but also extended to the Philippines, various territories in the Americas, and it faced challenges by other European powers such as England and the Dutch Republic.
Following the Reconquista, Spain built a vast colonial empire, leveraging Indian alliances and patriarchal societal structures. The Spanish maintained a hierarchical social order, placing themselves at the top. Additionally, Spain's influence included religious conversion, economic extraction, and the introduction of diseases that had devastating effects on native populations.
As European powers experienced shifts due to wars, revolutions, and resistance movements, Spain's grip on its colonies weakened and eventually led to independence movements across its empire. Even after the dissolution of Spanish colonial power, Spain's influence is still observed in former colonies through cultural and linguistic ties as well as ongoing economic relationships.