Francoism

We explain what Franco is, the objectives of this authoritarian regime and its general characteristics. Stages and end of Franco.

What was Francoism?

The period of Spanish history is known as “Franco” in which the country was governed by Francisco Franco. It was A dictatorial government that began in 1939, at the end of the Spanish Civil Warand ended with the death of the dictator, in 1975.

It was characterized by being An ultra -nationalist, Catholic and militaristic ideology regime which carried out measures such as the censorship of the media, the elimination of opposition parties and the creation of a unique party: the national movement. He also prohibited labor unions and co -official languages, such as Catalan and Basque.

Franco assumed power after beating Republicans in the civil war. Because he was almost 40 years in command of Spain, his government had different stages that varied according to the internal and world context.

Origin and emergence of Francoism

Francisco Franco Bahamonde made the military career and since his first years of exercise highlighted in the war in Morocco, a contest in which he participated for more than fourteen years between 1912 and 1926. For his discipline and tactics in the war he was given the position of Brigade General at 33which earned him great prestige within the army.

After his return to Spain, Franco was appointed leader of the Military School of Zaragoza and then the headquarters of the General Staff was granted. In 1934 he was in charge of containing the Asturias revolutiona strike carried out by socialist groups. In 1936, the Popular Front (a coalition of leftist matches) won the elections and, in fear of being involved in a possible military coup, Franco was sent to the Balearic Islands.

A coup d’etat to overthrow the leftist government was created in the ranks of the Army and General Franco was reluctant, so he did not accompany Spain but from Africa.

The coup against the Second Republic (which was called “National Lifting”) was held in July 1936 and, although it failed in many of the main Spanish cities, began the Spanish civil war. The conflict faced the Republican side (formed by Republicans and leftist parties, popular forces and part of the army) against the rebel side, which proclaimed himself “national side.”

On the national side, the military José Sanjurjo was proposed as leader of the uprising, but on July 20, 1936 he died in a plane crash and, after his death, the position of Generalissimo was offered to Franco. After the siege of the Alcazar de Toledo, he was also granted the position of Head of State (although there was still territory in the hands of the Republican side).

From there, Franco established a war plan to deal with the Republican side and had the support of German and Italian troops. He stalked for the next three years of Republicans and leftists, who were helped by the Soviet nation. At the same time, Franco began a prestigious campaign through the media and Caudillo de España proclaimed himself.

The successive frustrated attempts on the national side for taking Madrid assumed greater external aid. The battle of Guadalajara, one of the greatest failures of the national side, and the bombing of Guernica, an attack on the rights and lives of innocent that earned the national side the world repudiation, were some of the main milestones of this war.

With the fall of the last cities, Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Valencia, On April 1, 1939, the national side that Francisco Franco was victorious. In command of the only political and army party, Franco established a personalist government throughout Spain.

Characteristics of Franco

Some of the main characteristics of Francisco Franco’s government were:

• Authoritarianism. All the power, control and execution of what happened in Spanish territory was under the command of Franco’s figure. He had executive and legislative powers: for this reason, his power was total.
• Anticomunism. A fundamental feature of Franco was the repression and fight against socialist and communist movements within Spain. Under the slogan “Sentinel of the West”, Franco achieved during the Cold War the international support of the Western bloc.
• Unipartidism. During the Spanish Civil War, the National Movement was created, also called FET of the JONS (Spanish Falange Traditionalist of the National Trade Unionist Offensive Boards), which was the only official political party and allowed during Francoism. The rest of the political parties were prohibited and had to maintain their activities clandestinely.
• Militarism. During Franco, the Army was one of the main and most important power groups. Many of Franco’s collaborators came from the army and were the owners of political power in directing the main state organizations.
• Repression. During Franco, all those who were considered from the Republican side were persecuted, so many had to exile from Spain. In addition, the Catalan and Basque nationalist groups were persecuted.
• Ultracatolicism. Catholicism was restored as the official religion of Spain, controlled educational issues and governed as a moral parameter of public and private life. Franco allied with the high ecclesiastical hierarchy, obtained the support of the Pope and was proclaimed as a envoy of God to save Spain.
• Ultranationalism. During the Francoism there was an exaltation of the homeland and the figure of Spain, with symbols that characterized the regime, such as hymns and the use of blue, uniform shirt and red beret. He bet on the Spanish National Unity and denied the political autonomy of other national identities, such as Basque and Catalan. Castilian won as the only Spanish language.
• Censorship. The press, radio and television were controlled by military command. By having control of the mass media, it was tried to regulate public opinion by suppressing any attempt of revolution or thought against the regime. In addition, opposition parties and unions and co -official languages ​​such as Catalan and Basque were suppressed.
• Slogans and propaganda. The Government and the media tried to instill and highlight the religious and nationalist values, promoting the unity, greatness and independence of Spain. This could be seen in a slogan of the time: “Spain one, great and free.”

Social Bases of Francoism

In its origin, Franco’s dictatorial government was supported by different sectors of Spanish society:

• The landowner and financial oligarchy that recovered its social hegemony and was the great beneficiary of the regime’s interventionist economic policy.
• The rural middle classes of the North and Castile, which were under a strong influence of the Catholic religion.

On the contrary, most of the urban middle classes and the working classes were against the dictatorship. However, due to the repression and extreme poverty that were lived in the first years of the regime, these groups failed to consolidate an opposition to the regime.

Political Bases of Francoism

Franco structured his political system around the strict prohibition of political parties and repression against any opposition activism. During the Spanish Civil War, in 1937 a unique party government known as the FET of the JONS (Traditionalist Spanish Falange and the National Trade Union National Offensive Boards) had been established in the rebel controlled areas). Later, it began to be called as the national movement.

On the other hand, within the regime, there were different subordinate political groups that supported the Francoist dictatorship:

• Falangists Of fascist origin, they were the members of the Spanish Falange right party. Within the Francoist government, they exercised control of social and economic life through various institutions such as the Youth Front, the Women’s Section, and the Trade Union Organization.
• Military Especially during the first years of the regime, the ministries and different spaces of government were occupied by military related to the dictator.
• Catholics. The dictatorship was supported by the high ecclesiastical positions. The Catholic Church had great control over education and other social institutions. Throughout the regime, different religious bodies, such as Opus Dei, were part of the government. After the Second Vatican Council, part of the Catholic Church distanced itself from the Franco dictatorship.

Economy during Francoism

Franco’s economic policies were transformed according to the political, social and international context. The following stages can be recognized:

• Postwar autarchy. During the 1940s, Franco opted to generate an economic autarchy in Spain. After the civil war, the economy was devastated, with a production crisis that led to the shortage of food and property. In addition, World War II limited international trade possibilities. An economic policy of autarchy was then developed: State intervention to generate economic self -sufficiency nationwide. The State rationalized food, set prices, organized agricultural production, supervised industrial development and controlled internal and foreign trade.
• Economic restructuring. During the 1950s, given the limitations of autarchy and in a new international context, Franco decided to restructure the economy. Food rationing was ended and the circulation of goods was released. Towards the end of the decade, the need to deepen the changes was seen and professionals in economics, administration and state management were included in the government.
• Developmentalism During the 1960s and until the end of the Franco government, an economic policy dedicated to the growth of industrial production and international opening was established. Foreign investments entered, the country opened to tourism and fiscal incentives for industrial development were enabled.

Stages of Franco

The history of the Francoist government is usually divided between first Franco and second Franco, to differentiate its periods and understand the transformations that the regime was going through. In parallel, the following stages can be identified:

First stage (1939-1953): postwar period

After the civil war, Spain was socially and morally desolate And it crossed a great economic crisis, the product of social division, the destruction of war and the international context. In addition, in these years the dictatorial government implemented an extreme repression policy with the aim of eliminating all the focus of opposition to the regime.

During the outbreak of World War II, in September 1939, Franco said neutral due to the social and economic state of Spain, but imperialist ambitions and the need to establish beneficial alliances made pacts establish with Germany.

He formed the Blue Division, a unit of voluntary troops that, between 1941 and 1943, He sent about 45,000 soldiers to the Front of Oriental War (between Germany and the USSR).

At the end of the war, the United Nations Organization (UN) was created but Spain was excluded due to Franco’s relationship with the fascism and its dictatorial regime. This period is also known as the period of isolationism, because many countries closed their borders and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Second stage (1953-1959): Political and economic restructuring

The cold war favored Spain, because it placed this country within the anti -communist countries and this brought it closer to the countries of the Western bloc.

On the other hand, Franco introduced a series of changes in the government and incorporated technocrats professionals to the state administration. In this context, Spain entered a new economic phase in which the first economic treaties with foreign ambassadors were signed, which encouraged economic growth.

In 1955 Spain entered the UN and received from foreign countries military and technological help. With the end of outdoor isolation Spain opened to economic development, tourism and immigration.

Third stage (1959-1969): Economic developmentalism

During the sixties, Trade opening was opened and the industry was given again. In 1959 a “stabilization plan” was launched with the aim of deepening the industrialization of the country, increasing the income of the working class and generating a consumer middle class.

During this period They began to make opposition manifestations. The labor movement acted outside the state -controlled union and began to manifest on strikes. Basque and Catalan nationalist groups began to mobilize to recover their autonomies. In 1961, the ETA (Basque terrorist organization) carried out its first violent action.

In addition, convictions began to appear internationally, against dictatorial values ​​and the absence of freedoms.

In this context, the government intensified repression. The Court of Public Order was created, in charge of persecuting opposition militants, and the Press Law (1966) was approved, which consolidated editorial censorship and the control of the media.

Fourth stage (1969-1975): Agony of Francoism

With the beginning of the seventies, strikes, protests and The political opposition was strengthened, While Franco’s health manifested a deep deterioration. The pressure for his illness caused Franco to name Juan Carlos I as a successor.

The Franco regime came to an end on November 20, 1975 with the death of Francisco Franco.

End of Franco

At the beginning of the seventies social discomfort, opposition activism, and international conviction for the crimes of the dictatorial regime began to weaken the power of Franco. This was added Leader’s health problems that, in 1973 he had to delegate his main functions.

As successor, Franco appointed Luis Carrero Blancoa faithful politician who had accompanied him throughout the regime. However, Carrero Blanco He was killed by the ETAin the largest attack of this organization against the Franco dictatorship, and was happened by Carlos Arias Navarro, another man of trusted by Franco.

At that time, the unity of the Franco regime had deeply weakened. There were positions found among those who considered that the regime should be maintained with the same values ​​and policies of the last four decades and those who saw the need to establish reforms that neutralize the opposition.

In 1974 he unleashed an economic crisis that generated an increase in inflation and unemployment rate. In that context, strikes multiplied, composed of workers movements, university students and new social movements (such as feminism and neighborhood movement).

This social discomfort was aggravated by the terrorist activity of ETA and Frap, which accelerated the frequency and quantity of their violent attacks against the Francoist government.

In October 1975, Franco’s serious state of health led him to transfer his powers to Prince Juan Carlos, as head of the interim state. Finally, Franco died on November 20. In this way the Franco dictatorship ended and, the following year, Spain began its transition to democracy.

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References

• Juliá, S., García Delgado, JL, Jiménez, JC, and Fusi, JP (2007). Dictatorship. In 20th century Spain. MARCIAL PONS EDITIONS HISTORY.
• Martorell, M. and Juliá, S. (2012). The dictatorship of General Franco. In Manual of Political and Social History of Spain (1808-2011). RBA books.
• Villacañas Berlanga, JL (2014) Franco. In History of political power in Spain. RBA books.