Francoism: Political Repression and Evolution in Spain
Franco’s Regime (1939-1975)
ITEM 6: Nature of the Scheme: Personal dictatorship of Franco with absolute and unlimited power.
Franco’s Political Thought: From military service in Africa to Catholicism, Franco was a promulgator of Spanish nationalism. He held the military virtues of discipline, hierarchy, order, and national values. He maintained profitable relationships with the Church. He interpreted the history of Spain as an imperial destiny, mimicking the time of the Catholic Monarchs, the conquest of America, and the Habsburg Empire. His natural enemies were all leftists, democracy, and nationalities considered dangerous to the maintenance of a homogeneous and monolithic Spain.
Nature of the Franco Dictatorship: Personal dictatorship; single-party system; permanent division between winners and losers; in the early years, it was the Spanish version of fascism.
Supports:
- Army: Loyal and determined. It was the dissuasive power.
- Church: Executive power. Catholics held positions as Ministers of Finance, Education, and Foreign Affairs.
- Falange: In the first stage, it was the body of state bureaucracy, propaganda, and organization of the vertical union; Ministry of Housing, Labor, and Agriculture.
- Traditionalists: Presidency of Justice and the Courts; capable organizers.
- The ultra-right and the silent majority.
Institutionalization Process
Phase ’39 to ’59: Economic recession; ideological involution and harsh repression. 3 sub-phases:
- World War II (’39 to ’45): Spain was officially neutral but adopted a position of non-belligerence. Spain sent the Blue Division to the USSR to support Germany. Between ’40 and ’42, it returned to neutrality. There was a move away from the Spanish constitution.
- International Isolation (’45 to ’50): After the Second World War, the winning powers considered Spain the last fascist stronghold. In ’46, Franco was denied access to the UN, and the situation was presented as a plot against the people of Spain and Europe. Fascist symbols were removed.
The Cold War: The U.S. granted loans to Spain in ’49, the year of NATO’s creation, due to Spain’s opposition to the USSR. In ’50, the UN canceled Spain’s political isolation; Spain entered UNESCO in ’52, and in ’53, through the Madrid Accords, Franco allowed the establishment of U.S. military bases in Spain. In ’55, Spain was admitted to the UN.
Technocratic Phase (’59 to ’69): Technocrats modernized the economy. The Press Law of 1967 and the Organic Law of the State of ’66 aimed to ensure that when Franco died, a successor would be established based on Francoist principles. The Religious Freedom Act was passed in ’67.
Phase of Decomposition of the Regime (’69 to ’75): Economic expansion until 1973, followed by stagnation induced by the oil crisis. Franco suffered progressive physical deterioration, and Carrero Blanco became his right-hand man until he was assassinated by ETA on December 20, 1973, in Madrid. Arias Navarro took his position, hardening the regime due to his political impotence. In ’75, five members of ETA and FRAP were executed. The Church gradually distanced itself, and opposition rallies increasingly emerged, led by ETA and FRAP.
Political, Social, and Cultural Repression
Repression against democratic groups was articulated through the Law of Political Responsibilities of ’39 and the Law for the Suppression of Freemasonry and Communism of ’40, where alleged crimes were under military jurisdiction. Thousands of people were imprisoned. The regime established the TOP (Public Order Court) in ’63 to try political crimes (e.g., against CC.OO., process 1001). There were purges and redundancies, affecting 25,000 employees. Cultural repression occurred through textbooks that praised the figure of the dictator, distorted history, and propagated conservative values.
Frustrated Cultural Genocide in Catalonia
The Franco regime enforced a unified Spanish nationalism that eliminated all other nationalities. Systematic repression was carried out against Catalan identity: repeal of the Statute of Autonomy, prohibition and persecution of the public use of Catalan, ban on the *Senyera* (Catalan flag), changing the names of places, streets, and place names, and confiscation of property of Catalan institutions. Company president Lluís Companys was shot on October 15, 1940, marking the beginning of Catalan resistance against the dictatorship.