Francoist Spain: Dictatorship, Economy, and Society 1939-1975
Francoist Dictatorship: 1939-1975
The First Stage (1939-1959)
The first stage of Franco’s dictatorship, spanning from 1939 to 1959, was characterized by a reaction against the modernization efforts, both political and ideological, that had begun during the Second Republic. Franco consolidated all power and exercised significant authority over those who supported him. Those who lost the Civil War faced severe repression. After the 1950s, international support, particularly from the U.S., helped Spain emerge from its isolation.
Economic Development
The new government, formed by technocrats, adopted a new land law known as the Economic Stabilization Plan in 1959. This plan aimed to liberalize the economy and address the problems of previous years:
- Unemployment
- Low production and poor quality
- Low standard of living
Initially, the Stabilization Plan led to increased unemployment due to the closure of inefficient businesses and job cuts. However, integration into the OEEC (Organization for European Economic Cooperation) facilitated the migration of 3 million people to more dynamic European countries like Switzerland, France, Holland, and Germany. The shift in economic policy, supported by loans from international agencies and a surge in foreign exchange generated by tourism and increased exports, spurred development. The government launched Development Plans and created “poles of development”—designated spaces in new industrial cities for establishing industries (Vigo, Valladolid, Sevilla, Burgos, Huelva, Pamplona). These initiatives aimed to promote a better geographical distribution of businesses and production. Thanks to these measures, Spain modernized, transitioning from an agrarian country to an industrial society.
Social Changes
The victory of the military rebels and the right in the Civil War was a major setback. Landowners gained so much power that the era resembled Cánovas’ time of “oligarchy and chieftaincy.” Between 1940 and 1970, the population increased by 30%. Mortality significantly decreased, and fertility remained high until the end of the 1970s. In the 1950s, over 1 million people, mostly farmers and laborers living in poverty in southern Spain, migrated to cities. In the 1960s, 3 million farmers moved to urban areas due to the mechanization introduced by the Stabilization Plan. Peasants from northern Spain migrated to the Basque Country, those from Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and Castilla-Leon went to Madrid, and those from the east, south, and Aragon moved to Barcelona. Migration became a significant demographic process, first to America and then to Western Europe. This led to a change in social structure due to the mechanization of the countryside, industrial development, the growth of the tertiary sector, and urbanization. The oligarchy lost influence, while the working classes grew. Alongside the traditional small and medium bourgeoisie, new middle classes emerged, comprising workers of modern enterprises, university graduates, etc., driven by technical and economic modernization. These sectors did not support the dictatorship and called for political liberalization. The working class grew from 25% to 35% and gained a significant capacity to fight, strongly opposing the regime through the Workers’ Commissions. The farming population decreased, and their standard of living improved:
- Laborers benefited from increasing wages.
- Farmers saw improvements due to the increased size of farms.
Women remained subordinate to men. Education was segregated by sex, women often lost their jobs upon marriage, and they had lower incomes. Repression eased after the success of the Stabilization Plan, and in 1969, Franco appointed Juan Carlos as his successor. Families aligned with the regime in two ways:
- Aperturistas (advocates for opening)
- Inmovilistas or ultras (hardliners)