Franco’s Spain: Dictatorship, Catholicism & Opposition 1939-1959

Posted on Apr 10, 2025 in History

Franco’s Regime: Fascist Dictatorship (1939-1951)

Political Level

  • Franco was the leader (Caudillo of Spain).
  • He concentrated all power in himself (no opposition parties, control of the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS, and the army).
  • Control of the State and society.
  • Indoctrination of the population.
  • Cult of personality around Franco.
  • Control of the media.
  • After the end of World War II, the regime began to abandon its fascist traits.

Foreign Policy

  • 1939: Spain declared neutral status.
  • 1940: Changed status to non-belligerent.
  • 1943: Began detachment from the Axis powers.
  • 1945: Spain was not admitted to the newly formed United Nations (UN).
  • 1946: Most ambassadors left Madrid due to international condemnation.
  • 1947: Spain did not benefit from the Marshall Plan.
  • 1951: The United States restored diplomatic relations with Spain.

Economic Level

An autarkic economy was implemented, characterized by:

  • State control and economic interventionism.
  • Low agricultural and industrial productivity.
  • Ration books and a widespread black market.

Succession Question

  • 1945: Don Juan de Borbón issued the Lausanne Manifesto, calling for restoration.
  • 1947: The Law of Succession was enacted, defining Spain as a kingdom but leaving the choice of successor to Franco.
  • 1948: Don Juan and Franco agreed that Prince Juan Carlos would be educated in Spain under Franco’s supervision.

Franco’s Regime: National Catholicism (1951-1959)

This period is named National Catholicism because it identified being Spanish with being Catholic. The Catholic religion was the sole guide for the social and moral life of individuals.

Domestic Policy

  • The regime began a slight transformation. Admiral Carrero Blanco gained prominence, favoring the arrival of technocrats (many associated with Opus Dei), who aimed to modernize Spain in the 1960s.
  • Opposition primarily came from resistance fighters (maquis) and political groups, notably the Communist Party of Spain.

Foreign Policy

  • 1951: The U.S. restored diplomatic relations with Spain.
  • 1953: Signature of the Concordat with the Holy See and the Pact of Madrid (economic and military cooperation agreements with the USA).
  • 1955: Spain joined the UN.
  • 1959: U.S. President Eisenhower officially visited Spain.

Colonial Question

  • 1956: Independence granted to the Spanish protectorate in Morocco.
  • Ifni War (1957-1958): Conflict over the territory of Ifni. In 1969, Ifni was returned to Morocco.

Economic Policy

The economy gradually moved away from autarky, initiating a process of liberalization that culminated in 1959 with the approval of the Stabilization Plan.

Opposition to the Franco Regime

Opposition in Exile

Almost 50,000 Catalans went into exile, the largest number settling in France, with others going to Mexico or South America.

Internal Opposition Phases

Phase 1: Reorganization (1939-1944)

  • Reorganization of opposition groups (e.g., Front Nacional de Catalunya, Moviment Socialista de Catalunya) amidst severe repression.
  • Hopes were pinned on the defeat of Axis powers in WWII.
  • Maquis: Armed resistance groups, primarily communists and anarchists, operated in mountainous regions.
  • October 1944: Failed invasion of the Aran Valley by maquis based in France.

Phase 2: International Hopes (1945-1947)

  • Opposition hoped international pressure and diplomatic isolation would lead to Franco’s downfall.
  • Parties of the former Second Republic attempted to set aside differences and present a united front.

Phase 3: Popular Claims (1948-1951)

  • The opposition realized that the Franco regime was consolidating its power, partly due to the Cold War context.
  • Opposition activity shifted towards supporting popular demands and protests (e.g., strikes in the 1940s and 1950s).
  • In Catalonia: The tram strike in Barcelona (1951), sparked by a 20-cent fare increase, became a major spontaneous protest fueled by post-war hardships. It resulted in the cancellation of the fare hike and the dismissal of Barcelona’s mayor and civil governor.