Franco’s Spain: Political, Economic, and Social Evolution (1939-1959)
Franco’s Spain: Political, Economic, and Social Evolution until 1959
Political Developments
The New State was established based on the ideals of July 18th, the day the Spanish Civil War began:
“The victors established a strong and highly centralized state to guarantee the unity of Spain and impose a social order based on the doctrine of the Church and the Falange ideology.”
The New State was characterized by the absolute concentration of power in Franco’s hands. He controlled all sources of authority: Chief of State, Government, the Armed Forces, the National Movement, and the single party. He also held the title of ‘Leader’.
- The Franco regime represented an extreme reaction against anything representing the Enlightenment, liberalism, democracy, Freemasonry, and socialism in Spanish history. It presented itself as the true embodiment of Spanish tradition.
- To achieve its objectives, Franco established a brutal dictatorship, which has been variously described as fascism, Caesarism, Bonapartism, despotism, and authoritarianism. In reality, the regime can be characterized as a military dictatorship with traditional Church influence. The Army played a prominent role in the new political structure, sharing power with other elites, mainly Catholics.
- Franco’s regime lacked a formal constitution and was governed by a series of Fundamental Laws enacted and adapted to changing times. Spain was a totalitarian dictatorship until 1945, Catholic from then until 1957, and technocratic during the remainder of its history.
The Reactionary Coalition
The forces that rallied to Franco during the Civil War maintained fairly uniform attitudes throughout the dictatorship, generally suppressing outward manifestations of their differences. They formed a reactionary coalition in which two groups were distinguished:
- Institutionalized Families: Consisting of the Army, the Church, and the Falange. The Army was the main guarantor of the regime’s permanence. The Church was integrated into the state, its doctrine shaping policy, and its prelates held positions in institutions. The Falange, also called the National Movement, had a special influence on the Ministry of Labor, trade unions, and the media.
- Political Families: Composed of royalist supporters of Don Juan and the technocrats of Opus Dei. The monarchists were few but well-connected to the social and economic elites. The technocrats of Opus Dei, very conservative, became more relevant from the late 1950s.
The Fate of the Vanquished
The dictatorship intensified the old division between conservative and Catholic Spain and progressive Spain. The victors of the war came to be considered the sole guardians of national essence.
Exile
- The Civil War led to the departure of a large number of Spanish people who feared reprisals by the victors.
- Around half a million people crossed the border into France, where almost half immediately returned to Spain, sometimes with very negative consequences. A significant number moved to Latin America (Mexico, Chile, Cuba, Argentina, Dominican Republic, and Colombia accepted refugees) and the Soviet Union.