Social and Political Opposition to Franco’s Regime
Oppositional Social Movements
In 1960, strikes by miners in Asturias, with important ramifications in the Basque Country and Barcelona (1962), led to the birth of a new unionism. Before the Civil War, only the UGT had some clandestine activity, while the CNT had virtually disappeared. CCOO was born in 1964, an independent and democratic union that promoted labor struggles (wages, working conditions…) and political aims (union freedom, civil rights…). It combined illegal actions, such as strikes, with legal ones, taking advantage of the election of union representatives to participate in the structure of the Franco union (CNS). From 1967 on, a linked group of trade unionists known as Youth Christian Workers split from CCOO and founded the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO).
The student protest movement was consolidated from the 1960s as a second front of social conflict. In 1956 and 1957, the first student riots developed at the Universities of Madrid and Barcelona, where there were major incidents, including serious injuries. These student protests aimed at creating democratic student unions, clearly confronting the dictatorship and opposing the official union (SEU).
Also emerging were other social movements, acquiring significant relevance, such as the neighborhood movements in new popular districts in big cities. These neighborhood associations, often politicized, aimed to improve living conditions and develop infrastructure neglected by the administration. This neighborhood activism progressively introduced democratic demands.
Within the Catholic Church, critical attitudes towards the dictatorship grew. The statements of the Abbot of Montserrat (1964) and the participation of organizations like Juventud Obrera Cristiana (JOC) and Hermandades Obreras de Acción Católica (HOAC) in mobilizations were examples of dissent. Part of the ecclesiastical hierarchy distanced itself from the regime, and anti-Franco activism expanded among young priests. The vindication of a democratic military also led to the formation of the Democratic Military Union (UMD).
Political Opposition to Franco
The extension of social activity led to increased momentum and the recomposition of the political opposition to Franco. The old political parties renewed their leadership and activities, while new groups and organizations arose, ranging from the far left to liberalism and even monarchism.
Despite their illegality, leftist political parties reactivated their opposition from within. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE), led by Santiago Carrillo, was the most implanted, pursuing a policy that aimed at penetration and mass organization (Workers’ Commissions, student associations, neighborhood movements…). The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), at the Congress of Suresnes (France) in 1974, renewed its leadership, electing a new executive led by Felipe González. On the far left, new parties emerged, such as PCE (m-l) and other terrorist groups.
One of the moderate opposition groups was Christian Democracy, which joined other center parties, with influential leaders such as José María Gil-Robles and Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez. In 1962, they attended the Congress of the European Movement in Munich – which Franco qualified as the “Contubernio” – where the opposition agreed on the need for a democratic Spain.