Spain in the 1970s: Opposition, Sahara, and Franco’s Death
6.2. Opposition and Repression in Late Francoism
In the 1970s, there was a dramatic growth of social unrest and political protest. Student and labor protest considerably increased (strikes and manifestations), and pro-opposition groups promoted the establishment of bodies to demand the unification of democratic forces and prevent the continuation of the Franco regime.
On July 1971, the Assembly of Catalonia was established, which encompassed all the Catalan opposition. In 1974, through PCE initiatives, the Democratic Board of Spain was established in Paris, which integrated the Workers’ Commissions, numerous left-wing parties, and even individuals from the democratic right. Its program advocated the formation of a provisional government that would introduce a democratic regime and adopt immediate measures such as amnesty, political freedoms, and the legalization of all political parties.
In 1975, the PSOE promoted the Democratic Convergence Platform along with the Christian Democrats, the UGT, and the PNV. In 1976, these two bodies, which had similar programs, would merge into Democratic Coordination.
In the last years of the dictatorship, there was also an upsurge in political violence. On the one hand, ETA increased its attacks, and ultra-left terrorism emerged, with its main reference points in FRAP and GRAPO. The Franco regime responded with an intensification of repression: in 1974, Salvador Puig Antich, a young anarchist, was executed, and the following year, a new anti-terrorist decree-law effectively established a state of permanent exception. In September, five activists from ETA and FRAP were convicted and executed, despite numerous requests for clemency.
6.3. The Dictator’s Death
Franco’s disease worsened throughout 1974 and 1975. As the dictator could no longer perform his duties, the government faced a new challenge: the Sahara conflict. This land, rich in phosphates, was coveted by neighboring Algeria, Mauritania, and especially by Morocco.
In 1973, the Sahrawi Polisario Front had formed, a nationalist movement that advocated independence. Spain decided to accept the decolonization and allow a self-determination referendum in the territory.
In October 1975, King Hassan II of Morocco, with US support to counter a possible expansion of socialist Algeria, organized the Green March, a peaceful invasion of the territory that mobilized tens of thousands of civilians. Faced with the danger of a war with Morocco, Spain decided to yield. On November 14, the Madrid Agreements were signed, which involved the handover of the Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania.
Spain’s withdrawal initiated a conflict, still unresolved today, between the Polisario Front, which proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and Morocco.
Franco died on November 20, 1975, leaving behind an anachronistic regime in deep crisis. The dictator’s claim that he left the future of Spain “bound and well-secured” ended up being an illusion without substance.