Spain Under Franco: A Regime’s Evolution (1939-1975)
Franco’s Rule in Spain (1939-1975)
Overview
The Franco dictatorship spanned 1939-1975, with Franco maintaining power for 36 years, partly due to American support aimed at combating communism and establishing military bases in Spain. The dictatorship originated from Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War, coinciding with the Cold War and the US-Soviet rivalry. Franco held absolute power, controlling all branches of government as Head of State, Generalissimo of the Army, and Leader of the National Movement. His totalitarian regime suppressed liberal principles (sovereignty, suffrage, separation of powers) and individual rights. The regime’s ideology was anti-liberal, undemocratic, anti-Marxist, and national-Catholic, promoting a centralized state and opposing Catalan nationalism.
Governance and Institutions
Lacking a constitution, the regime operated under fundamental laws. Key institutions included the Council of Ministers (executive branch), the Courts (legislature), and the Tribunals (judiciary), all under Franco’s control. The regime’s pillars were the Army, the Church, and the Falange. The Army enjoyed significant prestige and privileges. The Church, declared by Franco as divinely appointed, received state funding and exerted strong influence over society, controlling aspects like marriage and censorship. The Falange, the only legal party, promoted a youth-focused image and controlled education and commerce alongside the Civil Guard and police, ensuring social order through oppressive tactics.
Franco’s support base included landowners fearful of agrarian reform, business owners and the middle class wary of the Republic’s social legislation, and Catholic lower classes. Post-Civil War Spain was an underdeveloped nation. Franco returned land to previous owners, leading to stagnant agriculture. Industry was similarly stagnant, while services catered to the middle class. The population was largely unskilled, with their rights suppressed.
First Stage (1939-1945)
This period saw the Falange and the Army as Franco’s main allies. The economy was severely stagnant due to war-inflicted damage. Franco implemented a protectionist, illiberal economic policy prioritizing domestic consumption and agriculture. The National Wheat Union (SNT) was created to control land and production, leading to a black market. The National Institute of Industry (INI) established public companies like Iberia, Endesa, and Renfe. The 1937 Labor Law and the 1940 legalization of a single union favored the bourgeoisie. In foreign policy, Franco aligned with Italy, Germany, and Japan, initially declaring neutrality in World War II but later creating the Blue Division to support Hitler against Stalin. This led to international isolation and post-war punishment, reinforcing Spain’s autarky, resulting in inflation, rationing, and economic hardship. Despite banned strikes, labor and academic opposition persisted. Spain was excluded from the UN, NATO, and the Marshall Plan.
Internal opposition came from the Maquis (exiled Republicans fighting the regime) and external opposition from monarchists (Don Juan advocating for a constitutional monarchy) and exiled Republicans. Franco responded with a veneer of democracy, enacting the Jurisdiction of the Spanish (1945), outlining rights and duties, and the Referendum Act (1945), leading to the Law of Succession (1948), which allowed for a royal successor without specifying Don Juan or his son Juan Carlos.
Second Stage (1951-1959)
This stage focused on internal consolidation and international integration. Consolidation stemmed from the loyalty of landowners, the middle class, Catholics, and the defeat of the Maquis; the divided opposition; and the burgeoning friendship with the USA. The 1953 pact with the US provided financial and technological aid in exchange for military bases. For international integration, the Vatican, initially silent due to Franco’s framing of the Civil War as a religious struggle, formed a Concordat with Spain following the US alliance. In 1955, Spain joined the UN but faced Moroccan decolonization. Technocrats, often Opus Dei members with financial expertise and international connections, were integrated into the government in 1957. Economic policy shifted towards liberal capitalism with new laws concerning taxes, collective agreements, and industrialization, aiming for a capitalist state model. The Law of the National Movement codified the regime’s ideological principles.