Spain’s Transformation: From Isolation to Modernization
Spain’s Path to International Integration
Since then, Spain gradually integrated into various international agencies: the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the International Labour Organization. More decisive still were the two agreements in 1953:
- Agreements with the United States: These involved mutual defense and military assistance, leading to the installation of four military bases. Spain received economic aid in exchange.
- The new Concordat with the Vatican.
The year 1955 marked the end of isolation with the entry of Spain into the UN. The autarkic policies of the regime led to an unsustainable economic situation in 1956. Inflation soared, and there was a serious deficit. Changes were necessary if economic policy was to avoid state bankruptcy.
Franco’s New Government and Economic Reforms
Franco renewed the government in 1957. Most significant was the entry of a team of technocrats, most of them linked to the Opus Dei religious association. Alberto Ullastres, Mariano Navarro-Rubio, and Laureano López Rodó were the architects of the 1959 Stabilization Plan, which partially liberalized the economy, and subsequent development plans. From the new economic policy, Spain experienced rapid growth. Economic development contributed to social change. In turn, the emergence of new forms of opposition to the dictatorship.
Technocracy, Development, and New Forms of Opposition
The increasing complexity of Spanish society brought new forms of opposition to the dictatorship. The most notable were:
- The student movement: It became increasingly isolated from the regime. The SEU disappeared in 1965 when university professors Tierno Galván, Aranguren, and García Calvo were expelled. The Franco regime was losing the battle of culture.
- Growth of the nationalist opposition in Catalonia and the Basque Country: This was related to the defense of their native cultures and political demands. Very serious was the foundation of ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna), a split from the Basque Nationalist Party’s youth.
The government selectively suppressed the opposition. In 1963, it established the Public Order Court, composed of civilian judges.
The Final Years of Franco’s Regime
Franco’s physical decline was increasingly evident. The years 1969-1975 were marked by tension between the positions in which the political class was divided:
- Open: Supporters of the need for reform, given the impossibility of continuing the scheme after Franco’s death. This included younger segments of the system (Fraga, Suárez).
- Immobility: They clung to the words of Franco.
In June 1973, Admiral Carrero Blanco was appointed Prime Minister. On December 20, he was killed by ETA in an attack that shocked the nation. His successor, Arias Navarro, attempted a cautious opening. It soon demonstrated its lack of viability and failure. The opposition to the dictatorship grew on all fronts: students, labor unions, sectors of the clergy, and nationalism. The repressive regime maintained its power until the end. The last executions took place on September 27, 1975 (five members of ETA and FRAP), leading to a wave of international protests. The final problem was the Green March, organized by Morocco to “peacefully” occupy the Spanish Sahara. Arias’s government, with a dying dictator, was unable to respond. Franco died on November 20, 1975.