Spanish Post-Civil War: Resistance & Economic Hardship
Post-Civil War Spain: Resistance and Economic Hardship
International Blockade
The international community largely rejected Franco’s dictatorship. The newly formed United Nations refused Spain’s admission. The Allies’ victory posed a threat to Franco’s regime, and the UN recommended the withdrawal of ambassadors in 1946. While exiled opposition forces anticipated the regime’s downfall, Franco doubled down on autarky and repression, portraying the international boycott as a conspiracy.
Autarky and Economic Recession
The 1940s saw a deep recession in Spain due to the Civil War’s impact and ineffective economic policies. The war resulted in significant population loss, labor shortages, and displacement. Franco’s autarkic policies aimed for self-sufficiency by limiting foreign investment, minimizing imports, and implementing economic planning.
Impact of the Civil War
The war’s demographic impact was severe, with substantial casualties and displacement. Many specialized jobs remained unfilled. Numerous families sought refuge in rural areas. Physical damage, however, was less severe.
Economic Policy: Interventionism and Autarky
Franco’s state-controlled economy, coupled with autarky, severely hampered growth. The regime limited foreign investment, minimized imports, and implemented economic planning. State-run industries focused on strategic sectors, but production remained insufficient, leading to continued rationing. Agricultural yields declined, which the regime attributed to drought.
Industrial production did not recover until 1950. Scarcity of capital and technology resulted in an obsolete industrial network. Foreign trade was minimal, limited to importing essential goods from countries not participating in the blockade. Official prices and rationing led to a thriving black market with inflated prices.
Early Opposition to the Regime
Post-war, political organizations and unions were decimated by exile and repression. However, World War II and harsh living conditions fostered early opposition to Franco. Internal resistance consisted of uncoordinated guerrilla activity.
Opposition in Catalonia
Catalonia saw diverse forms of opposition, from clandestine Catalan language instruction to armed resistance and cultural affirmation. Maintaining contact with exiled opposition was challenging. The execution of Josep Irla led to the appointment of Joseph Tarradellas as President of the Generalitat of Catalonia in exile. During World War II, some exiles joined the Allied forces, hoping for an intervention to overthrow Franco and restore the Republic.
Internal opposition groups included worker organizations (CNT, POUM, PSUC) and Catalan nationalists (ERC). New organizations like the National Front of Catalonia and the Catalan National Council of Democracy also emerged. Spontaneous worker protests arose in various towns.
The Maquis, composed of former Republican soldiers, also resisted. Groups aligned with the PCE coordinated Maquis activities, including the brief occupation of the Val d’Aran in September 1944. In exile, disagreements among Republican factions hindered organized opposition. Distrust between Republicans, Socialists, and Communists, along with internal PSOE conflicts, hampered coordination. Following Azaña’s death, divisions persisted among Republicans.
The Allies’ victory and the international blockade against Franco revived hopes among exiled Republicans and monarchists. Republicans formed the National Transition Alliance. Some Franco supporters sought to restore the monarchy under Alfonso XIII’s son, Juan de Borbón. Aristocrats and some generals concerned about the regime’s corruption joined this movement.
In March 1945, Juan de Borbón issued a manifesto from Lausanne denouncing the Franco regime and proposing a traditional Spanish monarchy as an alternative. Relations between Juan de Borbón and Franco remained strained. Juan de Borbón allowed his son, Juan Carlos, to complete his education in Spain under Franco’s supervision, potentially paving the way for a future restoration of the monarchy.
The polarized opposition realized the Allies would not actively remove Franco. The PCE adopted a demobilization policy that nearly ended the guerrilla movement. Small groups within the PCE, PSOE, and CNT remained active, facing arrests and executions throughout the 1940s. Strikes and protests arose in response to the regime’s abuses. These initially minority groups grew as the dictatorship consolidated and failed to address its dismantling.