General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892 - November 19 or November 20, 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. IPA: [fɾan'θisko 'fɾaŋko]) or Francisco Franco Bahamonde headed and later formally became head of state of Spain from October 1936, and of all of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.
Franco led a successful military career and reached the rank of General. He fought in Morocco and suppressed a strike in 1934. In February, 1936, the left-wing Popular Front won the general election and formed a government. A period of severe instability and disarray followed the election, with escalating violence between left and right wing supporters. Anti-clerical violence against the Church by extremist militants further raised tensions. After the assassination of a major opposition figure, José Calvo Sotelo, by a commando unit of the Assault Guards in July 1936, Franco participated in a coup d'etat against the legitimately elected Popular Front government. The coup failed and evolved into the Spanish Civil War during which he emerged as the leader of the Nationalists against the elected government.
After winning the civil war, he dissolved the Spanish Parliament, establishing an authoritarian regime that lasted until 1978, when a new constitution was drafted. During the Second World War, Franco maintained a policy of neutrality, although he did assist Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a small scale, most famously by sending troops (known as the Blue Division) to aid Nazi Germany in the occupation of Russia. Before the invasion of the Soviet Union by the German Army, Franco and Hitler met in Hendaye the 23rd of October 1940. In addition, during the Cold War, the United States established a diplomatic alliance with Franco, due to his strong anti-communist policy. American President Richard Nixon toasted Franco [1], and, after Franco's death, stated: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States[1]."
Franco's state combined corporatism, nationalism, and a focus on traditional values. From 1947 and until his death he was de facto regent of Spain, which he ruled as a dictator, repressing dissident opinions through institutionalised torture, concentration camps (such as Los Merinales in Seville, San Marcos in León, Castuera [2] in Extremadura, and the Camp of Miranda de Ebro), heavy prison sentences, and the application of the death penalty against criminals and political opponents. After his death Spain began a transition to democracy.
Franco's legacy is still controversial. While his followers remember him as a strong leader who pacified and stabilized Spain, others remember him as a harsh dictator. Issues surrounding his controversial legacy include whether the Second Spanish Republic he overthrew had become an unstable regime, the nature of the relationship between his politics and those of contemporaries Hitler and Mussolini, the repressive policies adopted in cultural and regionalist domains (such as Catalonia and The Basque Country), state centralization, the nationalist and corporatist ideology of the Movimiento Nacional, and the execution of thousands of military and political opponents during the civil war and many years after.
Franco led a successful military career and reached the rank of General. He fought in Morocco and suppressed a strike in 1934. In February, 1936, the left-wing Popular Front won the general election and formed a government. A period of severe instability and disarray followed the election, with escalating violence between left and right wing supporters. Anti-clerical violence against the Church by extremist militants further raised tensions. After the assassination of a major opposition figure, José Calvo Sotelo, by a commando unit of the Assault Guards in July 1936, Franco participated in a coup d'etat against the legitimately elected Popular Front government. The coup failed and evolved into the Spanish Civil War during which he emerged as the leader of the Nationalists against the elected government.
After winning the civil war, he dissolved the Spanish Parliament, establishing an authoritarian regime that lasted until 1978, when a new constitution was drafted. During the Second World War, Franco maintained a policy of neutrality, although he did assist Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a small scale, most famously by sending troops (known as the Blue Division) to aid Nazi Germany in the occupation of Russia. Before the invasion of the Soviet Union by the German Army, Franco and Hitler met in Hendaye the 23rd of October 1940. In addition, during the Cold War, the United States established a diplomatic alliance with Franco, due to his strong anti-communist policy. American President Richard Nixon toasted Franco [1], and, after Franco's death, stated: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States[1]."
Franco's state combined corporatism, nationalism, and a focus on traditional values. From 1947 and until his death he was de facto regent of Spain, which he ruled as a dictator, repressing dissident opinions through institutionalised torture, concentration camps (such as Los Merinales in Seville, San Marcos in León, Castuera [2] in Extremadura, and the Camp of Miranda de Ebro), heavy prison sentences, and the application of the death penalty against criminals and political opponents. After his death Spain began a transition to democracy.
Franco's legacy is still controversial. While his followers remember him as a strong leader who pacified and stabilized Spain, others remember him as a harsh dictator. Issues surrounding his controversial legacy include whether the Second Spanish Republic he overthrew had become an unstable regime, the nature of the relationship between his politics and those of contemporaries Hitler and Mussolini, the repressive policies adopted in cultural and regionalist domains (such as Catalonia and The Basque Country), state centralization, the nationalist and corporatist ideology of the Movimiento Nacional, and the execution of thousands of military and political opponents during the civil war and many years after.
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