Francoist Spain: State Formation, Autarchy, and Repression

Posted on Nov 25, 2025 in History

The Formation of the Francoist State (1939-1959)

Change of Regime

The failure of the military coup of 1936, undertaken by part of the Spanish army, some right-wing politicians, the Falange, and Carlism, led to a civil war that ended in March 1939 with the victory of the rebels.
The rebels organized a technical committee in Burgos as a provisional government, and Franco was appointed as head of state.
These events resulted in 40 years of Franco’s dictatorship.

Ideological and Political Foundations

Personalist Dictatorship: Political ideology was not important because Franco saw himself as sent by God to save Spain from parliamentary democracy. He established a personalist, authoritarian, and militarist dictatorship in which he held unlimited and unrestricted powers.
Key Supporters: The army gave him security; the Catholic Church and the National Movement gave him legitimacy. He accepted Falangism and Fascism for self-convenience, as he needed the favour and support of the army, oligarchies, and other groups.
National Catholicism: National Catholicism was restored as the official religion, and its morality was imposed on every sphere of life. The Church provided legitimization to the dictatorship and was a vehicle of Francoist propaganda.
Centralized Nationalism: The regime was built on strong Spanish nationalism, promoting the idea of a unified state and the persecution of all regional nationalisms.
Anti-Liberalism: Franco outlawed political parties, universal suffrage, and the constitution, and limited individual rights. The National Movement was the only political organization permitted.
Organic Democracy: Popular representation was not exercised through universal suffrage but through social relations like the family or by representatives appointed by Franco himself.
National Syndicalism: Labour organizations were forbidden; workers were obliged to affiliate with the single vertical union.
Authoritarianism and Militarism: The military forces remained loyal to Franco. He conceived of society in military terms, so violence was the tool to maintain order.

Social Foundations

The political forces, or “families,” that supported the regime were:

At the base, the Army, which provided loyalty and security.
Next, the Falange (a merger of fascists and Carlists into the FET de las JONS).
The Catholic Church and monarchists also backed him.
Finally, the conservative upper classes, the oligarchy, and the Catholic middle classes were the mainstay of Franco’s government.

Fundamental Laws of the New State

The regime was built upon seven fundamental laws:

Labour Charter (1938): To regulate labour relationships.
Constituent Law of the Cortes (1942): Established the Cortes as an advisory body.
Spaniards’ Charter of Rights (1945): A cosmetic move to appear less authoritarian.
Law on Referenda (1945): An attempt to make his regime seem less arbitrary.
Law of Succession (1947): Made Franco regent for life and gave him the power to appoint the next king.
Law on the Principles of the National Movement (1958): Solidified the ideology of the single party and associated right-wing groups.
Organic Law of the State (1966-1967): Finalized the structure of the authoritarian system.

The 1940s: Repression and Isolation

Political Repression

Spain was divided into the “real Spain” (conservatives, oligarchies, military forces) and the godless “anti-Spain” (anarchists, republicans, nationalists). Approximately 500,000 people went into exile. Of those who remained, 250,000 were imprisoned, and the rest were put in forced labour groups for public works. Between 1939 and 1945, more than 100,000 people were executed. The Republican intellectuals were eradicated.

Social and Ideological Control

The regime exercised strong control over the population. It abolished all Republican laws (e.g., on marriage and divorce). The Falange controlled the propaganda machine and was in charge of censorship. Years of misery and violence made the population accept any system that guaranteed peace and stability.

International Relations

During 1939-1945, Spain was devastated by the Civil War, so the nation declared neutrality in World War II, although it supported the Axis powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo). The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 was an opportunity to send the “Blue Division” to fight alongside the Germans, with the idea of assuring colonial claims after the war. However, when the Germans were defeated, Franco stopped supporting Germany in 1944 to get petroleum and supplies for Spain. When Franco realized that the Allies were going to win the war, he tried to relegate and progressively abandon the Falange. For that reason, he introduced what he called “democracy” through cosmetic laws like the Constituent Law of the Cortes (1942), the Spaniards’ Charter of Rights (1945), and the Law of Referenda (1945). Despite his efforts, Spain was ostracized by the victorious powers and was denied membership in the UN in 1946 because of its collaboration with the Axis powers.

Economic Policy: Autarchy and Interventionism

For a decade after 1939, the economy remained in a severe depression. In 1939, Franco began a program of reconstruction based on the concept of self-sufficiency (autarchy) and state interventionism.

The 1950s: The End of Ostracism

The Effects of the Cold War

As the world became polarized around the power of the USA and the USSR, American policymakers recognized the strategic importance of Franco’s anti-communist regime. In 1950, the US administration provided funds for Spain and worked to end its diplomatic isolation. The Pact of Madrid (1953) gave credits and donations to Spain in exchange for setting up US bases on Spanish territory and with the idea of ending the autarchic economy. Other powers legitimized the dictatorship too; the Vatican recognized Franco’s regime by signing the Concordat in 1953. Spain became a confessional state and banned the public practice of other religions. Finally, the UN approved Spain’s membership in 1955.

Economy: Towards the End of Autarchy

By the late 1940s, Spain needed food, raw materials, energy, and a financing system, so the autarchic policies were modified to get them. In 1951, the Law for Economic Liberalisation was passed. Foreign capital increased industrial production in the 1950s, so the economy and living conditions began to improve. Not all “families” agreed on the new economic policies; the Falange was against “capitalism,” but the technocrats (from Opus Dei) were in favour of achieving fast economic growth.

Opposition to the Francoist Regime

In the 1940s

Opposition was more significant outside of Spain. Many exiles joined the Allies to fight fascism with the idea of overturning Franco’s regime after the Second World War. Many others organized resistance under the umbrella of the PSOE and PCE in France. In the internal opposition, the “Maquis” carried out the most significant activity, but they were easily eliminated.

In the 1950s

Strikes were mainly led by the CCOO (Comisiones Obreras), a socio-political movement that became a trade union in 1976. The university became the main field for resistance and agitation, representing the first space lost by the absolute control of the regime. This period also saw the birth of the Basque nationalist group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) in 1959.

Key Events and Concepts

Franco and Eisenhower’s Meeting (1959)

This meeting took place in 1959, at the beginning of the dictatorship’s consolidation period. Thanks to new agreements with the USA and other nations, Spain underwent great economic development. A picture of Franco, the Spanish dictator, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States, was published in two propagandistic magazines, Gaceta Ilustrada and Arriba, in 1959. This primary source is propagandistic and political in nature. The event was important because it signified that Spain’s isolation and international ostracism had ended, legitimizing the dictatorship so that it could support the USA in the Cold War against communism.

Spain and the Axis Powers (1940)

In the immediate post-war context of 1940, during the formation of the Francoist state, Franco met with Hitler. This event was important because it happened before the beginning of World War II, during which, despite declaring Spain neutral, it favoured the Axis powers until the fascist defeat was inevitable. As a result of having helped the fascists, the international community ostracized Spain after the war, and its membership in the United Nations was denied.

Franco and the Catholic Church

The Catholic religion was very important for the Francoist regime, which is why it is called National Catholicism. Franco was called Caudillo by the grace of God. Catholicism was one of the regime’s main foundations, and for this reason, the privileges the Church had lost during the Second Republic were restored. Catholic morality was imposed, and many Republican laws that went against it were abolished. In 1953, agreements with other countries ended Spain’s ostracism, among which was a Concordat with the Vatican. The Church, especially the technocrats of Opus Dei, also favoured economic development. However, not all clergymen were in favour of the regime. A later event showing the impact of religion was the passing of the Law of Religious Freedom in 1967, which was more tolerant and liberal.

Economic Evolution During Francoism

Throughout the Francoist regime, the economic situation changed. After the Civil War, Spain was in crisis, so Franco imposed measures to make Spain self-sufficient (autarchy). This policy failed, and hunger grew, leading to food rationing and the estraperlo (black market). To improve this situation, in the 1950s, the autarchic policies were modified through the Law for Economic Liberalisation and the infusion of American capital. This improved the situation but also increased inflation and social tension, as the Falange did not want to open to capitalism. This shift towards liberalism continued during the 1960s through state interventionism. For this, the National Stabilization Plan (which created a robust peseta) and three other Development Plans were created. This period of growth was called desarrollismo. It finally ended in 1973 because of the oil crisis, which caused an increase in prices and the unemployment rate, as well as a decrease in salaries.

Glossary of Terms

Maquis: A guerrilla force opposed to the Francoist regime, formed by communists, anarchists, republicans, and others. They originated at the end of the Civil War when they hid in the mountains sensing defeat. They carried out several actions against Francoism during the first years of the dictatorship but did not make a big impact and were easily defeated.
Green March: Took place on November 6, 1975. King Hassan II of Morocco occupied Western Sahara, which was then a Spanish colony. He organized a march of military and civilians to regain the lands. A week later, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Pact of Madrid, ceding Western Sahara to them.
Development Plans: These were four-year-long economic plans that sought to overcome the state deficit and achieve economic development. These plans prioritized some sectors and offered private enterprises loans and fiscal advantages, creating the Polos de Desarrollo (Development Poles). Through them, Spain lived a period of economic growth called desarrollismo.
Technocrats: Members of Opus Dei who were in favour of increasing competition to achieve fast economic growth. To do this, they introduced liberalizing laws and displaced the Falange, who did not favour opening to capitalism, from the government.
Autarchy: The economic policy of self-sufficiency that the Falange wanted to achieve after the Civil War crisis. To achieve this, interventionist measures were needed to cut imports and encourage national production. However, it was a failure, and the regime ended up displacing the Falange and liberalizing the economy.