Franco’s Dictatorship in Spain: Ideology and Social Pillars
Ideological Foundations of Franco’s Regime
From April 1, 1939, when the Spanish Civil War ended, Francisco Franco became the centerpiece of a political system that based its legitimacy on its victory in the war. Thus began a dictatorship that lasted 36 years. The Franco dictatorship was a personal dictatorship, with characteristics of other dictatorships, but without a clear and homogeneous ideology. Franco concentrated all power in his person and did not rely on Parliament or the Constitution. Nor was there a political party that imposed its total control, but there were political families. Some were:
- The Catholics, who joined religion and state.
- The Falange, who brought the idea of Empire.
- The military, which provided the principles of order, hierarchy, discipline, and Spanish nationalism.
The dictatorship consisted of three stages:
- The Falangist or blue phase.
- The Catholic-national stage.
- The phase of technocracy and economic development.
The National Movement
The National Movement was a coalition of forces that took part in the uprising of July 18, 1936, and whose function was to maintain support for the Franco dictatorship. It was disbanded in 1977 and consisted of:
- A single party: Spanish Falange de las JONS.
- A vertical union.
- All public officials had to swear allegiance to the Principles of the Movement.
- Multiple organizations were present in public and private life (Youth Front, Women’s Section, etc.).
The structure was arranged so that the peak was Franco as head of the National Movement, below him was the General Secretary of the Movement, below that was the National Council of the Movement, and finally, the local mayor, who acted as Local Chief of the Movement.
Key Features of Francoism
- Totalitarianism: There was a rejection of parliamentary democracy by abolishing the Constitution and many freedoms, closing the Parliament, and banning all political parties and trade unions except the National Movement and the vertical union.
- Caudillismo: Franco, Caudillo of Spain, was the head of state, the prime minister, the Generalissimo of all the armies, and the National Chief of the Movement. There was a celebration of his figure.
- Centralism: The state was unitary and centralized, which meant strong nationalism. For this reason, autonomous status was abolished, and the use of co-official languages was banned, resulting in the exile of many intellectuals, teachers, and professionals.
- Militarism: The Army became the model of the new state’s values. In schools, military values were instilled.
- Defense of Catholicism: Catholicism became the official state religion. Religion was present in all civilian and military acts and was taught as a compulsory subject. The church wedding was the only valid one. The Church received funding from the State budget, and its upper echelons were represented in the Francoist Cortes and the Council of the Kingdom. The Church carried out censorship of shows, books, etc., and the head of state was granted the privilege of presenting candidates for bishops.
- Anti-communism: Francoism is a counter-system that denies the working class and their defense apparatus claim. Strikes were declared treason, and union leaders could be convicted of rebellion. The demands of the working class suffered severe repression during the blue stage. Any democratic or progressive expression was identified as Communist and was persecuted.
- Traditionalism: It longed for the times in which Spain had a high profile.
The National Movement’s Influence
The National Movement exerted its influence through:
- Control of the media, which were used as a means of propagation and were subject to censorship. Radio stations and newspapers of the Movement dominated Spanish public opinion.
- Control of family life at municipal and provincial levels through associations such as: The Youth Front (the Arrows and Pelayos), The Women’s Section, etc.
- Corporatist association, which organized the official trade unions, which were to merge the interests of employers and workers, directed and controlled by the Spanish Falange de las JONS.
The Pillars and Social Support of Franco’s Regime
Franco’s regime carried out a balanced distribution of power between political groups involved in the coup of 1936 to maintain their support. These families were: