Key Terms of Spanish History: Franco Regime & Transition
This document defines key terms related to the Franco regime in Spain and the subsequent transition to democracy.
Political and Social Terms
Front: Area facing the army in a battle or war.
Spanish Falange: Political organization advocating a unitary and authoritarian government as well as social justice without condemning the class struggle.
Anarchism: Doctrine and political and social movement that rejects any form of political or religious authority.
Trade Unionism: Theory and method of professional labor organization through unions.
Referendum: Legal process by which laws or administrative actions are subject to a popular vote for ratification.
Militia: Person who has a military profession.
Statute of Autonomy: Juridical regime to which persons are subject in relation to the territory.
Coalition of the Left: Union of leftist parties.
Vertical Unions: Unions formed by employers to defend their interests.
UCD: Centrodemocratico political party whose leader during the democratic transition was Adolfo Suarez.
TOP (Tribunal de Orden Público): (Public Order Court) A court established by Franco to prosecute opposition offenses.
Prior Censorship: Censorship established before the publication of newspapers.
Openings (Aperturismo): Policy or ideological shift friendly to innovation.
Legal Strike: A strike allowed by law.
Bunker: During the transition, the social sector that defended the return of dictatorship.
Constituent Courts: Courts whose purpose is to create a new constitution.
Maquis: Guerrillas of the Franco dictatorship who hid in the mountains and were searched for.
Economic Terms
Currency: Foreign currency.
Autarky: Political system based on self-reliance and the integration of the state and national economy.
Autorquia: Economic policy of fascisms aimed at the self-sufficiency of an economic system with the reduction of imports through fiscal, monetary, and customs measures, and the exploitation of own resources.
Trade Balance: The difference between exports and imports. It registers a country’s imports and exports over a period of time. Imports refer to the costs that individuals, companies, or the government of a country pay for goods and services produced in other countries. Exports are goods and services produced in the country and sold and shipped to customers in other countries.
Ideological Terms
Catholicism: One of the ideological foundations of the Franco regime, which considered all Spanish people to be Catholic.
Key Events and Agreements
Objectives of the Democratic Board
- Formation of a provisional government
- Amnesty for political prisoners
- Legalization of political parties and unions
- Popular vote on the form of state
- Integration of Spain into the European communities
U.S. Role in Commercial Relations with Spain (Madrid Pact)
In 1950, the UN recommended the isolation of Spain. In 1953, bilateral agreements were signed in which the U.S. allowed the installation of U.S. military bases in Spain in exchange for economic aid. The U.S. alliance was strengthened with Eisenhower’s visit to Spain.
Causes of the Spanish Economic Expansion in the 1960s
To smooth the effects of the stabilization plan, Spain received state aid from the IMF and private banking in the USA. The government used these aids to increase the GNP and capital income and integrate the economy into the international circuit. Since 1961, after cutting the deficit in the state and receiving abundant foreign investment, Spain experienced rapid economic growth marked by quick industrial growth. Industrial development unleashed a huge rural exodus and high importance of goods in trade. Spain reached a surplus in its balance of payments through the revenue of the spectacular development of tourism. The final 1961-1973 period was characterized by economic development and a European and global expansion. This context allowed for a massive influx of tourists and the elimination of unemployment, but the main beneficiaries were the banks and large industrial groups.