Franco’s Spain: Domestic and Foreign Policies
Domestic Policy Under Franco
- Franco concentrated all power in his own hands, with the support of the only official political party: Falange.
- The Constitution of 1931 was replaced by a new set of laws dictated by Franco.
- Power was centralized and regionalism was suppressed. The use of languages other than Spanish, such as Catalan, Basque, and Galician, was also prohibited.
- In 1969, Franco designated Juan Carlos de Borbón as his successor.
- During the 1940s and 1950s, a UN-imposed embargo forced Spain
The Catholic Monarchs: Unifying Spain Through Marriage and Conquest
The Spanish Monarchy of the Catholic Monarchs
The marriage of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon gave rise to the Spanish monarchy. This was a dynastic union of two crowns, where each kingdom continued to be governed by its own laws, forming a state composed of territories that shared only a single monarchy. The laws, currency, institutions, and courts of each kingdom remained distinct within the new monarchy, with laws requiring signatures from representatives of both kingdoms.
The Catholic
Read MoreKey Figures and Milestones in History
Major Achievements of Influential People
Dr. Charles Drew
- Separated blood into cells and plasma, revolutionizing blood banks and transfusion techniques.
- Trained Black surgeons.
Lise Meitner
- First female professor of physics in Germany.
- Contributed to the discovery of nuclear fission, explaining how uranium atoms split when bombarded with neutrons.
Katherine Johnson
- Helped launch the first American in space and supported John Glenn’s orbital mission.
- Developed navigation equations for spaceflight return trajectories.
Key Cold War Events & 21st-Century Conflicts
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major diplomatic confrontation during the Cold War. Cuba agreed to install Soviet nuclear missiles on its territory. Intense negotiations between President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev led to the Soviets agreeing not to install the missiles.
Vietnam War (1955-1975)
A military conflict affecting North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The United States was involved from 1964-1973, ultimately withdrawing due to factors including
Pankhurst, Fascism, Auschwitz, 1929 Crash & New Deal
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928)
Emmeline Pankhurst, the British suffragette, was born in Manchester. As a young woman, she joined the British Labour Party. Along with her daughter Christabel, she founded the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903. This group pressured the government to grant women the right to vote. The group’s methods were sometimes violent, including destruction of property and arson, which led to Pankhurst being jailed several times. After World War I, Pankhurst moved to Canada.
Read MoreSpain’s Progressive Biennium & Unionist Government (1854-1868)
The Progressive Biennium (1854-1856)
The elections were called under the laws of 1837, which allowed a progressive majority and the first appearance in Parliament by some House Democrats. The new government tried to restore the principles of progressivism. It also prepared a new constitution (1856), which failed to be enacted, and in 1854 drafted a progressive Councils Act in which mayors were elected by sufragio (suffrage). The most important action of the progressive government was the resumption
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