Franco’s Regime: Political Evolution and Socio-Economic Impact
Ideological and Political Evolution of Franco’s Regime
After the victory in the Civil War, which spread to the whole of Spain, a state was established whose foundations had been laid in the “nationalist zone” during the conflict. These can be summarized as follows:
- Concentration of political power in Franco. The “unwavering commitment” to the Caudillo was the key element of the whole political edifice of Francoism.
- Defense of the “unity of the homeland.” Refusal of any political autonomy of the regions
Interwar Period: 1919-1939 – From Prosperity to Depression
The Interwar Period: 1919 – 1939
The Roaring Twenties
The decade of the 1920s marked the beginning of US economic hegemony, to the detriment of the United Kingdom. During the 1920s, there was significant economic growth in the US, years during which the consumer society emerged.
The Crisis of 1929
It started in the US, which was a major economic power since 1919, because:
- Up to 45% of the world’s gold reserves were in the US.
- Many European countries were indebted to them (war loans).
1919-1929 saw great
Read MoreFranco Regime: Political, Economic, and Social Development (1939-1959)
The Franco Regime: Political, Economic, and Social Development to 1959
Ideological Foundations, Social and Political
The new system introduced in 1939 had very clear ideological foundations from the outset:
- Concentration of political power in Franco. The “unwavering commitment” to the Leader was the key element of the whole political edifice of Franco.
- Anticommunism. This factor was critical from the onset of the Civil War. The Cold War between the U.S. and the USSR since 1945 further strengthened this
The Bourbon Dynasty in Spain: 18th Century Politics and Conflicts
The War of Succession and the Treaty of Utrecht
In 1700, Charles II, the last king of the Habsburg dynasty, died childless. The two candidates with the most rights to the throne were Archduke Charles of Austria and Philip of Anjou of the House of Bourbon (grandson of Louis XIV of France), whom Charles II had appointed heir. In 1701, Philip V became king, opposed by the Austrian Empire, England, Holland, and Portugal, who supported Archduke Charles, fearing the union of France and Spain under a single
Read MoreSpain’s Turbulent 19th Century: Absolutism, Liberalism, and the Carlist Wars
The Ominous Decade (1823-1833)
The liberal regime did not fall because of internal conflicts or divisions, but because of the actions of the Holy Alliance. Heeding the calls of Fernando VII, the Holy Alliance commissioned France (at the Congress of Verona in 1822) to intervene in Spain. In April 1823, about 100,000 troops (the Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis), under the Duke of Angoulême, broke into Spanish territory and restored Fernando VII as an absolute monarch.
Alarmed by the continuing turmoil
Read MoreFranco’s 1967 Organic Law: Spain’s Regime
Classification
This is an expository and political source text. The recipient is the public, and it is national in scope. Its author is Francisco Franco, an Africanist general who had a major intervention in the revolt of July 1936. He was named generalissimo, and at the end of the war, he established a dictatorship until the end of his days. The text is set in 1967, a period of economic development in the Franco regime.
Item Analysis: Organic Act of the State
Ideas:
- Culminates law institutionalizing