Understanding Spain’s Political History: From the Second Republic to Franco’s Dictatorship
TEXT COMMENTARY Nº17
BACKGROUND
In order to fully understand this document we must take into account some significant events that happened previous to it. Firstly, that the radical reforms, as the secularization of the State, carried out during the 2nd Spanish Republic, which was proclaimed the 14th April 1931, shaped a strong conservative opposition formed by the army, employers, land-owners and the Church. It was a period of instability and conflicts, such as the Revolution of October 1934 or the Scandal of Estraperlo, that led to the elections on February 1936. They were won by a coalition of leftist parties and groups called Popular Front. Although, the Spanish population was utterly polarized and the increasingly tense situation ended on a National military uprising against the Republican government the 18th July 1936, that triggered the Civil War. After the fall of the republican
North and Catalonia by February 1939, it was clear that the Nationals were going to win the war so the Republican government accepted surrender as long as Franco guaranteed there would be no reprisals against the defeated Republicans. Nevertheless, Franco rejected it and pursued a policy of institutionalized revenge against them.
This Law of Political Responsibilities was published in Burgos, capital of the National territory, and was one of the first repressive measures taken by Franco against the supporters of the 2nd Republic. This law declared guilty of the crime of military rebellion all those who were members of the Popular Front from October 1934 and all those who opposed or didn’t help in the Nationals uprising from the 17th July 1936. Moreover, the law was retroactive so it could be applied back to October 1934 and established fines and expropriations, from 100 pesetas to expropriation of all their goods, to defendants and their families, even if they were deceased or disappeared. Furthermore, additional penalties included the restriction of professional activities, limitation of freedom of residence and even the loss of Spanish nationality. The tribunals in charge of judging respondents were formed by representatives of the army, the Magistracy and the Falange Española Tradicionalista de las J.O.N.S., which was the only legal party, since all the other were outlawed for not supporting the National Movement. Thus, according to this law, those parties and groups associated would lose all their goods and rights.
TEXT COMMENTARY Nº19
BACKGROUND
In order to fully understand this document we must take into account that after the Civil War Francisco Franco established a dictatorship and supported the fascist Axis powers during the 2nd World War. After they were defeated and Spain became the last dictatorship in Europe, the democratic countries banned Spain’s entry in the UN. In view of the isolation and devastation of the Post War Spain, an autarchic model was set, although it didn’t prove very effective as there were shortages, rationing and black market. Even if opposition during this period was weak, the maquis’ guerrillas and the strike convoked in Biscayan industry in 1947 by the opposition in exile are remarkable. In the 50’s there was an economic recovery since two major agreements were signed in 1953: the Concordat with the Vatican and the most important, the Pacts of Madrid with the USA, in which due to the Cold War Spain received economic aid because of its strategic location near the USSR and the anticommunist stance. In 1957 Franco appointed the technocrats as new hegemonic group, who were members of the Opus Dei with great knowledge on economy, and that in 1959 began the Stabilization Plan to adapt Spanish economy to the capitalist model. They thought that the economic improvement would end the opposition to francoism but it kept growing. Technocrats soon saw the advantages of entering the European Common Market, however, as in the NATO and the European Community, their request were rejected due to the necessity of political changes.
They did a second request in 1962, which was being discussed in Munich the 7th and 8th June, when the event known as Munich conspiracy took place. 118 Spanish politicians of all trends, both from inside Spain and in exile, such as Salvador de Madariaga, Satrústegui or Gil Robles, denounced in the Congress held in Munich the antidemocratic situation that Spain was living and asked for the removal of the Francoist regime, even accepting a monarchy before Franco. The resolution was that to join the European Common Market, Spain had to establish genuine democratic institutions, guarantee rights of personal freedom, expression and suppress censorship, recognize different regions and unions, since there was only one union called the Vertical Syndicate, and legalize political parties, since the only legal one was the Falange. It also asked that the Spanish delegates didn’t suffer any repression when returning to Spain.
TEXT COMMENTARY Nº21
BACKGROUND
In order to fully understand this document we must take into account some significant events that happened previous to it. Firstly, that soon after the Civil War began in 1936, the Republican Cortes approved the first Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country to get the PNV’s support in the War. The Statute led to the creation of the first Basque Government and the election of the first lehendakari, Jose Antonio Aguirre, leader of the PNV. The Statute only worked in Biscay and a part of Gipuzkoa, as Alava joined the National uprising and Gipuzkoa was soon conquered. However, in June 1937 Bilbao was conquered by the Nationals and Franco suppressed the Statute of Autonomy and the Economic Agreements of Biscay and Gipuzkoa as a revenge. The Basque government had to go into exile, from where they intended to continue governing Euskadi, and so did the Republican government in 1939 when the Republican troops were defeated. The Basque government in exile and other political forces helped the fight against the fascist Axis during the 2nd World War. The war turned in favour of the Allies in December 1941 when the USA entered the War, and by March 1945 the triumph of Western democracies was evident, therefore, the Basque Government was convinced that in gratitude for their help in the war, the Allies would remove Franco from power.
When the Republican government went into exile, disputes and clashes appeared between the various factions. They reached the PSOE, the members of the Republican party of the Basque Government and the ANV, which affected the Basque nationalists. So, in order to maintain the unity of the Basques, the pact of Bayonne was signed the 31st March 1945 by political and union organizations in exile to ratify their union around the Basque Government. Moreover, it stated the confidence of the organizations in the government and their compromise to collaborate and advice it, respecting and defending the Basque people’s wills. The forces committed to support the people, political parties and unions of Spain in their struggle against the dictatorship established after the National victory in 1939 and against any attempt of restoring monarchy.