Cult of Personalities: Part 4 In other news, Francisco Franco is still alive
One skit that SNL used to love to act out in the 1970s was when they did the news on Francisco Franco still being alive after so many years in power. Francisco Franco would overthrow the democratic republic of Spain in 1939 after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). A precursor to the next world war that would follow in 1939, Franco successfully aligned himself with Hitler in a way that he did not have to participate in World War II. Mussolini did not get this added benefit; Hitler required Mussolini to fight even after Mussolini gave up on the cause. The Spanish Civil War was bloody and was fought between the far-left wing and the Spanish fascists (Franco would fight alongside other fascists. After the war he would establish the Falangist regime and brutally crackdown on left-wing dissidents. It would not be until the 21st century where is legacy would be dismantled along with everything he fought for in Spain.
Franco was born to a Catholic mother and military father in 1892. He would come to be very disciplined and joined the army at the age of 14. In 1912 he would serve in Spanish Morocco and fight become a national hero subduing them. He would fight in Morocco until 1926 and be promoted to brigadier general in 1928. Over the next six years he was put on the inactive list due to new military reforms, but he would gain fame again by subduing a Asturian miner revolt in Spain. Franco would eventually become disgruntled with the democratic republic of Spain after sending him to the Canary Islands. He continued watching the social and economic conditions deteriorate under the leftist government. In 1936, Francisco Franco would instigate a military rebellion; he would become generalissimo of nationalist forces. He received much aid and military assistance from both Italy and Germany at the time. The left would gain support from the Soviet Union and all leftist sympathizers.
The war would be bloody and gruesome on all accounts. The nationalist forces executed thousands of prisoners of war, and he would kill many after the war. Franco won the war and established a new Falangist regime within Spain. He restored the monarchy to its position of power, but as World War II broke out he declared neutrality. After watching the Fall of France in 1940, Franco told Hitler he would join the Axis if he provided them huge military and economic assistance. Hitler out rightly refused. After the War Spain was ostracized by the West because they had the only "Fascist" dictator left. They were also providing refuge to known Nazi officials that were responsible for the deaths of thousands. Nonetheless, the western powers would eventually need assistance from Spain as a crucial ally against the Soviet Union. All was forgiven and forgotten. Some liberal reforms took place after 1960 during the creative evolution, but traditional roles in society were still maintained. Women were still supposed to be seen as caretakers and work in the home. After his death in 1975 the economy improved quite drastically, and a constitutional monarchy was created.
Franco is responsible for the imprisonment of thousands of dissidents and also the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of people including new born children. They were removed from their parents. While it does seem he successfully destroyed most registry of Spanish Jews he did create a name list of them and gave that list to Hitler. He was a man that wanted the Spanish people to adore him, but they would luckily forget about him a night after his death by restoring democracy. People seem to healing well from his oppressive regime by the removal of statues and putting them in museums. There is also a new plan to change his mausoleum into a museum for the victims he killed and abused. Many books are being written about the "dissidents" survival after the war and the hope that was maintained. While even after the war Franco would be head of state until 1975, but it eventually ended for the people of Spain. A man that killed thousands to maintain "order" and preserve economic prosperity is a man too blind to the suffering around him. I almost want to make note and add that just because he did not kill millions like Stalin and Mao did, one death is still too many. I will say though that Franco does have maybe the coolest looking mausoleum out of any dictator that I know. You should definitely check it out.
Recommended books
-Franco: A Personal and Political Biography by Stanley Payne and Jesus Palacios
-Franco: A biography by Paul Preston
Franco was born to a Catholic mother and military father in 1892. He would come to be very disciplined and joined the army at the age of 14. In 1912 he would serve in Spanish Morocco and fight become a national hero subduing them. He would fight in Morocco until 1926 and be promoted to brigadier general in 1928. Over the next six years he was put on the inactive list due to new military reforms, but he would gain fame again by subduing a Asturian miner revolt in Spain. Franco would eventually become disgruntled with the democratic republic of Spain after sending him to the Canary Islands. He continued watching the social and economic conditions deteriorate under the leftist government. In 1936, Francisco Franco would instigate a military rebellion; he would become generalissimo of nationalist forces. He received much aid and military assistance from both Italy and Germany at the time. The left would gain support from the Soviet Union and all leftist sympathizers.
The war would be bloody and gruesome on all accounts. The nationalist forces executed thousands of prisoners of war, and he would kill many after the war. Franco won the war and established a new Falangist regime within Spain. He restored the monarchy to its position of power, but as World War II broke out he declared neutrality. After watching the Fall of France in 1940, Franco told Hitler he would join the Axis if he provided them huge military and economic assistance. Hitler out rightly refused. After the War Spain was ostracized by the West because they had the only "Fascist" dictator left. They were also providing refuge to known Nazi officials that were responsible for the deaths of thousands. Nonetheless, the western powers would eventually need assistance from Spain as a crucial ally against the Soviet Union. All was forgiven and forgotten. Some liberal reforms took place after 1960 during the creative evolution, but traditional roles in society were still maintained. Women were still supposed to be seen as caretakers and work in the home. After his death in 1975 the economy improved quite drastically, and a constitutional monarchy was created.
Franco is responsible for the imprisonment of thousands of dissidents and also the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of people including new born children. They were removed from their parents. While it does seem he successfully destroyed most registry of Spanish Jews he did create a name list of them and gave that list to Hitler. He was a man that wanted the Spanish people to adore him, but they would luckily forget about him a night after his death by restoring democracy. People seem to healing well from his oppressive regime by the removal of statues and putting them in museums. There is also a new plan to change his mausoleum into a museum for the victims he killed and abused. Many books are being written about the "dissidents" survival after the war and the hope that was maintained. While even after the war Franco would be head of state until 1975, but it eventually ended for the people of Spain. A man that killed thousands to maintain "order" and preserve economic prosperity is a man too blind to the suffering around him. I almost want to make note and add that just because he did not kill millions like Stalin and Mao did, one death is still too many. I will say though that Franco does have maybe the coolest looking mausoleum out of any dictator that I know. You should definitely check it out.
Recommended books
-Franco: A Personal and Political Biography by Stanley Payne and Jesus Palacios
-Franco: A biography by Paul Preston
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