Franco ’s control of Spain during the years 1939-1975
Alexander Levitt
General Franco, the Caudillo of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975, was in theory a very powerful leader with complete control of the Spanish government, and very significant control over the Spanish people. Under the principle of Caudillaje, enshrined in article 7 of the Law of 9 th August 1939, he had ‘supreme authority for issuing legal norms of a general character’, and could make ‘Laws or Decrees even without previous dis cussion in cabinet’, issuing 52 or more secret decrees by late 1944. 1 The Cortes held minimal control and almost always approved bills. 2 Furthermore, his public presentation suggested power: coins were inscribed with the words ‘Caudillo by the grace of God’. Franco was able to maintain his position as Caudillo, originally meaning ‘chieftain’, in the face of opposition from left - wing, democratic and monarchist groups, international hostility, and challenges from within his support base, through a mixture of repression, political cunning and concessions. 3 However, this essay argues that it is also clear that he faced limitations to his control: he made concessions to the USA and the Catholic Church, and public opinion increasingly was out of his control. Nevertheless, Franco retained sufficient control to achieve what became his main aim, to remain Caudillo, due to repression (with the army largely supportive of him), propaganda, and policy concessions. 4 Franco successfully kept control in the face of left-wing and pro-democracy opposition, which posed no major threat to his rule. The Law of Political Responsibility adopted in February 1939, months before the complete conquest of Spain by Falangist forces, allowed the regime to prosecute individuals guilty of support for the Republican government – active or passive – since 1934; prosecutions under this law continued until 1966. A system of informers, who included local clergy and provincial governors, was used to gather information about specific individuals: thus, potential opposition to the regime could be sought out and dealt with. Consequently, between the end of the war in the summer of 1939 and 1943, 200,000 Republicans had been executed or had died in prison under the Law of Political Responsibility. Other forms of repression under this law included the confiscation of property, restrictions on employment, or exile. This and other laws – that of ‘state security’ and ‘repression of masonry and communism’ – were used successfully to repress left-wing political opposition: with 87% of those given longer prison sentences being ex-politicians, Franco used the powerful instruments of repression, which included the army, the Civil Guard and the Falange, to neutralize potential threats to his power from the left. 5 The Catholic Church, which is to be discussed later, was of some use to Franco’s control of the influence of the left by purging of educational institutions of individuals with left-wing views: as significant segments of the Church had felt under threat from anti-clericalism during the Republic, and, albeit with exceptions, embraced Franco, Franco was able to hold greater control over the Spanish 1 Vinas 2016: 146. 2 Garcia-Alvarez 1975: 115. 3 Preston 2020: 264. 4 That his primary aim was so is demonstrated by the later-discussed bases agreement with the USA – Preston 2020: 400. 5 Casanova 2010: 93-97.
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