Francisco Franco
aka El Caudillo (The Leader)
And the causes and effects of the
Spanish Civil War
Background of Franco
 Born December 4th, 1892
 Family was conservative upper-middle class,
Roman Catholic
 Entered military academy at age 14 and continued
his military career throughout his life
 Married with one daughter
 Stationed in Morocco and in 1923 becomes a
national hero for ending the Moroccan revolt
The Beginnings of the Civil War
 1931-The Spanish monarchy falls when King
Alfonso XIII abdicates and goes into exile. The
monarchy had been weak for some time, but was
kept in power by a military dictatorship.
 Different groups within Spain fight for control,
meanwhile the country falls into economic
depression with the rest of the world.
 By 1936, the leftist party (The Popular Front) have
won control of the government.
A Quick Guide to the “Parties”
 Republicans: This group had the support of
the Soviet Union and Mexico. Also called
Loyalists, The Popular Front, The
Government and Reds (by their enemies)
 Nationalists: This group had the support of
Italy, Germany and Portugal. These were
the “rebels” lead by Franco. Basis of the
party were the ideas of the Falange
War Begins
 Nationalists plot to overthrow the government,
Franco decides to join the rebellion.
 The civil war begins when military rebellion is
announced.
 The far right party, Falange, looks to Hitler and
Mussolini for support.
 The Civil War lasts around 3 years, during that
time, Franco sets up a joint German-Italian staff
and unites the Nationalists.
 The Catholic Church supports the Nationalists and
Gerneralisimo Franco.
The Horror of War
 One of the most notorious actions of the war-the
bombing of the Guernica in 1937
 Guernica was targeted because it was the cultural
capital of the Basque people-who had been a
source of resistance against the Nationalists.
 25 German bombers dropped 100,000 pounds of
explosives on the town along with machine gun
fire.
 70% of the town was destroyed and 1,600 people
were killed (about 1/3 of the population)
The End of War
 The war ends on April 1st, 1939 when the
city of Madrid is captured.
 Franco seizes control of the government and
marshall law is declared until 1948.
 Spain is in ruin after the war; war debt,
500,000 people dead and the infrastructure
is destroyed.
Spain After the Civil War
 Franco still “allied” ideologically with
Hitler and Mussolini.
 Spain is more or less neutral in WWIImostly due to the fact that Spain does not
have the military power or money to
contribute.
 Franco is seen as an anti-communist ally to
the United States after WWII.
Importance of the Civil War Outside
of Spain
 Several things come into play:
 Spain is seen as a “rehearsal” for WWII.
 Nazis practice using their weaponry-case in
point would be the fire bombings at Guernica.
 This Civil War becomes a symbol of the
growing world wide struggle between fascism
and democracy.
Spain After the Civil War
 In 1947, the monarchy is reinstated with
Franco as head of the government.
 Franco resigns control of the government in
1973 and dies on Nov. 20th, 1975
Legacy of Franco
 Some in Spain feel Franco did a lot of good for the
country, the majority feel that Franco’s regime was
not so great.
 Repression of political opponents was common in
the Franco regime-up to 100,000 may have been
shot without a trial.
 The world saw Franco as cooperative-Spain was
admitted to the UN in 1955 and was on friendly
terms with the United States.
 Today a democratic Spain chooses to look to the
future and not the past-many crimes committed
are still unknown.
Your Assignments:
 Country Profile #2: Spain
 All (eventually three) country profiles
will be due on Wed. Dec. 17th.
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The Franco Years: 1936-1975
Economic Aspects
Political Aspects
Social/Cultural Aspects
 You must have 15-20 examples for each of the above
categories
 These are exactly the same expectations as for Country
Profile #1: Italy
Your Assignments Continued…
 Compare and Contrast Worksheet:
 Using the template provided/fill out completely
as you compare and contrast Hitler and
Franco.
 Both charts; Stalin/Mussolini and Hitler/Franco
will be checked for credit on Mon. Dec. 8th.