Huevos

He was a far more radical Fascist than Franco. The idea of him leading Spain to democracy is absurd.

elfman

ahem:

Although Spain remained formally neutral throughout World War II, it remained ideologically aligned with the Nazis in Germany and the Fascists in Italy. There was also a "debt" for the help that these regimes had given to Military Uprising. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Franco, pressured by the Germans, offered Spanish manpower to help in civilian warwork and military volunteers to fight against the Bolsheviks.

This was accepted by Hitler and, within two weeks, there were more than enough volunteers to form a division - the Blue Division or División Azul under Agustín Muñoz Grandes - including an air force squadron - the Blue Squadron. The Blue Division trained in Germany and served, with distinction, in the Siege of Leningrad, notably at the Battle of Krasny Bor, where General Infantes with 6,000 men threw back some 30,000 Soviet troops. In October 1943, under severe Allied diplomatic pressure, the Blue Division was ordered home leaving a token force until March 1944. In all, about 45,000 Spanish served on the Eastern Front, mostly committed volunteers, and 4,500 died.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Division

Jules Europe

He may have been the power behind Franco and the one that controlled the regime. The point being that in order for him to survive he would have had to adopt a more democratic approach given the changing political climate and how far Spain had fallen behind much of Western Europe at this time. I am sure he would have been devious enough to have done this. As for how his relation with the Opus Dei would have fitted into this well that is open to speculation.

THR

Is there any nostalgia in Spain for that era? People tend to think how things were always much better in the bygone decades when they were young.

Does any politician speak highly of Franco and his era or would that be a political suicide?

betris

I cant remember where it is.but there is still a franco museum some where in spain

betris

If I recall but I could remember it wrong.there were only a couple of ways you could speak out against the goverment in the dark days.one was to support the peoples football team I think it was barcelona.as one team supported franco and the goverment ant the other team represented the people.and the fires fiesta in valencia where your paper mashy statues what ever they are called could slag off the goverment in art form but not verbaly.possibly there were more ways but I dont know.

Relampago

Is it of this way as supposedly USA helped Spain, or for their interests? With air bases? Don't have sense here the American presence, I believe that it was insulting, because the dictatorship made the same thing exactly. They didn't not only help when they should make it, in the year 36, but rather they also came shamelessly to my country, paying remiss attention to the dictatorship to place their bases and to satisfy their interests. The situation cannot be more repugnant

Jules Europe

Correctly said The USA just came to Spain to build air bases and establish a military prescence here and certainly didn`t care whether a dictatorship was here or not. All was done for the benefit of the USA and not Spain. Something by the way, the US like any other major power is only too fond of doing.

gallerie9

In our small village many people were affected by the dictator and many had family members killed by the "spies". Some still hold grudges against certain familys.
This year they had a memorial for the people murdered in the period and all the names were read by the children from the schools it was very moving.

baz259

Hi, where I live, Denia, in the castle where franco kept his prisoners, there are names scratched on the flagstones which appear to have dates as late as the 50’s.
An urban myth (mito urbano) is that on the road out of Denia to Javea by the lighthouse this is where Frabco forced the Freemasons to crawl on hands and knees to the edge and then threw them over the edge. Does anyone know if this is true?
barry

Huevos

In 1936 the USA had different leaders and there was no concept of a world war even if there was trouble brewing in Europe.

In the 1950's the US did a trade. 3 US air base in return for removal of Spanish isolation from the outside world. You need need to remember the US was paranoid about the fanatical left in that era so any right wing springboard that could be gained was a bonus even if it was run by a Fascist dictatorship. The lifting of isolation allowed the general public a higher standard of living as well as access to medicine, etc. The truth is sanctions have never and will never work. They only increase the suffering of the poor of the country involved and rarely lead to political change in the right direction.

Jules Europe

Do you really believe the general public had a higher standard living??? Guess thats why so many Spaniards were still looking to leave the country

You say that "The US was paranoid about the fanatical left in that ERA" Well let me tell you something and it may surprise you but the US is still paranoid to this very day.

jackytoo

There were atrocities on both sides as there is with all Civil wars. Depends which books are read. (not that I am siding with Franco). American bases are still here.

Jules Europe

Of course they are still here!!! Because this is what super powers do establish bases wherever they can. Also its part of the NATO thing as well.

Huevos

I've got enough Spanish family members that lived in Spain in that era to know that the standard of living went up after the trade blockade came to an end.