S1, E1: At the end of a bloody civil war, Francisco Franco seized power and ruled Spain with an iron hand for nearly four decades. Under his leadership the conservative, monarchist armed forces staged a coup against Spain's republican government which had been democratically elected. The insurrection was supported by Italy and Germany. Three years of bitter civil war followed which, by April 1939, had turned Spain into a different country. The hostilities and political purges cost half a million lives.