The Truth About Franco: Spain's Forgotten Dictatorship

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 Franco myth stands for a cruel regime: for the darkest chapter in Spanish history. Franco gave himself the title of Caudillo de España - Supreme Leader of Spain. He created his own rituals of power: the war hero, the family man, and the mass murderer. Franco was a man of many faces.

At the end of the Second World War the cards in global politics were reshuffled. The Allies now made a clear distinction between the friends and foes of democracy. The situation became critical for Franco because in Spain many suffered from his reign of terror.

In the mid-fifties Franco's foreign policy successes opened up new perspectives for Spain. After years of stagnation the country was now moving forwards. Thus, Franco's rule was legitimized. Resistance fell silent. The dictator sat firmly in the saddle. But along with the new friends, new influences also entered the country.