Who was Francisco Franco Quizlet?
Francisco Franco Balaguer was a Spanish general, politician, and statesman who served as the dictator of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1945. He is often remembered as one of the most ruthless and power-hungry leaders in Spanish history.
Early Life and Education
Francisco Franco was born on January 3, 1892, in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. His father, Francisco Balaguer, was a civil servant, and his mother, María Poveda, was a peasant woman. Franco’s family was considered to be of humble origins, but they were able to educate their children to a high level.
Franco attended the Escuela Secundaria Sagrés-Tagus, a private school in Madrid, where he studied philosophy and literature. He later attended the Real Academia de San Fernando, a prestigious military academy, where he graduated in 1914 with a degree in philosophy and literature.
Military Career
Franco’s military career began in 1916, when he joined the Serguen Archduke Regiment. He quickly rose through the ranks and became a commandant of the regiment. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco was involved in several military campaigns, including the Battle of Bayonne and the Battle of Ordesa.
Dictatorship and Repression
In 1939, Franco was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, marking the beginning of his dictatorship. He quickly established a fascist regime, characterized by oppressive rule, censorship, and repression of opposition.
Franco’s regime was marked by mass executions, trials, and flogging of perceived -counter-revolutionaries. He also implemented a reduction in civil liberties, including writings, art, and public debates.
Key Figures and Alliances
Franco’s regime was characterized by tight alliances with other fascist powers, including Italy and Germany. He also shunned attempts to form alliances with socialist or Republican factions.
- **Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator, was Franco’s close ally and confidant.
- **Hermann Göring, the German Reichsmarschall, was also a close friend and supporter.
- **Goffredo Amicitia, the leader of the Gran Colgor, a fascist youth organization, was a key advisor to Franco.
Economic Policies
Franco’s regime implemented a nationalist economic policy, which aimed to foster the state-owned sector and protect the integrated state-owned economy.
- **The Mule project was a planned industrialization project that aimed to institute forced migration to North Africa.
- **Gandura was a state-owned ministry of mines that aimed to reorganize the state-owned coal mines.
Legislative and Judicial Changes
Franco’s regime implemented a repressive legislative system, which aimed to limit the rights of the oppressed classes, including the peasants and the minorities.
- **The Law of Law was a law passed in 1939 that allowed for extrajudicial executions of suspected counter-revolutionaries.
- **The Law of Registration was a law passed in 1939 that allowed for individual identification and determined listings of suspected counter-revolutionaries.
Assassination and Legacy
Franco’s regime was eventually overthrown in 1939, after a small group of resistors and American, British, and French governments (including the Special Council of London and the United States government) attempted to recruit his army to their cause. On January 17, 1939, Franco was shot by his own servants in the morning.
Franco died on August 16, 1945, after a slow and painful recovery from his injuries. He was succeeded by Francisco Largo, a duque and prime minister.
Francisco Franco’s Legacy
Franco’s legacy is marked by a complex scar that has persisted for over six decades. His regime’s brutality, repression, and oppression of the Spanish people have left a deep emotional wound.
- **The Spanish Civil War resulted in the deaths of approximately 500,000 people, and the exile of three million.
- **Franco’s regime was responsible for the torture and executions of thousands of Spanish citizens, including countless journalists, artists, and intellectuals.
- **The Spanish economy was devastated by the war, and the removal of foreign capital and sovereign wealth left the country in a tough economic position.
Conclusion
Francisco Franco was a ruthless and power-hungry leader who implemented a repressive regime that resulted in significant human suffering. His legacy serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of Authoritarianism and Neoliberalism. Despite the controversy surrounding his regime, Franco’s own memory is often disguised as a heroic figure, buried under layers of justice and evil.