Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for History for Baccalaureate

LAW OF POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES (02-09-1939)

This document is a law written in February 1939 by Francisco Franco. It was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado and is a first-hand text.

Second Republic and 1936 elections

During the Second Republic, which began in 1931, different elections were held. One of them was in 1936, when the victory went to the Popular Front, a pact that grouped all the left-wing parties. After the elections, Manuel Azaña was appointed President of the Republic and a new government was formed under Casares Quiroga. Soon, plots against the government began because it was not accepted by everyone. The Spanish army launched a military uprising that developed into the Civil War.

Division of the country during the Civil

The Early Franco Era: 1939 to 1951

The first stage of the Franco regime is divided into two distinct periods: the years before the protests of 1951 and the years after.

The Influence of Serrano Suñer (1938-1942)

Between 1938 and 1942, Ramón Serrano Suñer served as the Minister of the Interior in the first government. His primary role was to design the fascist state.

The FET y de las JONS was the only formal political party, providing coverage for the government and other agencies, though it never became a true mass movement.

Composition of the Regime

The government was a combination of various factions:

• Ministers from different sectors of the regime, specifically Falangists and the military.
• A Catholic minority represented by the ACNP and Opus Dei.

The Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939

1.1 From Coup to Civil War

On July 17, 1936, the Spanish Civil War began with a military coup led by figures like Juan Yagüe and Francisco Franco against the Popular Front government. The National Uprising, spearheaded by Emilio Mola, took place on July 18 and 19. The insurgents, later known as Nationalists, quickly gained control of the Canary Islands, Morocco, the Balearic Islands, Navarre, Alava, Castile and León, Galicia, Aragon, Cáceres, Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, and Granada. The Republican government, led initially by Santiago Casares Quiroga and then by José Giral, retained control of Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Cantabria, Asturias, part of the Basque Country, the regions of La Mancha, Murcia, Extremadura,...

The Final Years of Francoism in Spain

The period leading up to Francisco Franco's death was marked by significant political shifts and growing challenges to the regime.

Carrero Blanco's Ascent and Assassination

After the Matesa scandal, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco emerged as a key figure, gaining trust and significant ministerial appointments. With Franco's declining health, he delegated more administrative duties to Carrero Blanco. The Franco regime, however, resisted evolution, a fact starkly exemplified by the Burgos Process in 1970, where members of ETA were condemned to death for killing a policeman.

Franco eventually delegated executive functions to Carrero Blanco, appointing him Prime Minister in June 1973. However, Carrero Blanco was tragically...

Stage 2: 1959-1975

Since 1947, the configuration of two antagonistic blocs (the USSR and the USA) and the beginning of the Cold War significantly altered the international situation. Although verbal condemnations of Franco remained, they gradually gave way to international acceptance of the regime. For this reason, in 1951, Franco decided to restructure the government. The new government initiated a period during the Franco era characterized by the predominance of Catholic nationalism, and Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco was named Secretary of the Presidency.

In 1953, Franco received definitive international recognition of the regime with the signing of agreements with the United States and the concordat with the Holy See. The Vatican demanded, in...

The Cold War: Defining an Era of Global Confrontation (1945-1991)

The Cold War concept defines the system of international relations between 1945 and 1991. During this period, the world was divided into two major blocs:

• The Western Bloc: Advocated a democratic political system, capitalist economics, and liberal ideology.
• The Communist Bloc: Favored a totalitarian political system, centrally planned economy, and Marxist ideology.

Each bloc sought to weaken the other through various means of confrontation:

• A continuing arms race, especially regarding nuclear arsenals.
• Espionage conducted by secret services.
• Political and economic pressures exerted on allies and against the opposing bloc.
• Proxy wars located in peripheral areas, with each bloc attempting

The Battle for Madrid: 1936-1937

The Spanish Civil War did not begin as a confrontation between two traditional armies. Instead, the military organization had been dissolved and replaced by popular militias. In Catalonia, volunteers were enlisted in columns with the intention of recovering the Aragonese capital, without success. The failure to recover Mallorca provided a crucial platform for Fascist aviation.

Meanwhile, Nationalist forces, led by General Yagüe, were able to overcome Republican resistance in Badajoz. In the North, General Mola had conquered the area stretching from San Sebastián and Irún towards the center. Franco, after the relief of Toledo on October 1st, advanced to the gates of Madrid.

In Madrid, from October 29th, the population...

Primo de Rivera's Dictatorship (1923–1930)

The dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera began in September 1923. Primo de Rivera, then Captain General of Catalonia, conducted a military coup that met little opposition. King Alfonso XIII accepted the coup and appointed him the first president of a military government called the Directory. The new government seemed to echo a general clamor against the old politics of caciquismo and corruption.

Phases of the Regime

The dictatorship is generally divided into two distinct phases:

1. The Military Directory (1923–1925)

• This phase was intended as a temporary solution where the Prime Minister exercised sole power.
• The state of war was proclaimed.
• The Constitution of 1876 was repealed, and courts were dissolved.

Key Historical Events (1870-1939)

• Second Industrial Revolution: 1870-1930
• Berlin Conference: 1885
• Triple Alliance: 1882
• Triple Entente: 1907
• First World War: 1914-1918
• Peace of Paris: 1919
• Interwar Period: 1919-1939
• Russian Revolution: 1917
• Russian Civil War: 1918-1921
• Creation of the USSR: 1922
• Wall Street Crash: 1929
• Electoral Victory of Roosevelt: 1932
• Founding of the National Fascist Party: 1921

Causes of Imperialism (Late 19th - Early 20th Century)

Imperialism, while present from the 16th to 18th centuries, saw new drivers emerge between 1870 and early 1924. This period, leading up to the First World War, produced significant changes in economic relations. The crisis of 1873-1879 led to the evolution of protectionism, which in turn fueled the need for...

The Spanish Civil War: A Nation Divided

The Spanish Civil War constitutes one of the worst episodes in our identified history. The conflict began with the Popular Front's victory in the elections of February 1936. Conditions of living in Spain had become difficult, marked by multiple social and economic policy tensions. The existence of nationalism within the Spanish state acted with significant strength and little restraint. Soldiers had been key players in several coups, and the poor distribution of land led to increased discontent among farmers. Labor riots and revolutionary malaise were rampant; many could not bear the treatment received in the Second Republic.

The Conspiracy and Republican Response

The conspiracy was disorganized. The most...