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

The 1959 Stabilization Plan and Economic Modernization

The government that was formed in February 1957, largely composed of members of Opus Dei (technocrats), committed firmly to a clear liberalizing policy aimed at economic modernization. This led to the implementation of the Stabilization Plan. This Plan was published in 1959, facing opposition from the Falange and Franco’s own indebted sectors.

Implementation and Objectives

The Stabilization Plan consisted of a package of economic measures whose objective was to create healthy economic development and better integration into the world market. The International Monetary Fund granted a loan valued at U.S. $544 million dollars.

Through the Stabilization Plan, the government intended to liberalize...

The May 1937 Crisis and Republican Tensions

In the spring of 1937, a series of military failures revived the confrontation between Republican forces regarding how the revolutionary process should align with the war effort. One sector, formed by republicans, communists, and socialists, favored organizing a powerful army. Another sector, consisting of anarchists and the POUM, was reluctant to integrate their militias into the regular army, insisting that the effort to win the war required deepening and consolidating revolutionary collectivization.

On 3 May 1937, tensions erupted violently in Barcelona when government forces evicted anarchists who had occupied the Telefónica building to monitor communications. The May events highlighted two major...

Ferdinand VII: Absolutism, Liberalism, and Crisis (1814-1833)

Upon the conclusion of the War of Independence, Ferdinand VII returned to Spain, entering the province of Girona. From the moment of his return, absolutists advised him to nullify the work of the Cortes of Cádiz.

The Restoration of Absolute Monarchy

To encourage the King to restore the absolute monarchy, 69 absolutist MPs presented him with a document known as the Manifesto of the Persians (Manifiesto de los Persas). In May 1814, Ferdinand VII annulled the 1812 Constitution and its challenging provisions, confirming the abolition of jurisdictional rights (señoríos).

Ferdinand VII entered Madrid, and his reign can be broadly divided into three stages. Initially, the King persecuted...

The Spanish Transition and the 1978 Constitution

1. Introduction

• The shift from dictatorship to democracy was a difficult and complex process.
• The dictatorship had its own constituent process.
• The term "democratic transition" describes this era.
• The key element was consensus.

2. Documents

Historical records and primary sources regarding the transition period.

3. Vocabulary

Key terms: transition, organic democracy, Moncloa Pacts, consensus, ETA, Franco, GRAPO, coup, nonpartisan constitution, eclectic constitution.

4. Background

The transition was made possible by several factors:

• Historical context (Second Republic, Francoism, the 1960s).
• A favorable international environment.
• Support from the Church, the State, banking, civil leadership, and the general

Family Policies and Power Dynamics in Franco's Spain

Within a complete subordination to the Leader, there were different families or groups with different political sensitivity, never parties, as in the Franco regime political parties were banned. Falange was only allowed, but defining it as a party was banned so that became known as the National Movement. Each family tried to influence the decisions of Franco, and the ability of this was to entrust parcels to conveniently measures, supported successively one family or another as appropriate at all times, moving from the foreground to those made uncomfortable by some internal or external reason and thus ensured their presence in power unchallenged. When a scandal broke out in some way be attributed...

The Francoist State: Ideology, Structure, and Evolution

Ideological Foundations and Social Support

The Francoist state was founded upon specific ideological foundations and relied on distinct social supports. Its political evolution was heavily influenced by the external environment, moving from initial international isolation to eventual recognition. A critical consequence of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent political division was the significant loss of population due to the Republican exile.

The new political system was fundamentally based on the division between the winners and the losers of the Civil War, resulting in an estimated 500,000 deaths during the conflict and the immediate postwar period.

Key Features of the Francoist Political

Prolegomena of War: The Road to Global Conflict

The League of Nations and democratic powers were largely ineffective against the annexations of imperialist countries and the totalitarian politics of appeasement. Key events leading to the Second World War include:

1. 1931-1932: Japan Invades Manchuria. Democracies did not respond effectively, which marked the beginning of Japan's invasion of China.
2. 1935-1936: Italian and German Expansion. Italy invaded Ethiopia, and Germany reoccupied the Rhineland. Again, democracies failed to respond decisively. Hitler allied with Fascist Italy, creating the Rome-Berlin Axis, which later expanded to include Japan, forming the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis. Germany and Italy also lent their support to Franco's coup in Spain,

1917 February Revolution: Tsar's Downfall

The February Revolution of 1917 displaced the autocracy of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last Tsar, and intended to install a liberal republic. This revolution occurred almost spontaneously when the people of Petrograd protested against the Tsarist regime due to a food shortage in the city. There was also great dissatisfaction with Russia's involvement in the First World War. As the protests grew, many reformist politicians (both liberal and far-left) began to coordinate their activities. In early February, the protests became violent as citizens rioted and clashed with police and soldiers. When the bulk of the troops stationed in the capital joined the uprising, it became a revolution, forcing the...

The Devastating Effects of World War II

The effects of World War II on the human, material, and moral fabric of society were devastating, especially in Europe, marking a definitive decline in many aspects.

Human Loss and Impact

• Loss of Life: The conflict extended globally, resulting in approximately 55 million killed, 35 million wounded, and three million missing. Most casualties were civilians.
• The most affected country was the Soviet Union, followed by Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
• Another significant human effect was the large-scale population movements across continents.

Moral Effects and Justice

The war caused severe trauma and profoundly questioned the ethical values of the population. This included atrocities such as the genocide committed...

Spain Under Franco: International Acceptance

Franco's regime benefited from the Cold War, and its international presence began to attract more interest from anti-communist powers. In 1950, the UN normalized relations with Western countries. Spain was admitted to international organizations such as the FAO and UNESCO, signed a concordat with the Holy See, and signed military treaties with the United States.

Economic Takeoff and Technocratic Reform

Economically, Spain began its takeoff, ending autarky and moving past its status as a semi-agricultural country. As Franco's dictatorship was consolidated, a change of government run by Carrero Blanco in 1951 marked the return of the Falange. Spain eventually reached its highest per capita income of the...