Franco's Regime: Foundations, Repression, and Ideology

Institutionalization of the Francoist Regime: The Organic Laws

The dictator, who concentrated all power, assumed the constitutional role. Gradually, various organizational laws were approved, forming what came to be known as the Fundamental Laws of the Regime:

• Labour Law (1938)

  This law prohibited free trade unions. Following the Fascist model, the Union Organization was set up as the single trade union controlled by the Falange.

• Constitutive Act of the Cortes (1942)

  The Cortes were elected by indirect suffrage based on various corporations: the family, the municipality, and the union. In practice, these were rigged elections, and elected representatives were those favored by the regime.

• Fuero de los Españoles (Jurisdiction of the Spanish, 1945)

  A theoretical bill of rights and duties imbued with a Catholic traditionalist mentality. It did not involve any real recognition of political or social rights.

• National Referendum Act (1945)

  This law allowed the Head of State to call plebiscites for the people to endorse a law, within a framework of a complete lack of freedoms.

• Law of Succession to the Head of State (1946)

  Spain was declared a "kingdom," and Franco reserved the power to propose his successor. This law was a major disappointment for monarchists who hoped Franco would favor a return to the Bourbon throne.

Repression Under Francoism

The Political Responsibility Act of 1939 was the legal tool used for the harsh repression that followed the end of the war. The number of political prisoners was so great that concentration camps had to be enabled throughout the country. Executions were counted by tens of thousands. The postwar repression led to a climate of widespread terror among much of the population, especially in cities, industrial areas, and the south. This fear explains the weakness of the opposition for many years.

Alliance with Fascist Powers in World War II

On April 7, just after the war, Franco announced Spain's adherence to the Anti-Comintern Pact, the agreement which brought together Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan. In October 1940, after the Nazi invasion of France, a meeting took place between Franco and Hitler that nearly drew Spain into the world conflict. Finally, it did not happen. Hitler did not accept Franco's demands regarding French Morocco, and the incorporation of a war-weary country was not of great interest to the Axis. However, to show support for the fascist powers, Spain sent the Blue Division to fight alongside Nazi troops on the Russian front. The defeats of the Axis powers led to a shift from 1942 onwards.

Creation and Ideology of the Francoist State

The creation of the Francoist state involved a complete concentration of power and was built upon a series of ideological components:

• Anti-Revolutionary Stance

  Targeting everything from the revolutionary left to the extreme bourgeois, labeled as "cells" of opposition.

• Anti-Parliamentarism

  Identified with anti-Spanish sentiment and Marxism, its prominence decreased with World War II.

• National Catholicism

  The Church held significant power, imposing a Catholic morality where public and private "misconduct" was punishable by criminal proceedings.

• Traditionalism

  Identified with the history of Castile, the myths of the Reconquista and empire, it also asserted the historical roots of the unity of the homeland. Francoist propaganda denounced regional autonomy as anti-Spanish. Only Castilian was permitted, and nationalist symbols were prohibited.

The regime was military in nature and exhibited strongly marked features, including fascist violence to control the masses. The regime had the support of rural classes, especially in the north, and some middle classes who, though unhappy with the Republican opposition, did not actively resist.

Political Families of the Regime

The system was characterized by various "political families" seeking influence, as Republican and rebel political parties were prohibited. The only allowed party, the Falange, was rebranded as the National Movement.

• Falangists: Initially dominated the economy and society, but their influence diminished after the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II.
• Military: Formed another key family; many rebel leaders, like Carrero Blanco, were collaborators with Franco.
• Catholic Church/Opus Dei: Another influential group came from the Catholic Church and Opus Dei, holding significant power until the dictator's death.
• Monarchists and Carlists: Monarchists also collaborated, and Carlists played a secondary role.