Franco's Spain: Ideology and Political Autocracy (1940s)

1. The Blue of the Franco Years

During the 1940s, the Franco regime adopted the rhetoric and imagery of fascist Spanish Falangismo. Their blue uniforms and martial parades, along with symbols like the yoke and arrows, permeated Spain. The Falange shared power with the army, the Church, and other conservative political sectors.

During these years, a clear desire to perpetuate Franco's rule was evident. He laid the foundations for an ideological and political autocracy, enacting undemocratic laws and institutions with a certain fascist inspiration.

1. 1. Family Policies and Ideological Principles

Franco's policies were characterized by pragmatic adaptation to both international events and Spanish society.

Lacking political skills from childhood, Franco adopted the principles of the political and social institutions that had elevated him to power: the army, the Church, the Falange, Traditionalists, and monarchists, collectively known as the families of the regime. He sought to divide these factions, counteracting their influence to prevent any single group from monopolizing power.

His dictatorship maintained core principles that defined its identity. Three stand out: nacionalpatriotismo, nacionalsindicalismo, and National Catholicism.

The Army and Nacionalpatriotismo

The military regime's main ideological contribution was nacionalpatriotismo, a traditionalist and unitary vision of Spain that Franco embraced, given his military background.

This vision prioritized the defense of Spain's territorial integrity.

The army was the new state's main bastion. Imbued with a traditionalist spirit and some totalitarian ideas of the time, it largely followed the command of its Generalissimo, filling the highest government positions.

The Falange and Nacionalsindicalisme

In the 1940s, Franco incorporated elements of the Falange's ideology and image. Illiberal, undemocratic, and anti-Marxist, the Falange promoted a totalitarian system called nacionalsindicalismo. This system was inspired by Italian fascism's theories on organizing a corporate state, controlled by a single party and union, aiming to overcome class conflict by promoting national solidarity.

The Falange mythologized its leader, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, executed during the war, and Franco gradually transformed him into a heroic figure.

At the war's outset, the Falange had about 60,000 members (Old Shirts); by the 1940s, it reached 600,000, using parallel organizations to indoctrinate and recruit from specific social sectors.

In terms of labor organization, the Sindicato Vertical Español (Spanish Vertical Union), a single, state-controlled union, was created.

The Falange occupied about one-third of senior positions in Franco's government in the early 1940s, significantly influencing political debate. By 1945, Falangist sectors held a predominant position.

The new fascist state's institutional rules were often superficial, ultimately subservient to Franco's legislative power. He suppressed "revolutionary" Falangist union sectors seeking social egalitarianism for workers.

From 1942, the Falange's presence in public life faced criticism from traditionalist monarchists and the military. This culminated in an open conflict at the Basilica of Begoña in Bilbao, where Falangist grenade attacks injured hundreds of Carlists. Franco used this opportunity to dismiss Serrano Suñer.