Franco's Spain: Social Order, War Effects, and Resistance

Franco's Post-Civil War Social Order

How did the Franco regime try to restore social order after the Civil War?

The system of repression that began during the civil war was maintained during the Franco regime. The new state developed a network of repressive laws concerning political responsibilities, state security, repression of freemasonry and communism, and public order. Those who opposed the regime were punished with labor purges, detention in concentration camps, forced labor, torture, imprisonment, or execution.

Demographic and Economic Impact of the War

What were the demographic and economic effects of the Civil War?

Demographically, the country lost nearly one million people. Over half a million were direct or indirect victims of the war, and nearly 400,000 decided to leave the country and go into exile. The economy had been devastated as a result of the destruction of transport networks and factories. For most of the population, poverty became a daily reality.

Autarkic Policies

Why were autarkic policies introduced?

Autarkic policies involved promoting the country's self-sufficiency. They were also introduced to take control of the economy and implement state intervention.

The Women's Section

What was the Women’s Section? What was its role?

The Women’s Section was a group of women who were educated with Francoist values. Its job was to instill Falangist and national Catholic ideals in women.

Legal Inequality of Women

How did Francoist laws reflect legal inequality of women?

As a result, women lacked virtually all basic labor rights: they had lower wages than men, their dismissal from work was not penalized, and they could not access family allowances.

Women's Resistance

How did some women resist the regime?

Many women during the Franco era participated in or supported the work of guerrillas and fought with the anti-Franco opposition. These women also began to denounce their situation of oppression, laying the foundations for early feminism that would expand in the 1970s.

Improving Franco's Image Abroad

What did the Franco regime do to improve its image abroad?

Fascist symbols were no longer used, and the Falange was renamed the National Movement, although it remained subordinate to the government. The Organic Law of the State (1966) was a cornerstone of this process, defined with the euphemism 'organic democracy'.

The Technocrats

Who were the technocrats? What did they propose?

They were a group of people that tried to change the state. They advocated for a controlled economy involved in international capitalism.

1960s Migration

Explain the two types of migration that took place in the 1960s.

First, there was migration to European countries due to a strong demand for work. Second, there was internal migration, with Spaniards traveling from rural areas to urban centers.

Changes in Spanish Mentality

How did Spanish mentality change in the 1960s?

Women began to have a more important presence in the job market, the moral influence of the church declined, and public education began to expand. Gradually, a broad social movement began to grow in support of the democratization of Spanish life.

The Maquis

Who were the Maquis?

The Maquis were a group of republican guerrillas that, between 1939 and 1941, stayed hidden in mountain areas. From there, they undertook armed resistance with the hope that the defeat of the Axis powers would cause the fall of Franco's regime.

Groups Against the Dictatorship

List the groups involved in the struggle against the dictatorship in the 1960s.

• PCE (Communist Party of Spain): the most active group. From 1962, strikes became increasingly frequent.
• PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party): changed direction and participated with democratic groups and monarchists in the Munich Meeting, which called for the establishment of democracy in Spain.
• Catalonia: joined together to demand basic rights and the reestablishment of autonomy.
• PNV (Basque Nationalist Party): another group involved in the struggle.