Spanish Political Opposition to Franco's Regime

Political Opposition Within Francoist Spain

Opposition in the 1940s

Inside Spain, three main fronts emerged in the struggle against Franco's regime:

• The clandestine activity of small groups from the PCE, PSOE, and CNT was never interrupted, as evidenced by numerous arrests and executions. These groups increased their pressure on the regime during its period of international isolation, notably through strikes in Catalonia and the Basque Country.
• The monarchist groups engaged in conspiratorial activities. Some monarchist politicians and military figures drafted a joint letter to Franco, calling for the restoration of the monarchy under Don Juan de Borbón. Don Juan de Borbón himself issued a manifesto from Lausanne, urging Franco to step aside and restore the monarchy.
• The Maquis (guerrilla fighters) were formed from two main groups. The first comprised nuclei that had remained scattered in mountainous areas since the end of the Civil War. The second group consisted of units that had fought victoriously against the Germans in France and sought to transplant that experience to Spain. They operated in several areas, with their most notable action being the attempted penetration through the Val d'Aran. By 1948, the PCE largely abandoned armed guerrilla warfare.

Opposition in the 1950s

Internal opposition underwent three significant changes during this decade: the renunciation of violent acts, a social and generational transformation of its members, and the growing momentum of opposition within universities and Francoist unions. The most frequent actions were calls for strikes.

The Franco regime reacted to these public actions in two ways: first, repression intensified; and second, it accepted some flexibility on salary demands with the Law on Collective Agreements.

Spanish Opposition Abroad

After the Civil War, a large number of Members of Parliament, political figures from all parties, and Republicans went into exile. From abroad, they attempted to maintain republican institutions.

They convened in Mexico, where they elected Republican Diego Martínez Barrio as President-in-exile and José Giral as Prime Minister. Prominent among them were anarchists, socialists, communists, and left-wing Republican parties. However, they remained disunited due to internal strife and diverse membership.