Recent History of Spain

Back in the 1960s Spain was under the rule of dictatorship by General Franco. Recognising the poverty and employment difficulties of these confusing times the Minister for Tourism, Manuel Fraga (who is still in politics to this day) along with Franco, decided to launch a major publicity campaign in order to attract foreign visitors to its coastal resorts.

Manuel Fraga thought up the phrase "Spain is different" and it was this slogan which caused huge uproar and political debate! Why should it be different?"…..etc. Many of these questions still persist today. The modern history of Spain is indeed very different.

In 1931 the second Spanish republic was declared and King Alfonso XIII fled into exile. In 1936 civil war ensued and was brutal. The result of this war was that the right wing military brought down the republic and defeated "the left" in the form of socialists, anarchists, communists and democrats, by sheer military superiority.
And so commenced almost 40 years of military dictatorship which lasted until General Franco's demise on 26th November 1975.

General Franco was a man who, like most dictators, had good points as well as bad. He was a family man, he was a religious man and he was also a military commander. However he was happy to live a modest existence and had no interest in forming a ruling dynasty. He never allowed Alfonso XIII to return to Spain from exile, and kept total control over his country.

During the first years of Franco's rule times were grim. Along with brutal political repression was hardship and poverty. Spain had been completely devastated by the war and of course the rest of Europe was engaged in its own conflict - it had to manage on its own. The Franco dictatorship developed an isolationist stance which only increased when its natural ally (Hitler's Fatherland) Germany was defeated in 1945. He mistrusted all external influences and he and his Junta effectively sealed its people off from the developments of the rest of Europe during the post war years.

As Europe and more especially Britain became increasingly prosperous, opening up intellectual, cultural and political influences, Spain remained ensconced in a world of its own, deeply religious in the Catholic faith, conservative in its outlook, closed off to any new ideas and, of course poverty, stricken. Censorship of the press was total and anyone whose beliefs weren't those of Franco and his henchmen were jailed. Other aspects of modern culture i.e. cinema, books etc. were rigidly controlled. The Catholic Church was closely allied to the whole Franco regime and Spain's population was virtually controlled by the local Priest who had total sway over the fortunes of individuals according to their religious beliefs and respectability in the local community.
The women of the country were taught that their only role in life was to be a good wife and mother. They must have total obedience to their husbands in all areas of public life and, of course, were encouraged by the Church to have very large families.

Continued...
Franco's Last Years
The Transition
King Juan Carlos to present day