Generalisimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde, the fascist dictator who led Spain for 39 years, from 1936 until his death in 1975, "celebrates" the 50th anniversary of his death later this week, on Thursday November 20th.
He will not be mourned by many. He has been thoroughly discredited for his murderous "reign".
[Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]
According to a recently passed law, all statues and memorials should have been torn down. Streets, barrios and squares should have been re-named and
town names which refer to him have been required to drop the reference to him, eg his birthplace, until recently known as El Ferrol del Caudillo, is now just plain old El Ferrol.
[La Voz de Galicia]
His body has been removed from the mausoleum he had built to honour the nationalist dead, Valle de los Caidos, and has been re-interred elsewhere, alongside his widow.
Franco and I
I never met him, of course, but, for the last five years of his life, I was in San Sebastian (Guipuzcoa), his choice of summer holiday destination.
The Basque seaside resort filled with Franco's stormtroopers before, during and after his annual stay. These were the dreaded and, back then, brutal guardia civil.
San Sebastian [The Independent]
The Basque language, euskera, was banned at that time.
We were well into the Autumn Term at the Roman Catholic Grammar School where I was Head of Spanish, when one morning our Spanish assistant from Valencia, Vicente, came in all smiles.
Franco was dead, at last. Vicente immediately changed his name to Vicent, his real name in the banned Valenciano dialect.
[Daily Mail]
Franco's legacy
General Franco was chosen to lead the military coup that unseated the legitimate republican government of Spain over the course of a brutal civil war which tore the country to bits.
After the war, Franco and Spain were isolated from the rest of Europe. Their only allies were the USA, who took advantage to set up a major military base and nuclear facility in Rota (Cádiz).
The Caudillo paved the way for the restoration of the monarchy by nominating Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon as his successor.
On Franco's death he became King Juan Carlos I and led the way to restoring democracy to Spain, something Franco would not have expected.
There is a claim that Franco set up the Paradores hotel chain, whereby ancient monuments were restored and turned into quality hotels, but that may be an urban myth.
I liked and fell in love with Spain under Franco's rule, but, let's be honest, the country is better now.
Democracy, equal opportunities, contraception, divorce, gay marriage, and smoking bans have all come into force in the last five decades.
And, according to recent press reports, Spain has the second most successful economy in the world after Singapore.
Final comment
Some of my neighbours - andaluces - wish he was still around. Most weren't even born when he was in power.
What is the matter with these people?
They would rather have VOX and/or PP with the dangerous Santiago Abascal or the inept Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, instead of the young, virile, intelligent, English-speaking socialist Pedro Sanchez, arguably the best prime minister Spain has had since Franco's demise.
Santiago Abascal [Vox] Alberto Nuñez Feijoo [El Periodico] Pedro Sanchez [El Mundo]
I rest my case.
© The History Man
Pictures:
ABC, Daily Mail, El Mundo, El Periodico, La Voz de Galicia, Libertad Digital, The Independent, VOX, Wikipedia
Acknowledgements:
Diario Sur, Malaga Hoy, Paul Whitelock, Wikipedia
Tags:
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