At the time of the 50th anniversary of the death of Franco - he died on 20th November 1975 - I can't believe how many positive articles are being posted about the Franco years. The most worrying thing is that young people who weren't even born, are hankering after better times and they think those were under Franco.
[BBC]
Troy Nahumko, Canadian, is a freelance writer, teacher and teacher trainer, living in Caceres, Extremadura.
Writing in SUR in English on November 28th, Troy tells us:
[Hoy]
"..... in today's Spain, a curious myth has seeped into the groundwater: that 'under Franco we lived better'. Astonishingly, a chunk of Spaniards under 24 hold the view that a cheerless, censorious dictatorship, the political equivalent of poison ivy, was a golden age of prosperity and serenity."
Giles Tremlett, biographer, historian and journalist has lived in Madrid for 30 years. In an interview with Diario Sur's Regina Sotorrío to mark the publication of his new book 'Franco: The Dictator Who Shaped a Country', the Englishman says:
[Diario Sur]
"[The secret of Franco's success] ..... is based on three things. One is that he's not as mediocre as he's made out to be. Intellectually, yes, but in terms of command, of political manoeuvering, not at all. Secondly, he's an incredibly ambitious character. It's not that he wanted power, he wanted all the power, forever. And thirdly, a military man doesn't need charisma. If I'm a general, it doesn't matter that I'm short with a high-pitched voice, everyone has to bow down before me. Military charisma is all about here (he taps his shoulder, where rank and medals would be on show) and it doesn't matter what you look like."
I am a keen student of Spanish history and its politics, and I regard myself as well-informed about the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.
I experienced five years living in Spain under Franco, and then another five decades after the country transformed into a democracy. I have owned property here since 2001 and emigrated here in 2008.
[Wikipedia]
So, I have experienced the austerity and lack of freedom of Franco's brutal fascism, as well as the difficult early years of the Transition.
Spain joining the EU made a huge difference as the country qualified for massive grants for infrastructure projects, as well as educational exchanges and study visits.
[European Commission]
I've read both George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway and enjoyed what they wrote about that period of Spain's history.
But, let's face it, both were flawed personalities, so their literary legacies are questionable to say the least.
Orwell [Wikipedia] His only book about the Civil War [Amazon]
Hemingway [Acento] Important works by Hemingway [Amazon]
What do I think of Franco?
For me, 
he was arguably worse than Hitler and Mussolini, his fascist contemporaries.
Mussolini was a joke, strung up by his own people, and Hitler committed suicide.
L to R: Mussolini, Franco, Hitler [La Hora Digital]
Franco carried on and died a natural death in 1975, aged 82.
From 1939 until 1975 he continued to murder dissidents.
The man was despicable, but, because he had the support of the Catholic Church, the Army and the landed gentry, gained a certain kudos.
Spain's transformation to a constitutional monarchy and full democracy has happened in double quick time, rather remarkably.
Don Juan Carlos and Franco [Libertad Digital]
My Spanish neighbours, olive growers, wine-makers and livestock farmers, were socialist for seven decades since the Civil War ended. Lately they have switched to PP. Unbelievable!
I am just about the only supporter of the current government of Pedro Sanchez around these parts. The Spanish prime minister is smart, intelligent, and young.
He is also a fluent English-speaker, unlike all of his predecessors. I reckon he is the best PM Spain has had since democracy began. All the others were flawed/corrupt/inept.
[El Mundo]
Second best? Probably Felipe Gonzalez.
But, this is only my opinion .....
John Collins, in a letter to the editor of SUR in English, wrote that he came to Spain for the first time in 1967 to study in Barcelona.
"The atmosphere in the city was tense. ..... I left after a while for Madrid, a different world, very much Generalisimo territory."
[Facebook]
Collins met and married a Spanish woman from a family of franquistas. With this special insight he has formed a different view to many of us British folk.
"Franco certainly ruled with an iron fist, but whether he was really a dictator is another question ..... The thing about living in Spain during Franco is there were three things, discipline, courtesy and security, Sadly all three have disappeared in modern Spain."
Collins spends much less time in Spain now "..... than I did when the Generalisimo was here."
Axarquía resident Joan Fallon, the author of "Daughters of Spain" (a series of frank interviews giving a dramatic picture of what it was like to be a woman living in Spain under Franco's regime), said she believes children of today should learn about what life was like in the dictatorship.
"History is about people and their lives: I believe that young Spaniards deserve to know why such a war would break out in the first place and what kind of lives their great-grandparents lived before, during and afterwards.
[Facebook]
"The civil war and the dictatorship are vital parts of Spanish history and should not be withheld from youngsters because those years will subsequently have had an affect on their lives. How can the youth of today understand their country if this period of their history is withheld from them?" she said.
Malaga resident Juan Jiménez, whose father was a staunch Franco supporter, said that he believed that, "as bad as it was", it should never be forgotten.
"This was a terrible era of Spain's history, but it is our history and it cannot be ignored," he said.
Daniel González, whose grandfather died during the conflict, disagreed, saying "it is time to forget". "Why do we have to keep dragging the Franco atrocities up. He is dead and should be left that way. Educating youngsters is one thing, but holding events to mark the death of this dictator is absurd," he said.
© The History Man
Links:
British author and Hispanist Giles Tremlett speaks out on Franco on 50th anniversary of Spanish dictator's death | Sur in English
Fifty years on | Sur in English
Franco dead 50 years!
Giles Tremlett, hispanista: «El desconocimiento de Franco hace que sea un debate de blanco o negro, no hay matices» | Diario Sur
Should Franco fade into a mere footnote in Spanish history? | Sur in English
The great Franco revival circus | Sur in English
Images:
Acento, Amazon, BBC, Diario Sur, El Mundo, European Commission, Facebook, Hoy, La Hora Digital, Libertad Digital, Wikipedia
Thanks:
Daniel González, Giles Tremlett, Joan Fallon, Juan Jiménez, Liz Parry, SUR in English, Tony Bryant, Troy Nahumko
Tags:
Acento, Amazon, BBC, "Daughters of Spain", Diario Sur, El Mundo, European Commission, Facebook, Hoy, La Hora Digital, Libertad Digital, Paul Preston, Wikipedia