#20478 - L8 Spain And The Franco Regime In The 1950s - Literature and Film under Franco - Lecture Notes

Spain and the Franco Regime in the 1950s

Spain in the 1940s

• 1940s are first years of the regime, the most testing times for the regime

• The regime had to build itself on the ruins of Spain

• Forces behind Spain are the ones that bought the democratic Spain to an end

• There was common ground between the different factors on the Nationalist sides, but there were still differences

• Joined the Carlists and the Falangists together, but they felt like the group created didn’t reflect their true views (Movimiento Nacional)

• The regime had to recognize who belonged and who didn’t, led to deep repression in the 1940s

• Spain was doubly isolated, WWII and Civil War

• 1943 onwards: Franco tried to look less fascistic and bring military men in

• Politic, diplomatic and economic isolation at the end of WWII: Allies wanted to get rid of Franco, but they let him stay but only under very specific circumstances

• Conditions in Spain were difficult; economy was failing but agriculture was increasing (dependent on year)

• Black market thrived

• Obvious tensions between the Catholic west and the Communist Soviet bloc

• ‘The Cold War’

• Spain’s role: Spain became an ally to the West from 1940s onwards because of geopolitical importance (between Atlantic and Mediterranean, between Europe and Africa, rich in natural resources)

• 1950s: Spain is bought in by the West (US and UK primarily), they invested in the country

The Concordat with the Vatican (1953)

• Spain was seen as ultra-Catholic, but the Vatican had a problem with Spain post 1945

• The Vatican recognized the importance of Spain, and it’s done as a public statement

The Pact of Madrid (1953)

• Moment when US agrees to start pouring money into Spain and investing in industries/businesses

• In return, US were allowed to add 4 military bases in Spain

• Start of a change for the Spanish economy, money coming in from the outside

Spain becomes a member of the UN (1955)

• This gave Spain international diplomatic recognition

• Extremely important moment for the regime

Franco’s new cabinet (1957)

• Franco opens his cabinet to men in their 40/50s to technocrats (economists)

• Modernising Spain is in the forefront of these people’s minds

• Allow the economy to open up, become more capitalist without losing fundamental values of the regime itself

• They would oversee the radical economic change, and would lead to the ‘economic miracle’

Changes in Spanish life

• The economic changes (setting up businesses, factories etc. in the big cities) meant that workers were needed

• Millions of Spaniards left the...