The Dictators Playbook episode 5 Francisco Franco
Summary
TLDRThe script explores the rise and rule of Francisco Franco, Spain's dictator from 1939 to 1975. Born into a naval family, Franco's ambitions led him to Morocco, where he honed his brutal tactics. His military success and political cunning propelled him to power during the Spanish Civil War. Franco's regime was marked by terror, repression, and indoctrination, leaving a legacy of mass graves and human rights abuses. Despite his attempts to eradicate opposition, Franco's death in 1975 led to Spain's transition to democracy, but the unresolved past continues to haunt the nation.
Takeaways
- 🔍 General Francisco Franco came to power in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, establishing a dictatorship that lasted for almost 40 years.
- 🏰 Franco's regime was marked by terror tactics, including mass executions and imprisonments, to suppress opposition and maintain control.
- 👶 Franco's government used indoctrination, particularly through the Catholic Church, to shape the beliefs and behaviors of the Spanish people.
- 👥 The Spanish Civil War resulted in a deeply divided society, with mass graves and a legacy of human rights abuses that still affect Spain today.
- 🛬 Franco relied on the support of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini to transport his army across the Strait of Gibraltar, highlighting the international dimension of his coup.
- 🏙️ During the civil war, Franco targeted not only military objectives but also civilian populations, employing terror bombings to demoralize and control.
- 👮♂️ Franco's rise to power involved strategic manipulation of the media and the cultivation of a heroic image, which helped him gain public support.
- 👶 The regime's indoctrination extended to children, with some being taken from their Republican parents and placed in 'properly Spanish' families to ensure loyalty.
- 🏛️ The Catholic Church played a significant role in Franco's regime, being used as a tool for social control and propaganda.
- 👑 Despite Franco's efforts to entrench his dictatorship, his death in 1975 and the subsequent actions of King Juan Carlos led to Spain's transition to democracy.
- 🗺️ The legacy of Franco's dictatorship includes unresolved issues with mass graves and a lack of justice for the victims of his regime's crimes against humanity.
Q & A
What significant event was revealed in August 2017 in Valladolid, Spain?
-In August 2017, a mass grave was revealed in Valladolid, Spain. This grave is one of over 2,000 mass burial sites across the nation, a legacy of General Francisco Franco's regime following the Spanish Civil War.
How did General Francisco Franco secure his hold on Spain after the Spanish Civil War?
-General Francisco Franco secured his hold on Spain by unleashing a wave of violence against his own countrymen, executing approximately 20,000 people after the civil war ended.
What tactics did Franco use to maintain his rule in Spain?
-Franco used tactics such as terror, propaganda, control over the elite, creating an enemy personality, and violence to maintain his rule in Spain.
What impact did the Spanish-American War have on Spain and young Francisco Franco?
-The Spanish-American War in 1898 resulted in Spain losing Cuba, Puerto Rico, and almost all of its empire, causing a cultural and political trauma. For young Francisco Franco, it meant his dreams of joining the navy were shattered as the naval academy was closed due to the loss of Spain's fleet.
How did Franco's family background and personal experiences shape his character and ambitions?
-Franco's family background, marked by a notorious father and a strict Catholic mother, along with his experiences of bullying at the Toledo Military Academy, created a sense of vulnerability and a need to prove himself, which shaped his character and ambitions.
What was the significance of the Army of Africa in Franco's military career and the development of his tactics?
-The Army of Africa was significant in Franco's military career as it provided him with quick promotion opportunities and a platform to develop his tactics of terror, which involved the indiscriminate use of force to incite fear in people.
How did Franco's experience in Morocco influence his approach to warfare and his dictatorship?
-Franco's experience in Morocco, where he fought a brutal war against civilians with tactics involving torture and massacres, shaped his character and approach to warfare. It taught him that fear could be a useful tool, both against enemies and within his own ranks.
What was the political climate in Spain like during the time leading up to the Spanish Civil War?
-The political climate in Spain leading up to the Spanish Civil War was marked by significant social inequalities, industrialization, urbanization, and a problematic political system. There was a divide between the rich and the poor, and various ideologies such as socialism, communism, and fascism were gaining traction.
How did the Spanish Civil War start and what were the main factions involved?
-The Spanish Civil War started with a military coup led by General Francisco Franco and other right-wing generals against the left-wing Republican government. The main factions involved were the right-wing Nationalists and the left-wing Republicans.
What role did foreign powers play in the Spanish Civil War?
-Foreign powers played a significant role in the Spanish Civil War. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini provided air support and troops to Franco's Nationalists, while the Soviet Union initially supported the Republicans with arms and supplies.
How did Franco consolidate his power and become the dictator of Spain?
-Franco consolidated his power through a combination of military victories, political maneuvering, and the support of key societal pillars such as the Catholic Church, the military, and the aristocracy. He also used terror and violence against his enemies and anyone with connections to the Republican government.
What were the consequences of Franco's rule and how did it affect Spanish society?
-Franco's rule resulted in the imprisonment and execution of hundreds of thousands of people, the indoctrination of the population through education and media control, and the suppression of political dissent. His regime left a lasting impact on Spanish society, with mass graves and a legacy of human rights abuses that continue to affect Spain today.
How did Franco's regime end and what was the transition to democracy like?
-Franco's regime ended with his death on November 20, 1975. His chosen successor, King Juan Carlos, defied Franco's final wish to maintain the dictatorship and instead moved to dismantle it, restoring democracy to Spain and holding the country's first democratic election in more than 40 years.
Outlines
🏰 The Rise of Francisco Franco and Spain's Dark Legacy
This paragraph introduces the historical context of mass graves in Spain, linked to General Francisco Franco's regime following the Spanish Civil War. It outlines Franco's ascent to power after the war, which resulted in over 20,000 executions and a reign of terror. The script also touches on the influence of other dictators and the deep divisions within Spain and Franco's family that contributed to his dictatorial rule.
🎖️ Franco's Military Ambitions and the Tactics of Terror
The paragraph delves into Franco's early life, his desire to join the navy, and the shift to a military career after Spain's naval defeat. It describes his time in the Toledo Military Academy, the challenges he faced due to his small stature and high-pitched voice, and the development of his reputation through myths. The summary also covers his service in Morocco, where he employed terror as a tactic, earning a reputation and rapid promotions that shaped his future dictatorship.
🗡️ The Spanish Civil War and Franco's Path to Power
This section discusses the political upheaval in Spain leading up to the Spanish Civil War, including the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic and the subsequent shift to the right. It details Franco's role in suppressing a miners' strike in Asturias, his exile to the Canary Islands, and the plotting of a military coup. The paragraph also highlights the international support Franco received from Hitler and Mussolini, which was crucial for the coup's success.
🛬️ Franco's Airlift and the March Toward Madrid
The paragraph describes Franco's audacious airlift of 14,000 men from Morocco to Spain with the help of German and Italian air forces, a significant event in modern history. It outlines his advance toward Madrid, the brutality of his forces against civilians, and the political moves he made to claim leadership of the military coup. The summary also touches on Franco's efforts to control the narrative through the press and his rise to the position of Commander-in-Chief.
⚔️ The Battle for Madrid and Franco's Consolidation of Power
This section focuses on Franco's relentless attempts to capture Madrid and the city's resistance. It discusses the support Franco received from the Catholic Church and the military, as well as his strategy to control the elites. The paragraph also covers the significance of Toledo's siege and Franco's portrayal as a savior, which helped solidify his image as a national hero and a key figure in the fight against the Republicans.
🏛️ The Social Cleansing and Franco's Totalitarian Control
The paragraph details Franco's efforts to eliminate all opposition after the civil war, through targeted arrests, killings, and the establishment of the Supreme Court of Military Justice. It describes the social engineering undertaken by Franco's regime, which involved the persecution of anyone with Republican sympathies and the use of violence against civilians. The summary also mentions the international context, with the Soviet Union's support for the Republic and the eventual withdrawal of that support, leading to the collapse of the Popular Front's army.
🕊️ The End of the Civil War and Franco's Dictatorial Reign
This section marks the end of the Spanish Civil War with Franco's victory parade through Madrid and the establishment of his dictatorship. It discusses the aftermath of the war, including the imprisonment and execution of Franco's opponents, and the indoctrination tactics used to control Spanish society. The paragraph also highlights Franco's use of slave labor to build the Valley of the Fallen, a monument to his regime, and his efforts to present himself as a benevolent leader.
👑 The Transition to Democracy and Franco's Legacy
The final paragraph discusses Franco's choice of Juan Carlos, the grandson of King Alfonso XIII, as his successor and his hope to maintain Spain's past. However, it contrasts this with King Juan Carlos' decision to dismantle the dictatorship and restore democracy after Franco's death. The summary also addresses the lasting impact of Franco's regime, including the mass graves and the unresolved issue of justice for the victims of the civil war, and the challenges Spain faces in confronting and overcoming this dark chapter in its history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mass Graves
💡Francisco Franco
💡Spanish Civil War
💡Terror
💡Dictatorship
💡Indoctrination
💡Catholic Church
💡Social Engineering
💡Gulags
💡Valley of the Fallen
💡Transition to Democracy
Highlights
In August 2017, a mass grave was revealed in Valladolid, Spain, one of over 2,000 mass burial sites across the nation, a legacy of General Francisco Franco's post-Spanish Civil War violence.
Spain has the second-highest number of mass graves in the world after Cambodia, according to Amnesty International, due to Franco's regime.
General Francisco Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist for nearly 40 years after the Spanish Civil War, establishing Europe's longest dictatorship.
Franco's tactics of terror, propaganda, and control were similar to those used by other dictators to maintain power.
Born into a naval family, Franco's early life was marked by a desire to restore Spain's lost prestige and please his father through a military career.
Franco's experience in Morocco's colonial war, where he employed terror tactics, shaped his character and future dictatorship.
Franco survived an assassination attempt during the civil war, which he and his troops believed was a sign of divine favor.
Franco used the press to cultivate a heroic image, which was crucial in his rise to power.
In the 1930s, Spain underwent significant political changes, with the rise of left-leaning governments challenging Franco's conservative vision.
Franco's brutal suppression of a socialist uprising in Asturias in 1934 demonstrated his ruthless tactics and political ambitions.
The Spanish Civil War began as a struggle between right-wing nationalists and left-wing republicans, with Franco leading the nationalists.
Franco's forces were known for their brutality, including mass executions and the bombing of civilian areas.
Despite initial resistance, Franco managed to consolidate power and become the commander-in-chief of the nationalist forces.
Franco's alliance with the Catholic Church and the military was instrumental in gaining control over Spanish society.
The capture of Madrid in 1939 marked the end of the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of Franco's totalitarian rule over Spain.
Franco's regime was characterized by mass imprisonments, executions, and the use of concentration camps for forced labor.
Indoctrination through education and media was a key strategy of Franco's regime to control the Spanish population.
Franco's death in 1975 and the subsequent restoration of democracy by King Juan Carlos marked the end of Spain's long dictatorship.
The legacy of Franco's dictatorship continues to impact Spain, with unresolved issues surrounding mass graves and a lack of justice for victims.
Transcripts
august 2017
in valladolid spain
a mass grave is revealed
it is just one of more than 2 000 mass
burial sites across the nation
according to amnesty international spain
has the highest
number of mass graves in the world after
cambodia
this is the legacy of general francisco
franco
victor of the spanish civil war
after taking control of the country in
1939
he secures his hold on the nation
by unleashing a wave of violence against
his countrymen
there were probably
20 000 people executed after the civil
war after the end of
hostilities
it's a regime of terror
within six years adolf hitler will take
his own life
benito mussolini will be swinging from
his heels
but franco will rule spain with ruthless
efficiency for almost 40 years
franco was someone who had never lost a
minute sleep over the crimes that were
committed in his name
what drove this general to wage war on
his people
destroy his country's new democracy
and establish europe's longest
dictatorship
[Applause]
dictatorships have had an incredible
impact in the past century
these dictators ended up learning from
one another
they're all different but many use the
same tactics
the use of terror propaganda control the
elite create an enemy personality use
violence these are tools that dictators
use to stay in power
the roots of francisco franco's
dictatorship lie within deep divisions
in the spanish nation
and within his own family
born in 1892
franco is the seventh generation of a
naval dynasty
for almost two centuries his family has
sailed for the legendary spanish fleet
francisco dreams of joining them
but it's not to be
in 1898
when franco is six
spain goes to war with the united states
over control of cuba
[Music]
spain's navy is devastated
when the spanish-american war ends the
country has lost cuba puerto rico and
almost all of its empire
[Music]
it is a wrenching and humiliating
amputation
there was an identity crisis if you
didn't have an empire
it was a cultural political trauma for
families related to the military for the
military and the political elites for
the government
as spain's empire falls to pieces so
does franco's home life
his father nicholas franco
is a naval officer and a notorious man
about town known for his womanizing and
drinking
i think a lot of franco's problems
derived of course from the family
dynamic
um
his father despised him
he had two brothers and his father
massively preferred the other
two franco's mother was
a very strict catholic franco was the
mummy's boy
these two things i think created a sense
of vulnerability
but also a sense that he had to prove
himself
franco will adopt his mother's deeply
conservative vision of spain
and devote his life to making it a
reality
yet he also wants to please his father
and that means a career in the military
the problem with franco is that he
really wanted to be in the navy
the naval academy was closed because
spain has lost most of its fleet in the
world
so he has to settle for infantry which
was far less prestigious
1907
franco enters the toledo military
academy determined to be an officer
small for his age and conspicuous for a
high pitched voice he endures severe
bullying
well franco was a very small person
and one of the ways in which he coped
with being in the army
was by creating a series of myths and
throughout his whole life
franco was a bit like the wizard of oz
he was somebody who hid behind a series
of masks
when franco graduates in 1910 his
ambitions define him as much as his
uniform
spain's military class is obsessed with
restoring the nation's prestige
for a young officer the best place to
start is in one of spain's remaining
colonial outposts morocco
in spain in in the peninsula if you're
an army officer promotion was incredibly
slow it was dead men's shoes
franco chose to go to africa
because it was the best place to get
quick promotion
1912
moroccan rebels have launched a violent
campaign to force the spanish out
lieutenant franco is assigned to spain's
army of africa
a battalion of native moroccans used for
the fiercest fighting
going to africa he was lucky didn't get
killed
meant the possibility of rapid promotion
this is what franco
and
many other officers did
they became
high-ranking officers within a few years
if they survive
the army of africa has a name for young
officers like franco
the betrothed of death
of the first 42 officers assigned to the
unit in 1912
only seven are alive in 1915
and one of them is franco
while fighting with the army of africa
he employs a tactic that will come to
define his dictatorship
terror is the indiscriminate and
arbitrary use of force that can incite
fear in the hearts of people
these acts of terror are public they're
meant to be public
they're meant to be seen
the experience in in morocco the
experience of of colonial war which is
war without limits
completely wild war against civilians
where torture and masculines are allowed
these definitely shape his character
his unit becomes infamous for its
bloodthirsty tactics
they cut the ears and the noses of their
moroccan gravel
they take pictures of themselves with
these trophies
this is a brutal war
and this is where this man is finding
his personality
who he is
obviously it would be impossible to know
that franco arrived as a young soldier
in africa determined that one day he
would be the dictator of spain
it wasn't like that
but very soon we can see lots and lots
of
pieces of evidence of just how
calculating he was
franco learns that fear can be useful
with subordinates as well as enemies
one of his soldiers
refused to eat his lunch one day and
threw it back in the face of one of the
officers
franco had that soldier shot
and he forced the rest of the battalion
to parade past
the corpse of this dead soldier to
remind them
of the need for discipline
terror is his tactic and the army of
africa is his tool
one day he will use both to seize
ultimate power in spain
but in 1916 he has a young officer
testing his limits and building a
reputation for bravery
to be courageous you need to know fear
you need to have the imagination
to know what you're letting yourself in
for
and
franco in my view was empty inside
he had seems to have had little or no
emotion so when it said franco is a man
who knew no fear i believe that i
believe he knew no fear and that to me
for what it's worth is not courage
in june franco's unit makes a frontal
assault on insurgents trenches
this is very dangerous and the sharp
shooters of the rebels target officers
leading from the front franco takes a
bullet
his unit loses 56 of its 133
men and franco is nearly one of them
at the time an abdominal wound is often
a death sentence
against all odds he makes a full
recovery and is promoted to major
to his moroccan troops franco's survival
is a sign
they
started to say that he had
baracka like a sort of blessing good
luck
so they follow him blindly
for franco it's confirmation that his
life has a purpose
that adulation
persuaded him that he was someone
special that he'd been chosen
perhaps by providence perhaps by god
to help spain
in a very famous interview he said
without africa i do not know how to
understand myself
franco's african experience is also an
opportunity to enhance his reputation
in morocco you have this group of
embedded
journalists who are quite pro-war who
are there to promote to make popular the
cause of the war
among the spanish public
they have been sent by the newspapers
from madrid from barcelona from the
provinces
and they are looking for heroes
very early on he began to cultivate
journalists say from about 1916 onwards
there are more and more articles about
him
he became very political as well
because there is
one thing is the officer in combat
and then the officer who
tells the story of the combat
and something that frank learned very
early is how to please the press with
the right stories
the national right-wing newspaper starts
to refer to him as el astella legion the
ace of the legion
in 1926
franco is promoted to brigadier general
at 33 he is the youngest general in all
of europe
the bullied little cadet is a certified
war hero
africa has given him the respect he
craves
and the tactics that will mark his rise
to power
but now at the peak of his career
a tide of political change could destroy
his dreams for spain
the convulsions of the first world war
and the russian revolution of 1917 have
transformed european society
[Music]
by contrast with its enduring monarchy
spain seems tradition bound
the population is largely rural
and the catholic church a powerful force
but even here change is brewing
the country was industrializing the
country was becoming more urban
there were huge pockets of poverty very
strong social inequalities
and the political system was problematic
the gap between rich and poor is a fault
line that divides spanish society those
who have
knew what they had and they knew how to
go about keeping it
whereas all those who wanted to change
things all had very different ideas
inspired by russia's communist
revolution many turn to socialism which
is sweeping countries like france and
germany
others look to the fascism of benito
mussolini's italy
some blame the catholic church for
complicity in maintaining an oppressive
status quo
you go into spanish churches and they
have you know gold altars and so on in
places where the people were starving
this created huge hatred
anarchists want to tear down the
existing power structure
so all of this is happening and
for people like franco and
traditionalists
those kind of related to the military
this is
really absolutely beyond the pale this
is not what they want
they're looking back to an imperial
spain of centuries gone where there was
hierarchy where people knew their place
april 1931
support for the monarchy is plummeting
facing a possible insurrection the
spanish king agrees to step down
keen alfonso 13 steps down in 1931
because the country rejects him
he didn't have the support of sufficient
numbers of old spain
there was an awful lot of animus against
alfonso the 13th not against the
monarchy so much as against him
personally
so there's a sense of
new constituencies knocking on the door
of an old system and wanting some kind
of representation
within months a new republic is formed
and a left-leaning government
established
[Applause]
a new constitution guarantees a free
press and regular elections
[Applause]
every spanish adult man or woman can
vote
but not everyone is celebrating this
tide of change
franco had an idea of the authentic
spain
it was catholic it protected property
protected the sanctity of marriage
all of these things were challenged by
the
left
the left threatens his vision of spain
soon he'll have the opportunity to
strike back
november 1933
spain swings to the right
as a coalition of conservative parties
wins the next election
franco the hero of africa is promoted to
major general
but almost a year later
socialists and anarchists stage a
massive strike in the coal rich region
of asturias in the northwest
the right-wing government turns to
franco who welcomes the chance to
restore order
communists and socialists
offended him in a way automatically he
was very religious very catholic he saw
people on the left as
atheists who did not believe in god
to warn the left against further acts of
rebellion
he turns to a tactic used by other
would-be strongmen
[Music]
for franco terror
is a form of communication
you don't have to attack every single
person who belongs to these
organizations if you use terror against
some of them
it sends the signal that anyone whose
loyalty goes to these leftist movements
is going to be in trouble
he ordered troops from the army of
africa to go to students
by doing that he knows that it's going
to take their troops that are ruthless
very violent
franco's troops round up more than 3 000
spaniards and gunned them down
that was a symbol of his ruthlessness
he had the the coast bombarded by
the spanish navy he had the mining
villages bombed by the spanish air force
thirty thousand prisoners are
transported to colonial territories
outside spain to serve their sentences
he did what he had been doing in africa
it was mass repression
it was colonial war basically but for
this first time it was colonial war that
was applied in the metropolis it was no
longer a war against the moroccans
it was war against the spaniards
and it was not just an opportunity to
prove himself militarily there was also
an element of politics in that so it was
kind of his first taste of politics
a chance for him to prove himself in a
sphere that was beyond the purely
military
it also gave him the conviction
that he was the man that could save
spain from all these challenges from the
left
franco suppresses the uprising
but his tactics trigger a political
explosion
left-wing parties are appalled by his
brutality
they band together into a coalition
called the popular front
on february 16 1936
spaniards go to the polls once again
the pendulum swings and the right-wing
government is ejected
the popular front emerges with a
majority in parliament
it's a disaster for franco
but the worst is yet to come
worried about a military coup the
popular front sidelines key right-wing
generals
franco himself is banished to one of
spain's last colonial possessions
the canary islands
100 kilometers off the coast of africa
and 2 000 kilometers from madrid
the minister of war decides that to keep
these guys out of trouble
they will be posted as far away
where they can do
least damage
in exile the generals watch as spain's
new leaders steer the nation to the left
even worse they learn that left-wing
extremists have been torching churches
and executing priests
to save spain the exiled generals plot a
coup
and they asked franco to take a leading
role
but a military coup is the ultimate
gamble
he was cautious about getting involved
in this uprising
he'd seen
other
similar attempts
at
military rebellions fail he was worried
that that would happen again
if the coup fails franco will be
executed as a traitor
for days he deliberates
he has a wife he has a child
he has a career
but circumstances will force his hand
on july 13 1936
jose calvo satello
a leading right-wing politician is
assassinated in madrid
what clinched it for franco
what made the difference was the murder
of jose calvelo
he is
murdered whilst in the custody of
republican police
the funeral for calvaro is turned into a
kind of show of strength
in a sense it is the trigger
for spaniards on the right the
assassination is an outrage
for franco and the generals it's the
final straw
july 18 1936
wearing civilian clothes
franco secretly boards a plane that will
carry him to africa
the coup is on
franco was given the responsibility for
morocco because of his track record as a
major player in the colonial history of
spain
his mission
lead the army of africa into spain
it's the beginning of a bloody struggle
between bitter enemies
the right-wing nationalists against the
left-wing republicans
franco gets the army of africa to
support the coup
now he has to get them to spain
[Music]
but transporting thousands of men and
their equipment across the strait of
gibraltar would be a massive undertaking
even in peacetime
[Music]
and for franco there's an added
complication
the spanish navy has refused to join the
coup
and its ships are patrolling the strait
the army of africa is basically trapped
in north african territory so the
straits are very effectively blocked
speeders of the essence
franco needs planes to jump the strait
and join the fight
audaciously
he turns to a pair of strong men
adolf hitler and benito mussolini
they leap at the chance to use spain as
a testing ground for new weapons and
tactics
making some 800 flights
german and italian air force planes take
14 000 men across the mediterranean into
spain so without the help of the fascist
powers
the army of africa will have had a very
tough time
this is seen as the first major lift in
modern history and absolutely crucial to
the coup
on mainland spain
franco's airlift astonishes his
republican enemies
and advances his status among his
co-conspirators
while other generals fight across spain
he begins a merciless advance north
towards madrid
the army of africa is a killing machine
and it's up against the civilian
population in the south of spain
there is no army
it was basically meeting peasants with
farm implements
every time they arrive at a destination
or indeed just our route
they just massacre people
franco's forces soon reached the city of
badajot
near the portuguese border
he encouraged his officers to be
extremely brutal often savage
when they were waging their campaigns
when they took a town in the civil war a
few hours after the taking of that town
there would be absolute carnage
basically the left wingers who were
captured were rounded up
and then they were machine gunned
in the buddhahold massacre some 4 000
suspected leftists are murdered and it's
not an isolated event
in retaliation some republican
extremists turn on the church
priests and other clergy are executed
for siding with the nationalists
there is this kind of mass attack on
anyone who is symbolically
representative of the church because the
ecclesiastical hierarchy backs the coup
spain is split
the coup has ignited a battle for the
soul of the nation
franco believed that he should do
whatever was
possible whatever was at his disposal to
eliminate
the left and their ideology
his ruthlessness is not limited to his
enemies
officers who failed to support the coup
are executed
including his own cousin and childhood
playmate
to show mercy is to show weakness
the future dictator is preparing his
path to power
at the very beginning while the other
generals were mainly concerned with how
they went about winning the war
franco had set up a press office whose
main purpose was to project franco in
the world's press as the leader of the
military coup which at that stage he
wasn't
to claim the leadership he calls for a
meeting of the top brass
september 21 1936
franco's fellow generals fly in from
every sector of nationalist spain to a
temporary airstrip near salamanca
the really big thing on franco's side in
the quest for power was the fact that he
was the commander of the african army
franco had been instrumental in
securing the help of hitler and
mussolini
so they basically saw him as somebody
who could unite them all and keep them
together for the duration of the war
the other generals vote to make franco
the commander-in-chief of the armed
forces
although he is ranked 23rd in seniority
no one else has the combination of
combat experience
political savvy
and connections
franco is now the generalissimo
the first among generals
a major step on his road to power
the cunning
with which he got to be dictator the
cunning with which he rose to the top is
very evident but for now franco only
controls parts of spain
to rule it all he will need the support
of the pillars of spanish society
and to earn it he will use a key tactic
from the dictator's playbook
[Music]
the achilles heel of any dictatorship is
the elites and whether or not they
support them
and that's why dictators so early on
want to get control over their leads
they want to ensure that they're
completely loyal to them
there were
two or three sectors whose consent was
crucial for his survival
this was the church
it was the military and it was the
higher classics the aristocracy and the
industrialists
with the support of the military assured
franco sets his sights on the pillar of
traditional spanish society
the catholic church
[Music]
september 1936
rather than advance on the republican
stronghold of madrid
franco pivots to toledo
there a small group of nationalist
soldiers is besieged in the city's
ancient fortress the alcazar
although toledo has no strategic value
it has something more important
it is the historic center of spanish
catholicism
franco decides to detour to relieve the
siege of the military fortress
it is particularly seen as a symbol of
imperial christian spain
franco's forces crushed the republican
army in toledo and taped the
town personally wasn't there when toledo
was relieved
however he was there the next day
the newsreel cameras were there to see
franco arrive
in order to be able to project to the
world this view that franco was the hero
who had saved toledo
franco greeted as the savior of the 1900
men and women and children who held out
in this shattered fortress and in
caverns underneath
he projected himself as a major world
figure
[Applause]
he has an ambition
and
is clearly looking beyond the war to a
political phase to a phase of being
in control of spain beyond the war
when the coup began franco was just one
of many
generals now he has established his
reputation as a military mastermind
and the savior of spanish catholicism
[Music]
[Applause]
mid july
you are a general
semi-solid from your colleagues
two months afterwards you are the head
of the main army of the rebels with no
rival for powers and about to take
madrid
he cannot believe his luck
must be god
what other explanation
october 1936
nationalist forces controlled the
western half of spain
but much of the nation remains under the
control of the republican popular front
to rule the country
franco must take its political financial
and administrative center
to convince
all spaniards and to convince the rest
of the world that he had won
he needed to take madrid
for weeks franco throws everything at
the capitol
artillery
aerial bombardment
frontal attacks
but the city won't fall
the republic basically concentrates its
forces
in madrid
and as long as it can prevent in madrid
being encircled
it can survive
soon franco's drive to take madrid gets
even harder
as his enemies gain a powerful new ally
the soviet dictator joseph stalin has
agreed to arm the republic and its
left-wing government
when it's clear that franco is going to
be able to take madrid
the soviet union offers to support the
republic
what was meant to be a quick coup d'etat
is now a full-blown civil war
[Music]
and
he has conquered large swaths of spanish
territory
but franco's domination is far from
complete
in many of the regions he now controls
half of his fellow citizens are against
him
he is determined to vanquish them all
while the nationalist army continues its
battles
franco sets out to eliminate civilian
opposition in the land he's seized
to do this he employs another tactic of
dictatorship
franco wanted to
defeat the left but he also wanted to
eliminate them
he wanted to make sure
that there was no vestige left of that
ideology
franco creates the supreme court of
military justice
a vast bureaucracy dedicated to
prosecuting those who oppose him
and you were open to prosecution if you
had any connections with republican
politics or sympathies so people could
be brought before military courts for
activities that go back to 1934
they applied the military code to the
enemies
by
accusing those who defended the republic
of
the crime of rebellion which is what the
franchise had committed
there must be a social cleansing of all
of the elements in society who have
allowed the republic to exist and who
are now our enemies
sylvia navarro's grandfather was one of
those enemies
this
jose antonio marco viedma was a
prominent businessman in the city of
kalatayud
[Music]
all dictators use violence against their
people
in the case of spain the scale of
intra-social violence is unique
most victims like 99
were spaniards
and
this is interesting because franco was
actually perceiving at least half of
spain is not properly spanish
so you can inflict these terrible
violence to your own people if you
consider that they are not actually your
own people that they are in a way
foreigners
city by city town by town franco's
forces arrest not just popular front
leaders and party faithful
but anyone with republican sympathies
it's not just a tactic for a military
campaign it's a form of
political readjustment
removing the kind of people that made
the republic possible this will be never
possible again
it's a form of social engineering
as the war progresses
franco intensifies his attacks on
civilians
his allies in the german and italian air
forces begin to obliterate towns and
villages
[Music]
guernica
durongo
barcelona
madrid
the idea was that you would terrorize
and demoralize the civilian population
and this would be a crucial instrument
of war
it's the war against civilians waged
with the new technology
1939
as spain tears itself apart
europe braces for war
conserving its resources for the coming
conflict the soviet union withdraws its
support of the republic
by february what's left of the popular
front's army
collapses
[Music]
march 27th
franco's forces parade through madrid
[Applause]
after the loss of half a million lives
the civil war is over
three years after crossing the strait of
gibraltar
francisco franco is the dictator of all
spain
in the nationalist regions victory
celebrations echo into the dawn
in what were once republican regions
people are fleeing for their lives
large numbers of people had fled madrid
i mean thousands upon thousands of
people fled to the coast hoping to be
able to get away
[Music]
victory gives franco the opportunity to
complete his transformation of spanish
society
the war is not really ending with the
end of the battlefield phase
but becoming basically a war against the
defeated
he launches another wave of targeted
arrests and killings of anyone with
connections to the old government
it's very much to send a signal to
anyone who opposed the church anyone who
was a socialist anyone who joined the
organizations of the political left
beyond spain's borders
the second world war burns across europe
to the outside world spain is officially
neutral
but within
the dictator's war against his people is
just getting started
in the course of three years nearly
one-quarter of a million people are
imprisoned
28 000
are executed
this was essential in franco's strategy
because he had to completely exterminate
all opposition to his regime so that he
could rule for the next 40 years
as he transforms spanish society
he turns to another tactic of
dictatorships
[Music]
indoctrination is largely a process of
preventing people from hearing
alternative narratives it's a way of
giving substance to to fear and
reminding people
of the risks of of life without the
regime that is currently in power
people were obliged to think what the
regime wanted them to think there was
total control of the education system
there was total control of the media
indoctrination
in the franco regime is
quite
unique in that
it systematically used the procedures of
catholic indoctrination so there was
even a catholicism
that was used to tell very young
children about franco about the regime
about how good this was
for franco indoctrination cannot begin
soon enough
in prison if a republican woman is
pregnant she is allowed to carry her
baby to term
then the child is taken and placed in a
properly spanish family
they went to the prisons and they
kidnapped
the babies for the republican woman
because they say
the woman
can
provocate the transmission of the
democracy for the children
and then take the children
and put the children in catholic
institution or catholic families
they say that franco is
a man chosen by god
and that he's there doing
god's will
the children at the time in religious
and in late schools are being taught
that franco's life
is
like the life of christ
catholicism was key to the entire
ideology of the regime
the idea was we are going to torture you
we are going to kill you
but we are doing that because you are
evil and we are doing this because we
need to redeem you
but it is for your own good
because we want you to go to heaven and
for that you you have to be punished you
have to suffer there were these ideas of
sin and redemption that were so catholic
and they were so so spanish
1945
hitler commits suicide
mussolini is executed
the second world war is over
but spain's dictator remains
franco's fortunes are helped by a shift
in the political winds
as the cold war between the us and the
soviet union begins
franco's extreme anti-communism makes
him an ally of the west
by the 1950s eisenhower visits spain and
franco presents himself as the kind of
sentinel of the west this anti-communist
warrior who can keep the continent safe
franco has free reign to continue his
state of terror
there were hundreds of thousands of
republicans
that were in jail
but there are pockets of resistance
university student nicholas sanchez is
one of the resisters
after taking part in a peaceful
demonstration
he is arrested
and sentenced to six years in prison
to deal with prisoners like nicolas
sanchez franco uses a classic dictator's
tool
[Music]
well there's two functions of gulags
one is creating fear
a second
function of these gulags is that they
want certain people out of the way
and
they want to use them as examples of
what could happen
to you
if you step out of line
there were also concentration camps that
were used to build fortifications
burn roads
dams
that was heavy work
franco uses slave labor to build a
massive monument to the victory of his
regime
he calls it the valley of the fallen
[Music]
most of the people who worked in the
valley of the fallen were political
prisoners
for each year they worked in valley of
the fallen
they did not have to spend five years in
prison they were given the choice
but it is not that they like to be there
it is that the other option was much
worse
in 1959 after almost 20 years of hard
labor
the dictator's tribute to himself is
finished
the monumental scale is an indication of
their overweening desire to control the
societies that they rule
but it is a reflection of an aspiration
to some kind of eternal
influence in the future of their own
countries
not only is the monument complete
so is franco's domination of spanish
politics and society
to hold a political opinion is to commit
a crime that prevented people from
entering politics because politics were
associated with conflict and with war
the main success of this strategy was
associating politics with danger
and it was very successful until at
least until the late 1960s
franco has achieved what he set out to
do
he has frozen spain in time
his regime secure he cultivates the
image of a benign international
statesman and paternal sovereign
in later life this dictator this mass
murderer was projected as the kind of
grandfather of his people
after almost 30 years in power the
patriarch faces one last challenge
who will rule spain when he dies
1969
franco announces that juan carlos the
grandson of king alfonso xiii will be
his successor
the dying dictator hopes the new king
will keep spain locked in the past
but when franco dies on november 20
1975
his regime dies with him
now king juan carlos defies franco's
final wish
he moves to dismantle the dictatorship
and restores spain to
democracy less than two years later
spaniards hold their first democratic
election in more than 40 years
[Music]
the results mirrored the election of
1936.
the left wing wins by a narrow margin
[Applause]
franco's attempt to obliterate socialism
has failed
but the consequences of his dictatorship
haunt spain to this day
over the past 10 years
spaniards have confronted franco's
crimes against humanity
according to amnesty international spain
has the highest
number of mass graves in the world after
cambodia
so there are all these unmarked graves
around the country
and this issue has not been resolved
in spain we have the names and the
orders from names
of 114
000
civilians
missing in mass graves
for example
in malaya
in the south of spain
in a cemetery there is a group of graves
with four thousand and three hundred
people
there is
considerable
disquiet discomfort resentment about the
fact that there's never been
any
real process of seeking justice for
those who were murdered during the civil
war
and i think
our history
is part of the
black
box of europe
and and we have to recover in the black
box and we have to sow
the
sun
in these black ones
the legacy is the emptiness that he
caused in hispanic society all the
worlds the human wealth in the material
worlds
that the spanish civil war and the
brutal dictatorship caused on hispanic
society so how do you evaluate that
how do you fix that
i don't have an answer
next time on the dictators playbook
idiom made a mark for himself he tapped
into something big he represented a
fresh start a future for uganda critics
have written the mean off as a buffoon
but he was far more cunning a soldier
charismatic distracting people from the
repression eight years he was in power
almost 300 000 people were massacred he
was ruthless which good soldiers are
[Music]
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[Music]
you
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