The Dictators Playbook episode 5 Francisco Franco

Summary

The 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

00:00

🏰 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.

05:01

🎖️ 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.

10:05

🗡️ 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.

15:06

🛬️ 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.

20:08

⚔️ 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.

25:14

🏛️ 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.

30:16

🕊️ 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.

35:17

👑 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.

Keywords

💡Mass Graves

Mass graves refer to large burial sites containing multiple bodies, often the result of mass violence or atrocities. In the context of the video, they symbolize the legacy of General Francisco Franco and the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. The script mentions that Spain has one of the highest numbers of mass graves in the world, a consequence of Franco's oppressive regime post-civil war, where an estimated 20,000 people were executed.

💡Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco was a Spanish general and dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. The video discusses his rise to power, his brutal tactics during the Spanish Civil War, and his establishment of a long-lasting dictatorship. His name is central to the video's theme, illustrating the impact of dictatorship on a nation's history and the atrocities committed under his rule.

💡Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict that took place from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans, who were loyal to the left-leaning government, and the Nationalists, a rebel group led by General Franco. The video uses this term to highlight the brutal tactics Franco employed, including the use of terror and violence, which ultimately led to his dictatorship and the suffering of the Spanish people.

💡Terror

In the video, terror is described as the indiscriminate and arbitrary use of force meant to incite fear in people. It is a tactic used by Franco to maintain control and suppress opposition. The script provides examples of Franco's use of terror, such as public acts of violence and the execution of those who failed to support his coup, which were meant to intimidate the population into submission.

💡Dictatorship

A dictatorship is a form of government where absolute power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler, often maintained through oppressive means. The video explores the concept of dictatorship through the lens of Franco's rule, highlighting the tools and tactics he used to stay in power, such as propaganda, control over the elite, and violence against civilians.

💡Indoctrination

Indoctrination in the video refers to the systematic process of instilling beliefs and attitudes into the population, often used by dictators to control and manipulate public opinion. Franco's regime used indoctrination through the education system and the media to promote his ideology and suppress dissent. The script mentions the use of Catholicism as a tool for indoctrination, teaching children that Franco was chosen by God and doing His will.

💡Catholic Church

The Catholic Church plays a significant role in the video as a pillar of traditional Spanish society and a key supporter of Franco's regime. The script describes how Franco leveraged the Church's influence to gain legitimacy and support, using its institutions for indoctrination and presenting himself as the savior of Spanish Catholicism.

💡Social Engineering

Social engineering in the context of the video refers to the deliberate manipulation and control of society's structure and behavior to suit the goals of the ruling power. Franco's regime is said to have engaged in social engineering by eliminating opposition and reshaping Spanish society according to his conservative vision, as seen in the script's discussion of targeted arrests and the suppression of political dissent.

💡Gulags

Gulags are prison camps used for forced labor and political repression, a term originating from the Soviet Union but applied in the video to describe the concentration camps used by Franco's regime. The script mentions the use of these camps to instill fear, remove dissenters from society, and use them for hard labor, such as constructing the Valley of the Fallen.

💡Valley of the Fallen

The Valley of the Fallen is a monument constructed under Franco's orders, using the labor of political prisoners. The video describes it as a testament to Franco's desire to control Spanish society and leave a lasting legacy. The monument is indicative of the regime's monumental scale and its reflection of an aspiration for eternal influence.

💡Transition to Democracy

The transition to democracy in the video refers to the period following Franco's death when Spain moved from a dictatorship to a democratic system of governance. The script highlights King Juan Carlos's defiance of Franco's wishes by dismantling the dictatorship and restoring democracy, leading to Spain's first democratic elections in over 40 years.

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]

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