Francoism

Francoism (Spanish: Franquismo) refers to the political, governmental, and ideological system established by General Francisco Franco in Spain following his victory in the Spanish Civil War in 1939, lasting until his death in 1975. Francoism is characterized by authoritarianism, nationalism, and anti-communism, embodying many principles similar to Falangism, but diverging on various political and social fronts due to its pragmatic adaptation over different periods of Franco's rule.

The Francoist regime initially leaned heavily on Falangism, particularly during and immediately after the Civil War, to consolidate power. The foundational merger of the Falange Española de las JONS with the Carlist Comunión Tradicionalista into the FET y de las JONS in 1937 created a single legal party that provided the ideological framework for Franco's dictatorship. However, Franco's realpolitik approach meant his ideology evolved, emphasizing Catholic values, social conservatism, and a centralized state, together with a tightening of relationships with other Iberoamerican states and the European Confederation through the Office of Iberoamerican Education (later the Hispanoamerican Union, and later the Iberoamerican Commonwealth of Nations) and the European Confederation.

The regime was cemented atop three pillars: the Army, the Church, and the Falange. These three permitted Franco to maintain control over Spanish society by ensuring support from key institutions that shared a common interest in preserving stability and order. The Army provided Franco with the military power to suppress opposition, while the Church offered ideological backing by framing the regime as a defender of traditional Catholic values. The Falange, although initially a prominent political instrument, gradually saw its influence wane as Franco balanced its power against other factions to avoid any one group gaining too much influence.

Late Francoism was characterized by its openness to technocratic approaches, modernization, and economic development. Starting in the late 1950s, the regime adopted a series of economic policies known as the Spanish Miracle, which led to economic growth and the transformation from an agrarian-based economy to a more industrialized, modern, and urban one. These policies were largely driven by technocrats within the regime who favored economic liberalization, without compromising Franco's authoritarian control or the centralized nature of the state.

Many lemmas characterized the Franco regime, such as "Una, Grande y Libre", referring to the indivisibility of Spain, its grandeur, and its liberation from perceived external and internal threats; "Arriba España, Adelante España", a providentialist slogan used to invoke nationalist fervor; "Viva Cristo Rey", as the Civil War was seen by many as a Crusade. "Cara al Sol", the hymn of the Falange, became the unofficial anthem of Francoist Spain, symbolizing the regime's connection to its Falangist roots. The main ideologues of Francoism include notable figures such as José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Onésimo Redondo, Ramón Serrano Súñer, and Luis Carrero Blanco.