A Popular Regime?

As Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, or Salazar's Portugal, Franco's Spain cannot be understood without considering the broad social support it managed to garner from the very beginning of the coup d'état. This can be observed not only in the membership of the regime's organizational structures but also in the collaboration with repression and the massive attendance at the Caudillo's events and appearances.

Unlike elsewhere in post-war Europe, Spain did not experience a fresh start but rather the continuation of a sense of collective failure: the inability to live together in peace. This was nurtured by the dictatorship, which turned it into its raison d'être. Combined with recent memories and the fear of repression, it made “peace” the most important value for Spaniards after the Civil War. However, the peace offered by Francoism was not one of hope and progress for all but rather a fearful one that was cruel to many. Everyone knew that this peace was only possible with Franco in power; any alternative to his government would bring violence or even another war. This, to a large extent, explains the popular support for the Caudillo.

Among the reasons that explain the most enthusiastic support for the dictatorship are the cultural and religious values that had seemed threatened by the Second Republic, not to mention the material interests of significant sectors of the population who benefitted from the Francoist counterrevolution.  The reality of enriched property owners stood in contrast to the misery associated with widespread hunger. Starvation, malnutrition, and disease took a heavy toll on the poorest.

Paradoxically, misery and social division contributed to consolidating the regime in general and the figure of Franco in particular. Misery most affected the defeated and the enemies of the dictatorship, fostering among its supporters a fearful sense of gratitude toward the dictator. It also led people to focus more on their personal matters—ensuring their family’s survival—than on debates or disputes about public affairs. Rather than openly protesting, Spaniards mostly grumbled quietly while also seeking ways to get by, often through corruption and the black market. Ultimately, the misery of the dictatorship ended up corrupting an already fearful and traumatized society.

Franco was the main beneficiary of this brutal reality. In that traumatized, hungry, and terrified society, the figure of the dictator came to occupy a central place. He became the main channel for the fears and hopes of the people. The photo shows a voting station in the town of Terque (Almería) during the referendum in 1966 to approve that Organic Law of the State that the dictator held to demonstrate that the people were with him. The sign in the background says “Give To Franco What Is Franco’s”.

ORB