A sibling of interwar Europe's other fascist regimes, Franco's Spain survived them all, growing to old age in an era of liberal democracy in Western Europe. It weathered the explosive social movements and student disillusionment of the 1960s and lingered into the 1970s, its earlier fascist ideology attenuated almost out of recognition, with simple survival its greatest preoccupation. Francois Spain looks beyond the mythology surrounding the origins of the dictatorship to provide a critical overview of the regime -- from its emergence after a bloody uprising against a democratic government; through the "high period" of Francoism with its poverty, hunger and fear, followed by a complex period of change and economic growth; to the final demise of the dictatorship, amid open opposition and internal defections. Economic and social conditions are as integral a part of the story in Franco's Spain, as politics and international relations find their place alongside purely domestic issues. The book also peers beyond the grave, examining the transition to democracy after the dictator's death in 1975.

The history of modern Spain is dominated by the figure of Francisco Franco, who presided over one of the longest authoritarian regimes of the twentieth century. Between 1936 and the end of the regime in 1975, Franco’s Spain passed through several distinct phases of political, institutional, and economic development, moving from the original semi-fascist regime of 1936–45 to become the Catholic corporatist “organic democracy” under the monarchy from 1945 to 1957. Distinguished historian Stanley G. Payne offers deep insight into the career of this complex and formidable figure and the enormous changes that shaped Spanish history during his regime.

"The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive study of the Right in Spain from the beginning of the Second Republic in April 1931 up to the outbreak of the Civil War in July 1936."--p. 9.

It has been several decades now since Francisco Franco’s passing in 1975, and yet his legacy still seems very much in the air. Depending on who you talk to, Franco was a fascist and a peacemaker, a destroyer and a savior, an idiot and a genius. Even after all this time, opinions of just who Franco was and how he contributed to modern civilization are up for open debate. Inside you will read about... ✓ Franco’s Conquest ✓ Allying with Mussolini ✓ Ein Fuhrer and Un Caudillo ✓ The Last Fascist Standing ✓ The End of Colonial Power ✓ The Spanish Miracle ✓ The Last Days of Francisco Franco Franco himself believed that he was doing a great service to his people. He never tired of making grandiose statements about his perceived mission to save Spanish society. Whether this was deluded self-righteousness is for others to decide. Discover Francisco Franco’s story in this book and draw your own conclusions.

A thorough look at social, political and economic aspects of Spain between 1939 and the sixties.