Francisco Franco(1892-1975)
- Writer
Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teoula Franco y Bahamonde was born on
December 4, 1892, in Ferrol, Spain. He entered the Spanish Military
Academy in 1907 and upon graduation three years later was commissioned
as a lieutenant. His career path seemed assured after he was detailed
to the colony of Spanish Morocco to fight against the Berber tribes and
acquitted himself well. In 1916 he won the Battle of El Biutz, which
stopped Berber attacks against Spanish outposts. In 1923 he was
appointed commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion, and in 1926 at the
age of 33 was named the army's youngest brigadier general.
Franco returned to Spain in 1927 to lead the National Military Academy.
He was assigned to quell a miners' strike in the Masturias in 1934, and
revealed himself to be a ruthless authoritarian by ordering the
execution of over 2,000 miners and other workers who were "suspected"
of being Marxists. Franco proved to be one of Spain's staunchest and
most rabid anti-Communists, and as such was invited to take a leading
role in a right-wing coup being planned by fellow officers to overthrow
the government of the Republic of Spain, which had large numbers of
Socialist and democratic members in its ruling circles. Franco accepted
and, shortly after the revolt broke out on July 17, 1936, he was named
commander of the nationalist forces with the title of "Generalísimo".
Although he had hoped to seize control of the government quickly, the
republican forces proved to be more formidable than Franco and his
conspirators had counted on, and the struggle evolved into a full-scale
civil war that lasted nearly three years. With much political,
financial and material support from Nazi dictator
Adolf Hitler and Italian fascist leader
Benito Mussolini, both of whom sent
tanks, arms and even combat troops to aid him, Franco emerged as the
victor, capturing the capital of Madrid on March 28, 1939, which ended
the Spanish Civil War. Named "el caudillo" (the leader), dictator for
life, Generalísimo Franco proved to be an astute political leader as
well as a masterful military commander. Although he owed a great debt
to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy for their aid, he managed to keep
Spain officially neutral during World War II despite pressure from many
senior political and military leaders in the government to enter the
war on the side of the Axis Powers. Franco was initially keen to join the Axis, and wrote to Hitler offering to join the war on 19 June 1940. However by the end of the year he had decided to stay out of the
conflict and let Spain recover from the terrible civil war that wrecked
its economy and severely weakened its military. Nevertheless he provided considerable help to the Axis from 1940 to 1943. After the Axis Powers
were defeated in 1945, Spain was isolated for many years before Franco
tried allying himself with the west by pushing his anti-Communist
"credentials". Spain was admitted into the United Nations in 1955 and
was soon allied with the United States and other western powers. He
served as supreme leader of Spain until his death on November 20, 1975,
at the age of 82.
December 4, 1892, in Ferrol, Spain. He entered the Spanish Military
Academy in 1907 and upon graduation three years later was commissioned
as a lieutenant. His career path seemed assured after he was detailed
to the colony of Spanish Morocco to fight against the Berber tribes and
acquitted himself well. In 1916 he won the Battle of El Biutz, which
stopped Berber attacks against Spanish outposts. In 1923 he was
appointed commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion, and in 1926 at the
age of 33 was named the army's youngest brigadier general.
Franco returned to Spain in 1927 to lead the National Military Academy.
He was assigned to quell a miners' strike in the Masturias in 1934, and
revealed himself to be a ruthless authoritarian by ordering the
execution of over 2,000 miners and other workers who were "suspected"
of being Marxists. Franco proved to be one of Spain's staunchest and
most rabid anti-Communists, and as such was invited to take a leading
role in a right-wing coup being planned by fellow officers to overthrow
the government of the Republic of Spain, which had large numbers of
Socialist and democratic members in its ruling circles. Franco accepted
and, shortly after the revolt broke out on July 17, 1936, he was named
commander of the nationalist forces with the title of "Generalísimo".
Although he had hoped to seize control of the government quickly, the
republican forces proved to be more formidable than Franco and his
conspirators had counted on, and the struggle evolved into a full-scale
civil war that lasted nearly three years. With much political,
financial and material support from Nazi dictator
Adolf Hitler and Italian fascist leader
Benito Mussolini, both of whom sent
tanks, arms and even combat troops to aid him, Franco emerged as the
victor, capturing the capital of Madrid on March 28, 1939, which ended
the Spanish Civil War. Named "el caudillo" (the leader), dictator for
life, Generalísimo Franco proved to be an astute political leader as
well as a masterful military commander. Although he owed a great debt
to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy for their aid, he managed to keep
Spain officially neutral during World War II despite pressure from many
senior political and military leaders in the government to enter the
war on the side of the Axis Powers. Franco was initially keen to join the Axis, and wrote to Hitler offering to join the war on 19 June 1940. However by the end of the year he had decided to stay out of the
conflict and let Spain recover from the terrible civil war that wrecked
its economy and severely weakened its military. Nevertheless he provided considerable help to the Axis from 1940 to 1943. After the Axis Powers
were defeated in 1945, Spain was isolated for many years before Franco
tried allying himself with the west by pushing his anti-Communist
"credentials". Spain was admitted into the United Nations in 1955 and
was soon allied with the United States and other western powers. He
served as supreme leader of Spain until his death on November 20, 1975,
at the age of 82.