Biography Of Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco was an army general and dictator that ruled over Spain from 1939 until he died in 1975. He made his rise to dictatorship during the Spanish Civil War. Help from Germany and Italy set up his forces to overthrow the Second Republic. Adopting the title of “El Caudillo”, The Leader, Franco persecuted his political opponents and repressed the culture and language of Spain’s regions. He censured the media and took absolute control over the country. If it wasn’t for the lack of involvement in World War II, Franco’s dictatorship may have been brought down or not lasted until his death.

Francisco Franco was born in 1892 in Ferrol Spain. The father of Francisco Franco was a officer in the Spanish Naval Administrative Corps and his mother was conservative in the upper middle class and a Roman Catholic. The previous 4 generations of Franco’s family and his older brother were also naval officers. Franco was destined to follow that path. Due to reduced admissions to the Naval Academy Franco was forced to enlist in the army. Franco was just a mere 14 years old when he entered the Infantry Academy in 1907. He then graduated three years later and volunteered for active duty in the Spanish Morocco campaigns and was stationed there in 1912.

In 1913 he was promoted to first lieutenant and served in a company of the Moroccan based Spanish cavalry. Franco seemed to be a born commander. Soon he had the reputation for complete dedication to the profession and the troops under his command. In 1915 Franco became one of the youngest captains in the Spanish army. Then in 1920 he was chosen to be the second in command of the Spanish Foreign Legion.

During the Moroccan campaigns, the Foreign Legion played a key role in subduing the Morocc...

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...along the north border of France after given the reassurance that the allies would not attack. German intelligence was allowed to operate in Spain. Downed allied pilots and Jewish refugees were also allowed to enter.

All in all Spain was weak. Their armed forces were exhausted and Franco did not have the resources to fight a war against or with Germany. Franco also knew that Germany and Italy could not have won the war in Europe against France, England, the Soviet Union, and United States. There were two very powerful enemies on two of Spain’s fronts. For them to have joined the Axis it would have been a military suicide which could have led to the fall of the newborn regime and the return to power of communist and socialist parties in Spain. This was the greatest fear of Franco because his dictatorship may have ceased to exist. Instead, it lasted until his death.