Blog #1975

Generalisimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde, the fascist dictator who led Spain for 39 years, from 1936 until his death in 1975, "celebrates" the 50th anniversary of his death later this week, on Thursday November 20th. ​He will not be mourned by many. He has been thoroughly discredited for his murderous "reign". What follows is a brief summary of the rise and fall of the only fascist leader of the mid-20th century to die a natural death. Hitler committed suicide and Mussolini was executed by hanging.

From the end of the Civil War in 1939 through to the demise of Franco's fascist dictatorship on his death in 1975, Spain was most definitely a 3rd-world country. Following Spain's return to being a monarchy in 1975 and, from 1977, a constitutional democracy, there was hope that things would improve. The borders opened and from 1986 Spain became a member of the European Union.