Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco was a general and authoritarian leader, who governed Spain from 1939 to 1975. He came to power shortly after the start of the Spanish Civil War. In that war, he led the rebel Nationalist Army to victory over the Loyalist forces. After the war ended in 1939, Franco held complete control of Spain. His regime was similar to a Fascist dictatorship. He carried out the functions of chief of state, prime minister, commander in chief, and …

…relinquished his position as premier but continued to be head of state. When Franco died on November 20, 1975, in Madrid, Juan Carlos became king. No consensus has been reached on Franco’s role in Spanish history. His partisans point to the prolonged peace following the civil war and to the economic boom of the 1960’s. His detractors stress the repressive politics of the regime and suggest that economic growth would have taken place even without Franco.