The Rise to Power (Episode 1)

At the end of a bloody civil war Francisco Franco seized power and ruled Spain with an iron hand for nearly four decades. Under his leadership the conservative, monarchist armed forces staged a coup against Spain’s republican government which had been democratically elected. The insurrection was supported by Italy and Germany. Three years of bitter civil war followed which, by April 1939, had turned Spain into a different country. The hostilities and political purges cost half a million lives.

At the end of a bloody civil war Francisco Franco seized power and ruled Spain with an iron hand for nearly four decades. Under his leadership the conservative, monarchist armed forces staged a coup…

The Franco myth stands for a cruel regime: for the darkest chapter in Spanish history. Franco gave himself the title of Caudillo de España - Supreme Leader of Spain. He created his own rituals of…

At the end of the Second World War the cards in global politics were reshuffled. The Allies now made a clear distinction between the friends and foes of democracy. The situation became critical for…

In the mid-fifties Franco’s foreign policy successes opened up new perspectives for Spain. After years of stagnation the country was now moving forwards. Thus, Franco’s rule was legitimized…

Francisco Franco is regarded by many as one of the most brutal dictators in European history. Spain is marked by traces of his tyranny even today and the Spanish Civil War and nearly forty years of…