Is it wrong to admire Francisco Franco?
Why do so many regard Franco as an evil dictator on the level of Hitler? Did he really do anything so terrible? True Franco's Nationalists did commit atrocities in the Spanish Civil War, but the Republicans on the other side were equally brutal, and even engaged in systematic murders of members of the clergy. Franco believed that Spain should respect and honor its history/traditions as well as God and the Church? Why is that so terrible? To me that is a good thing! Why do so many detest him. Is it just a product of the anti-God, socialist beliefs of modern Europe? If I were to say that I admired Franco, would people in contemporary Spain agree with me?
Francisco franco? was he good?
When Adolf Hitler is sending you combat forces to help you win a civil war, it's a pretty good sign that you're not a nice guy. Franco came to power by launching a coup that became a bloody civil war, which killed as many as a half a million people. Once in power, he imposed a dictatorship, and murdered between 15,000 and 50,000 political opponents. Sometimes a dictatorship, while evil, creates the stability needed to improve economic conditions. Not in Spain. A con-man convinced Franco that he could get plenty of oil by combining river water with herbs and secret powders. And the dictator was persuaded to overcome widespread starvation in the 1940s by feeding the population of 30 million with...dolphin sandwiches. He also cut off almost all international trade, and the economy stagnated. It's difficult to find much positive to say, but it is true that the state he overthrew was both militant, bloody, and inept, and it's true that the most likely alternative, had Franco lost, would have been a leftist revolution, sponsored by the USSR. (So, Hitler is arming one side, and Stalin is arming the other). Spain had a democratic constitution between 1931 and 1938, but once the civil war was underway, those fighting on the left made it clear that their goal was a Communist state, not a continuation of the existing democratic government. The new socialist government had also imposed drastic restrictions on any religious activity, confiscated church property, closing schools run by the church, and making it illegal for brothers and nuns to teach. Those fighting on the Republican (leftist) side went further, murdering hundreds of priests and nuns. Franco's victory in the civil war did end those killings, and bring some stability, as well as a return to "traditional values", but, as noted, it also brought more political killings, and decades of economic stagnation. You could argue, though, that the alternative, based on the track record of the old government and it's more left wing allies, would have been worse. Likewise, you could argue that Franco's record of social programs and human rights, awful as it was, was likely better than the Stalinist state which was the most likely alternative.
Was Francisco Franco an evil man?
Many years ago one of my teachers - a good mathematician - used to say: "From the saint to the demon there is a continuous function". How can I fit Franco in this continuous line?Along the years I have being modifying my opinion about this hermetic, inscrutable 'gallego'.I cannot discuss here the reason of the Spanish Civil War. Rivers of ink have flown in this subject. I will make a synthetic approach just to this man.Negative valuesNo compassionate attitude in life. He did not issued a prompt total pardon to his enemies at the Spanish Civil War. For me this was his main failure.Coldness, but not cruelnessMore astute than intelligentLack of flexibilityLack of trust and scepticism about the SpaniardsPersecutory mania against communists, franc masons, liberals, etc..Positive valuesInvolved on improving the standard of living of Spaniard. Aiming that Spain should have a wide middle classAware of the working class needs: shelter, stability at work, social security. On turn, total prohibition of strikesHe had some insight about the people. He knew how people wasMore More cultivated than it is said. He read a lot and wrote many anonymous articles: https://revistas.ucm.es/index.ph...In summary my current perception is that Franco was in the middle line between the saint and the demon I mentioned in the beginning, maybe slightly more biased to the demon's side.
What bad things did Francisco Franco do?
Franco's figure has received and continues receiving many disqualifying epithets: sanguinary, slaughter, criminal, etc… According to what one may read he was guilty of all felonies one may imagine. And one may think that in his times all Spain was like a prison, most of Spaniards were against him and the political situation was possible just using a hard repression.Although I have my reasons to be slightly biased (I have written about it in Quora), 43 years have passed since Franco's death and at my age I think currently I have a clear view about what in my opinion were the major excesses committed by Franco.1. After war repression was excessive and long lasting. Considering the officers of the Army of the Republic as 'guilty of military rebellion' for not joining the real Rebellion was a sinister joke. After-war trials had not many legal guarantees, but at least they were fully documented (Spain has the tradition of documenting everything), something that did not happened in their respective post WW II hard repressions either in France or in Italy. The number of people shot was documented being below 30.000, not the hundreds of thousands that Franco's detractors have always claimed.2. It was something crazy to declare himself Head of State for life, having the right of selecting his successor. No absolute king in the history has got this privilege.3. Political freedom in Franco times was inexistent. The 'organic' Parliament was not serious. People of my generation never voted seriously.4. Strikes were totally prohibited. To compensate this, workers had a lot stability in jobs and the Regime built lot of new houses for workers and Social Security started being effective.There are more 'bad things' but in these times there were also some (or many, according personal opinions) good things. Within the moderate mess we are currently living in Spain, many old timers consider that Franco's times were better than the current ones. Something similar happens in Iraq when thinking about Saddam Hussein times. Personally I prefer our current democracy but I don't think that Franco's times were a compendium of all sins.
What was Francisco Franco's biggest mistake?
(Sorry about lefting the answer incomplete)For me, one of the worst mistakes Franco did was being so repressive.He ruled Spain from 1936 to 1975. Those were 39 years with Paco.The 39 years can be split in two parts: From 1936 to 1959, and from 1960 to 1975. 23 and 15 years.The time between 1936 to 1959 it's what I call Bad Franquism. Those were tough years. The time between WWII was called Los años del hambre or the hunger years.In that time, Franco ruled Spain as a cruel dictator: He executed nearly 200,000 people during this period of time. Some people say that Fraco signed Death Sentences while he drank hot chocolate.But, why is this his biggest mistake? The answer is simple: Because of his repression, Franco is one of the most hated people in Spain. All his work, monuments, and even his tomb are being removed.If Franco didn’t were so repressive, he would be loved nowadays.
What is the public perception of Francisco Franco in Spain today? Is he reviled? Is he respected? Are people ambivalent?
Spain is a deeply divided country regarding Franco's regime.Unlike other countries that suffered a dictatorship, where the general consensus is that they were a dark part of their history, the Spaniards are divided in two halves: those who loathe it and those who love it.I can't think of any other country where the confrontation left-right is as heated as in Spain.I believe that part of reason for this is the strong influence of the Catholic Church, in a country where the Church's power was almost absolute. I believe that in that respect, Spain is quite similar to Poland or Ireland.The church has always been the bulwark of conservadurism and traditional values. Every family had at least one son in the church, and another one in the army and all of them at the service of monarchy and the aristocracy.So it's no wonder that a large mass of the people didn't like the status quo and dreamed about a total change. Note that until a few years ago, Spain was mostly an agrarian economy.Let me say that I'm not spanish and don't live there (although my parents were spaniards), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.At this moment, almost all the artists, movie stars and writers are leftists with a strong influence on the media.What are the views of each half of the population?Leftists believe that entrepreuners are all capitalist pigs that exploit the people whose rights are trampled all the time.Conservatives believe they are not recognized for being the driving force of the economy creating jobs and oportunities.As for Franco's figure:One half believes he was a dictator who kept Spain backward and poor.The other half, believe he is the one who saved Spain from a communist dictatorship. Many believe he was the lesser evil.In recent years, the spanish people have enjoyed a very high living standard thanks, mainly, to the european development aid funds and rampant speculation in real state and construction.Today, the bubble has burst and 25% of the people are unemployed.Tensions between both halves are reaching a dangerous stage.Stay tuned to see how the story ends...
Do you admire someone controversial?
I admire Hitler. I don't agree with genocide or hatred, but the man took an impoverished war torn broken nation. And in just a very short time he reduced crime drastically. Decreased unemployment to 0. Pushed for strong family values, fought against communism and many other things.I know all the evil he's responsible for, the war crimes his subordinates committed the horrors that if not directly of his choice are still laid at his feet. But there's no denying the man did a lot of good. Even if it's outweighed by the bad, and most was for nothing, because his war, and his defeat erased most of the good he'd accomplished.
Why was Fidel Castro friendly toward Francisco Franco, decreeing three days mourning when he died?
So, I was born in 1984, and I don’t know about that.Assuming it’s true, I would think that was for the same reason that Cuba was hostile to China during the Sino Soviet Split, and now we are BFFs: Politics and economics.The official line of Cuban history regarding the Spanish civil war, ever since I was little, has been Franco + Nazis = Bad, The Republic + USSR = Good. If it was different before, it was a clear example of realpolitik, most likely.