[1/2] Franco, Spain and God

Franco was the leader of Spain for almost 40 years, an impressive political longevity.

In a new story based on archives, Virginie Girod tells you the fate of an opportunist, convinced of having been chosen by God to save Spain.  

Franco was born in 1892 in a port town in Galicia.

He is so thin that he is nicknamed cerillita, the little matchstick.

He is a studious boy, and very attached to his mother.

He joined the military school in Toledo, where he was far from brilliant.

Spain is then losing ground on the international scene.

Beaten by the United States, the country is in competition with its European neighbors to colonize northern Africa.

The young Franco engages in Morocco, in the Rif war.

He stands out for his courage and intrepidity.  

When he returned to Spain, Franco was the youngest general in Europe since Napoleon.

Anger is brewing in the country which dreams of modernity but is lagging behind the rest of Europe.

Discontent leads to a political crisis.

The king leaves the country.

The Second Republic was proclaimed in April 1931. This was only the beginning of the unrest: the victories of the left in the elections fractured the country.

Soon, the Popular Front in government feared a coup d'état by conservative generals.

Franco is far away in Tenerife, off the coast of Africa.

He was actually asked by General Mola to take control of the troops stationed in Morocco.

Franco has retained the loyalty of his men, but he must now lead them to Spain.  

However, the Navy, which guards the Strait of Gibraltar, has remained loyal to the Republic.

The general needs help.

He therefore decided to write to the only two European heads of state likely to come to his aid: Hitler and Mussolini.  

Themes covered: Spain Popular Front, Franco, dictatorship, civil war, Rif War 

“At the Heart of History”

- Presentation: Virginie Girod 

- Production: Caroline Garnier 

- Director: Nicolas Gaspard

- Composition of the original music: Julien Tharaud and Sébastien Guidis

- Writing and Distribution: Nathan Laporte

- Communication: Marie Corpet

- Visual: Sidonie Mangin

Archival sound

Speech by General Francisco Franco before his "election";

report broadcast on Europe 1, December 13, 1966.

Bibliography 

Bartolomé Bennassar, Franco, Perrin coll.

Tempus, 2002. 

Online Resources 

https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/informacion-alemana-masones-franco-espanoles-gestapo_1_1271932.html 

https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/entrevista-franco-y-hitler-estacion-hendaya_17306 

https://www.retronews.fr/conflits-et-relations-internationales/interview/2023/05/30/guerre-civile-Espagnee-interview-franco 

https://www.persee.fr/doc/casa_0076-230x_1994_num_30_3_2722