ABSTRACT
As is well known, General Franco proclaimed himself the winner of the Civil War that ravaged Spain between 1936 and 1939. His victory implied a change of regime, the liquidation of political democracy and the start of a personal dictatorship. The revolt against the Second Republic was promoted by a coalition of monarchists and the authoritarian Catholic right who were charmed by fascism. For this reason, and because of the help given by the fascist powers to the rebel government during the Civil War, the first Franco governments were composed of a coalition of different factions from the anti-liberal and fascist right. Although Franco was not a fascist, his regime had fascist characteristics during its first stage (one-party state with a fascist party, Falange; Rodríguez 2000; Thomàs 1999) and collaborated with the fascist powers during the Second World War. However, Germany’s defeat obliged Franco to tone down its totalitarian impulses and to reduce the areas of power allocated to the fascists in favour of the authoritarian Catholic right and the monarchists.
