ABSTRACT
Most nations of Western Europe experienced the end of the imperial age in the context of the post-1945 democratic restoration. But Spain was different in this respect, ruled instead by an interwar dictatorship that survived the Second World War and lasted until Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s death in November 1975. In the twentieth century, colonialism more often formed a source of division than one of national mission. The Falangist dailies were the most vigorous Spanish advocates of Moroccan nationalism. After the Moroccan drama’s end, attention shifted to other European empires. The weekly Destino showed considerably more interest in international decolonisation than in specifically Spanish colonial losses. Whereas the loss of empire in 1898 and the persistence of dictatorship in the post-war era had become markers of Spanish exceptionalism among Western European nations, the ending of overseas empires and the hopeful future of African political liberation together presented an opportunity to become normal.
