A good documentary on Franco in the Rif War, a particularly nasty colonial war in North Africa. Franco’s service saw him become the youngest general in Europe and honed the military abilities which would serve him well in the Spanish Civil War a decade later. I think the late British historian Paul Johnson captured the essence of Franco well:
Franco outplayed Hitler by doing what he called gitanear — to play the Gypsy by using subterfuge and delay. Gitanear was his maxim throughout his long rule and it was the last advice he gave to his colleagues on his deathbed in 1975. Franco was ruthless, chilly, mean, avaricious, savage at times and always coldhearted. He was also brave, shrewd, long-sighted, patient and resolute. His role in the civil war has been used to define his whole life, but his accomplishments after it show he belongs among the remarkable people of the 20th century who rebuilt shattered or demoralized nations: Adenauer, De Gasperi and De Gaulle. That is no mean achievement for a man always seen from the outside as just a tubby professional soldier.
Franco was the “Iron Surgeon” posited by Joaquin Costa as the leader that would cure a nation of its political ills. Franco certainly cured Spain of the disease of radical socialism, anarchy and communism. The cure was undoubtedly painful especially in the ’40s and ’59s. But few could deny that the Spain of the latter Franco years were not significantly better than what followed. As a resident of Madrid in theearly ’70s there was a great degree of personal freedom. Students were prone to protesting the regime and were treated roughly when their unruliness crossed the line of shouting slogans.. Streets were by and large safe and clean day or
night. There was some poverty.
IMHO Franco on balance was a great leader grossly under estimated and valued by academics and the press.
He will probably never be canonized but neither will be Pepin, Charles Martel or Charlemagne.