I am an avid supporter of Francisco Franco, El Caudillo of Spain, from his great victory over the communists in 1939 to his death in 1975. Fearing what the Marxists would do to Spain, Franco, along with several other rightwing military figures, lead a revolt against the Spanish Republic, eventually establishing a conservative, traditionalist, and Christian state in its place. It is hard to overestimate how radical the Spanish Republic had become. It was the enemy of all forms of natural hierarchy – of parents over children, husband over wife, and, most especially, God over man. But, the problem with communism is that hierarchy is a fact of life, and without natural hierarchies, a society is only left with a social order managed by a small cabal of unethical politicians and corrupt bureaucrats.
The Spanish Republicans (communists) had a special hatred toward the hierarchy of God over man and viciously went after the greatest representation of that hierarchy in Spain – the Catholic Church. Churches were burned and Catholic art was destroyed. However, they went even further than this – they also dug up the bodies of priests, monks, and nuns and desecrated them. Not content to merely mock the dead, they also killed priests and even raped nuns. During one particularly brutal incident, a priest was castrated, his penis was stuffed in his mouth, and he was then crucified. This period stands as the most intense persecution of Christians at the hands of the demonic since the days of Pagan Rome. The Spanish Republic was evil incarnate, and Franco put an end to it.
Franco also deserves credit for keeping Spain out of World War II. Though he received help from both Hitler and Mussolini, Franco insisted on Spanish neutrality. And while many on the Dissident Right consider this as a betrayal, I take a different view. After three years of intense fighting in the Spanish Civil War, Spain was utterly exhausted. Civilian deaths included, around 500,000 Spaniards died in that three-year war. Such a massive death toll would make it difficult for any nation to fight another war so quickly, but Franco was in an especially difficult position as he had to also deal with the remnants of the Republic. Fighting another war immediately after winning the Spanish Civil War would have risked a revolt from the remaining Republican forces, and this time with the full backing of not only the Soviet Union, but also the Western Allies.
Finally, I doubt Spanish entry in World War II would have changed its outcome for the Axis. It would not have outright hurt Axis strategy, at least because it would have made it easier to cut off Allied supplies flowing into the Mediterranean, but even that would have been dependent upon the Spanish capturing Gibraltar (which would have been extremely difficult). More importantly, even beyond the massive loss of life Spain had just suffered, and the present threat of an internal communist revolt, Spain was not a great power and had not been for quite some time. I find it difficult to believe that Spain would have drastically altered the course of the war. And, when the Allies and Soviets won, they would have simply replaced Franco with a leftist government. Franco did what was best for Spain.
Franco also deserves credit for the “Spanish Miracle.” Apart from one relatively brief period after Columbus’ discovery of America, Spain has been considered a fairly poor country. Under Franco, the economy grew rapidly, and the life of the average Spaniard improved greatly. This is not to say that Franco was perfect. He trusted the monarchy far too much, which lead to Juan Carlos I undoing what Franco worked so hard to build – Franco should have stuck with installing a loyal military man as his successor. Overall, I believe Franco ranks as one of the few great titans of the West in the 20th century.
I also think that Franco serves as an excellent way to nudge normiecons to the Far Right, reasons for which I will lay out below.
No One Doubts the Brutality of the Spanish Republic
I will not delve into the crimes of the Spanish Republic, as I have already touched upon them above. But what is important to remember is that the Republicans were so brutally heinous that very few people will fully deny what happened. There are some, mostly anarchists, who have a rosy view of the Spanish Republic, but even they will try to place much of the blame of the Red Terror on Stalinist agents, whom they are still angry over for crushing the anarchist faction of the Republic. Contra to their claims, the record shows that the anarchist faction of the Spanish Republic was just as guilty as the Stalinists for the Red Terror. But those are just the anarchists, for the most part even leftists stick to the “both sides were guilty” narrative – the evidence is simply too overwhelming for a more vigorous defense of the Republic.
And, that gives us an opening to advocate for why Franco was needed – the Spanish Republic really was evil. Remember, the Left was able to get away with portraying the Weimar Republic as simply incompetent, they ignored the sheer degeneracy being openly promoted in Berlin. However, the Spanish Republic was so openly violent, that the Left doesn’t try to deny it, rather they paint Franco’s Nationalists as just as abhorrent. Because the Left must admit how bad the Spanish Republic was, we can use this disclosure to convey to the normiecons that it was either Franco or it was increased attacks on Christians, including rape, and eventually a Soviet Spain. From here, we can advocate that Franco was simply a man who made the best of a bad situation, and his tactics were necessary to save Spain from communism. In the 1930s, Spain was going to be ruled by either Franco or a Stalinist puppet, hammer this point home.
Franco Stayed Neutral in World War II and Later Became an American Ally
In addition to the reasons above, there is an additional advantage to Franco remaining neutral in World War II – it saved him from being marked as, “someone who tried to kill granddaddy.” I am not talking about having a nuanced view of Hitler, National Socialism, or discussing the utter insanity and depravity of 1920s Berlin; the problem with Hitler, in the eyes of normiecons, is that the Wehrmacht tried to “kill granddaddy.” Furthermore, for all the problems normiecons have, they are still linked to their families and want to honor them.
To illustrate my point, imagine talking to a Citizens’ Council member in 1960 about Hitler. Clearly, we aren’t dealing with a cultural coward, but he will likely not want to align himself with Hitler or anyone associated with Nazi Germany for one simple reason – it is personal to him. If he is young enough, he may have fought in Europe, but there also would be a near 100% chance he knew someone close to him that died in World War II. There is simply too much emotional attachment on the subject. And while it is true that there are very few people alive today that know someone who died during World War II, that emotion is still with us. There is a reason why the Nazification of the Klan did not begin until the late 1970s and did not really take off until the 1990s – the GI Generation began to die off and it became dominated by Feds, informants, and violent ne’er-do-wells.
Franco can avoid this baggage. By staying neutral during the war and later becoming an American ally, we are able to avoid making people feel like they are dishonoring their families and instead focusing on the core issue – the threat the Left poses to Christian civilization and how the Right must fight against it.
Franco Had Mainstream Rightwing Support
General Franco is an authentic national hero. It is generally conceded that he above others had the combination of talents, the perseverance, and the sense of righteousness of his cause, that were required to wrest Spain from the hands of the visionaries, ideologues, Marxists and nihilists that were imposing on her, in the thirties, a regime so grotesque as to do violence to the Spanish soul, to deny, even Spain’s historical identity.
William F. Buckley
There is a long history of conservatives praising Franco. Back in the 1950s, even the conservatives that wrote for National Review, someone like William F. Buckley, Jr., praised Franco. For all of Buckley’s problems, he did understand what was at stake. Had Franco failed to retake Spain, Spanish Catholics would have been under sever persecution by a band of sociopaths and Spain would be another Soviet satellite. Considering how this would have made the Soviet Union a serious Mediterranean power and would have opened up a second front for a future invasion of Western Europe, this threat could not be taken lightly.
Though Buckley was the most mainstream conservative voice to praise Franco, others did, too. L. Brent Bozell, Jr., Buckley’s brother-in-law, was so enamored with Franco’s Spain that he moved his family there, and after the social upheavals of the 1960s and early 1970s, especially Roe v. Wade, he began to consider the United States and the USSR as moral equals, and Christians could support neither. Francoist Spain was his ideal. Meanwhile, Representative Larry McDonald, a stalwart anti-communist, kept a framed picture of Franco on his wall.
Tell normiecons about this, let them know that far from being a “Mediterranean Hitler,” Franco was able to earn the praise of someone like Buckley. This points to a far more mainstream level of support that combats the Left’s mischaracterization of Franco as a fascist (in reality, he was a traditional authoritarian and monarchist, not a fascist). When Buckley died, the Left praised him for his efforts in neutering the Right, but this can be used for our purposes – if Buckley could praise Franco, Caudillo de España can’t be all that bad, right? And unlike his earlier support for segregation and his criticisms of Martin Luther King, Jr., Buckley never walked back his admiration for Franco. We can use this to our advantage to introduce normiecons to the authentic Right.
Francisco Franco was a hero, full stop. He accurately saw the rise of communism as the critical threat to everything he loved, and he stopped it. The very soul of Spain was at stake in 1936, and Franco, a man of almost unimaginable courage, defeated a great evil. It really is difficult to overestimate just how much the men behind the Spanish Republic hated both traditional Spain and Christianity. Franco later saved his country from more suffering by keeping Spain out of World War II, and would even later preside over a great economic boom. For that, the man deserves praise. But, he also serves as an introduction to the authentic Right and “Francopilling” normies can bring them to our side.
Few deny just how ungodly the Spanish Republic was and we can also avoid the “granddaddy” issue associated with fascist Europe. What’s more, even someone like Buckley could recognize Franco’s value.
¡Arriba España!
One thing that I am sure of, and which I can answer truthfully, is that whatever the contingencies that may arise here, wherever I am there will be no communism.
Francisco Franco
I don’t know very much about Franco, and appreciate your (what’s for me) an
introduction. I HAVE been trying to obtain a book by two Romanians who enlisted in the fight in Spain called ‘Under the Southern Cross.’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51315161-under-the-southern-cross. It’s out of print and I suspect there are those who prefer we not read it.
I’ve found the reading of Corneliu Codreanu’s ‘For My Legionaries’ very inspiring. He gave his life and death to the fight against Communism.
To the normiecons I’d simply reply that if granddaddy had stayed home and minded his own business he’d have had nothing to fear from the Wehrmacht.
The Iron Guard is pretty fascinating, I’ve been saying for a while that if fascism ever came to Dixie in the interwar period, it would look more like the Iron Guard than any other fascist organization in our timeline.
Spain sent over 40,000 volunteers to the Eastern Front in WW II. This was the “Blue Division” of the German Army. When the Blue Division was withdrawn in 1943, over two thousand Spaniards continued to serve, first with the Army, and later with the Waffen SS. They fought hard in the defense of Berlin. They were informally called, “The Blue Legion.”
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Right, but Spain itself stayed neutral, which I think was for the best, I still think the allies win and then we would have gotten a communist power right at the entrance of the Mediterranean.
Well … these are the kind of chapters we’ll need in the new textbooks in the new south.
Also, as CSA II is formed, we have to keep in mind how important foreign policy is, and who we place in positions that effect and influence both domestic and foreign policy. ONE of many ways (((they))) will attempt to infiltrate and destroy us is through false flags.
So many tenacles of the octopus. We need an army for each tenacle and plenty of support for each.
Yep, had the commies overtaken Spain it would have been a lot easier for them to take over Latin America- Mexico could have easily been another Cuba, which would have allowed for a land invasion.
We’re being invaded now!
The Commies took over Mexico in 1917! Shut off oil to Germany-Japan before WW2. Confiscated all the lands.
So Much more.
Do you read the comments on all the threads here? I’ve lined out the best history books written on those subjects. It’s so disheartening sticking your neck out for nothing.
Here’s one for the Girls.
“Maria de la luz
Proto Martyr of Catholic action”
Dragon. Around 1930.
To learn what the commies did in Mexico and how this one Girl/Woman tried to prevent it. The Reds turned her churches into “Hope Cinema” and “Mission Theatre”, “Jewish synagogues”, “Protestant Temples” Do you remember those theaters in the US? you might be to young.
All the convents and monasteries turned into Communist state offices, army barracks, whore houses or destroyed. The Reds Killed 5 million Mexican Nationalist/Catholics between 1928 and 1936. The saying is “poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States”
Even in Deming NM you can see a Jew Star on a Catholic Church 30 miles inside the US.
Seriously, Franco prevented the Communist from taking over Mexico and Latin America? The Communist took over Mexico and Brazil to name only 2, and Drafted them into war against the Axis in WW2.
All this talk of Commies! The International Brigade were not there to promote Communism. They were there to fight Fascism.
Like Hitler for instance😡
@Barry Plant you are either a disinformation agent or very shallow on the subject.
You’re a big boy with the F word.
You sound like a stupid Yankee, you probably are.
I listened to Orwell’s “Homage to Spain” about his years fighting with the communists against Franco in the 30’s. Orwell was a socialist, and wanted an end to the class distinctions that existed in Europe. Otherwise he claims not to be too political, in that he didn’t care much which commie/anarchist party won. They eventually turned on each other and his party members were imprisoned or executed just for belonging. He was lucky to escape.
He credited his survival to the state of Spanish marksmanship. So, they probably wouldn’t have been a great help in WWII.
They will always turn on each other for not being pure enough, 100% of the time.
The troubles of the past several years have had more of a Spanish Civil War flavour, than a WSI feel. In fact, some of the Anti-Fa were flying Spanish Republican flags at various of their assaults on Starbucks and newspaper kiosks, in their safe and fashionable neighbourhoods in Yankeedom, and on the Left Coast.
End Reconstruction. End the War.
P.S. I’ve got several books on the Spanish Civil War.
I’ve spent the past few years BEGGING the right to start learning about what happened in Spain.
I shared this thought-provoking essay with the great Dr. Boyd Cathey, and with his permission, I’m posting here his thoughts.
“Rebecca, In the last two decades of Franco’s tenure, he made some mistakes which, sadly, now haunt Spain: in 1953 he opened up Spain to American power and influence, which was a disaster [I wrote an essay in French for a French traditionalist journal about this]. And in his last year he was far too dependent on technocrats whose lack of religious and traditionalist convictions spelt trouble for the country.
“I was there from 1972 until 1975…the year Franco died…and I saw what was happening and what had happened. I ended up arguing with Spanish students my own age who were totally enthralled by the worst aspects of ‘Americanism.’ How ironic: I defended Spain and its historic Christian traditions, and they were all for embracing American-style modernism, the same kind that has destroyed our country…And in four decades has done the same thing in Spain.
“Of course, I am very strongly pro-Nationalist and traditionalist regarding the rising–the ‘Cruzada’–that begin in July 1936, and I am a staunch supporter of the Spanish Carlists (whose legions took part in that). But I feel that the victory earned back then was frittered away, lost by the 1970s.”
Thank you so much for sharing this article with Dr. Cathey, I admire him greatly. Yes, Franco did make his mistakes, his dealings with the US and Juan Carlos are chief among them.
Myth of the 20th did two episodes about the Spanish Civil War that is a great overview of the war.
https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/spanish-civil-war-fascist-uprising/
Fantastic article as always – Franco is the figure that the Right needs to embrace as he embodies the will to fight evil and the successful installation of a system that mostly embodied Christian virtues. If you ever get the chance, can you please do an article on Antonio Salazar as well? He is also a worthy figure that modern Dixians should emulate and admire for what he did for Portugal and for his personal character; throughout his dictatorship, he only owned two pairs of suits, a sign of his modesty and devotion to serving God and Portugal rather than his own image.
I plan to one day, but I don’t know much about him. I will rectify that though. Thank you so much.
I have read about 3 books on the Spanish Civil War. As you might expect, most were pro communist.
Finally, in one , the book tells the Nationalist side. Basically,” the country has gone straight to hell and it is our duty to defend it.” The Germans were critical of Franco for not being aggressive enough.
Even today, people glamorize scum like Woody Guthrie and Paul Robeson. The complaint I have with Hemingway is that he supported the wrong side. And the prelude to it started off with political assassinations. Kind of like that attempt on that Louisiana congressman at that softball game when Trump got elected.
Great article. Thank you.
“Mine Were Of Trouble” by Peter Kemp is a memoir of an Englishman who fought on the Nationalist side in Spain, first in the Carlist Requetes and then in the Spanish Legion. It’s the Nationalist answer to Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia”
Excellent article and very well informed.I enjoyed reading your thoughts and arguments even if I totally disagree.Imagine being a family on the frontier and Indians attack you and burn down your home.Then imagine two numbers come in the nick of time and help defeat the Indians.They then fed and house your family and help rebuild your home from their meager resources.Then a much larger group of Indians attacked the two neighbors who helped you and you do nothing.In fact you collaborate with the Indians.That is a traitor times one million.Italy sent a 40,000 man brigade which suffered 12,000 losses.Italy spent two-thirds of its 1935-1940 military budget on Spain.German help was even greater.In return he collaborated with the traitor Wilhelm Canaris to harm Germany.Read John Wear’s great article on Canaris,Wilhelm Canaris:A traitor to the German nation.Franco is no hero.He purposely wasted Hitler’s time by stalling on the Gibraltar project and more.He didn’t ask how can I repay you for saving Spain instead he gave a huge list of demands and materials to even allow German troops to cross Spanish territory.He was no great anti-communist freedom fighter either,merely a despot.There are many stories from rightist Spaniards who wanted to help Germany as well as many many stories of his freedom stifling dictatorship.Under Hitler Germans were free and happy.Under Franco the populace suffered.But how can you expect any different from a man who is racially no different than an Egyptian or Turk.I would have let Spain go under and then the onus would have been on France and England to act.Once again I enjoy your writing and different perspective but that man betrayed the only people that came to his aid.Despicable.No honor.God bless all here in good faith.
Sorry for the error,I put numbers in sentence three when I meant neighbors.Also I would urge all readers to delve into Franco’s very close buddy Wilhelm Canaris.Canaris was just about on the level of Judas.Why he betrayed brave German soldiers and agents is mind boggling.I truly believe Satan’s grip on this world has been immense the last 120 years.The Master Jesus said “they will hate you because they hate me”and that really sums up why White Christians have been completely battered the last century plus.We must call upon the blood of Jesus to protect us from the Satanic Jewish oppression that so many are under.I believe and I am sure.Jesus is Lord.
Yes, Rebel Roy, and it wasn’t just Canaris but so many of the German aristocracy that just couldn’t stand the idea of losing their preeminent status over their fellow Germans. They were caught in their own wicked devices thanks to Remer, but they were fools for ever thinking they could negotiate a separate peace in their own interests. Hitler was baffled at and wounded by their perfidy.
“In their naivete and incompetence, these traitors did not realize that they were not going to be supported in their ambitions to substitute another government, but for quite different ends. “What we in the German resistance during the war did not want to understand we learnt fully later: that this war was not being fought against Hitler, but against Germany.” p. 131. -Dr. E. Gerstenmaier, former BRD President of the Bundestag, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 21, 1975, p. 147. … It is a wonder that Hitler prevailed as long as he did despite this constant betrayal, sabotage, and corruption, and further proof of the trust in him of the vast majority of German citizens.” p. 131.
Gerard Menuhin, ‘Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil’
Thank you German Confederate and I concur 100 percent with you.The Junkers cared only about their privilege and Hitler brought the true state God wished for our Germanic peoples,that being not the worship of power and money(two Jewish Satanic concepts)but instead a community of the Volk with a spirit of comradeship,love,Christian understanding and true happiness.The Junkers are merely synthetic Jews wanting not to be happy but to lord over their own racial comrades.I have said before the Confederacy had an aristocracy exactly like the Junkers and even had our people won that that would have had to be corrected along the lines of Hitlers concepts.After all whats the point of poor farmers dying for the C.S.A. if only to be kept penniless by plantation owners who in fact cared more about their niggers than they did about the masses of their own racial kinsmen.Money and power and vanity are the hallmarks of the Jews and all aristocratic formations.God bless.