Overview

General Francisco Franco (1892–1975), ruler of Spain for nearly forty years, was one of the most powerful and controversial leaders in that nation's long history. This deeply researched biography treats the three major aspects of his life—personal, military, and political. It depicts his early life, explains his career and rise to prominence as an army officer who became Europe's youngest interwar brigadier general in 1926, and then discusses his role in the affairs of the troubled Second Spanish Republic. Stanley G. Payne and Jesús Palacios examine in detail how Franco became dictator and how his leadership led to victory in the Spanish Civil War that consolidated his regime. They also explore Franco's role in the great repression that accompanied the Civil War—resulting in tens of thousands of executions—and examine at length his controversial role in World War II. This masterful biography highlights Franco's metamorphoses and adaptations to retain power as politics, culture, and economics shifted in the four decades of his dictatorship.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stanley G. Payne ,  Jesús Palacios
Publisher:   University of Wisconsin Press
Imprint:   University of Wisconsin Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.60cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.850kg
ISBN:  

9780299302146

ISBN 10:   0299302148
Pages:   632
Publication Date:   30 December 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations  Preface 1 The Making of a Spanish Officer (1892–1913) 2 The Youngest General in Europe (1913–1926) 3 Director of the General Military Academy (1926–1931)  4 From Ostracism to Chief of Staff (1931–1936) 5 The Destruction of Republican Democracy (1936)   6 Franco Becomes Generalissimo (1936)  7 Forging a Dictatorship (1936–1939) 8 Winning the Civil War (1936–1939) 9 Franco and the Nationalist Repression (1936–1945) 10 From Civil War to World War (1939–1940)  11 The Great Temptation (1940–1941)  12 Surviving World War II (1941–1945) 13 Franco at Bay (1945–1953) 14 Franco at His Zenith (1953–1959) 15 Franco at Home  16 Development Dictator (1959–1964)  17 Facing the Future (1964–1969)   18 Franco and the Modernization of Spain   19 Twilight Years (1969–1974)   20 The Death of Franco (1974–1975) Conclusion: Franco in the Perspective of History Notes   Index

Reviews

A very thorough and readable biography that masterfully combines research on Franco's life and regime with new and unique sources including Franco's private papers and interviews with Franco's only daughter. It will appeal to a broad readership including anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century Spain, the Spanish civil war, and the Franco regime. --Joan Maria Thom s, University Rovira-Virgili, Spain Francisco Franco is the only major twentieth-century dictator to die peacefully in his bed--after almost four decades in power. His regime was brutal, despicable, and in many respects ineffectual, yet it did not join the Axis powers in World War II and was a transitional type between traditional military dictatorships and more recent totalitarian regimes. This book, impeccably based on the available sources and displaying sober judgment, could well be the definitive work on the subject. --Walter Laqueur, author of Fascism: Past, Present, Future During and after his life, Francisco Franco garnered more than fifty studies of his life, but Franco: A Personal and Political Biography is quite simply one of the best. At last we are presented with a genuinely objective, balanced, above all dispassionate biography, written by two vastly experienced and distinguished scholars. The book's cool and measured conclusions--always lucidly presented--reflect almost uncannily the meticulously pragmatic approach of the subject himself to the numberless military and political issues his career confronted. From being a twentieth-century pariah of world politics, Franco has now come into his own in terms of serious academic attention. --Robert Stradling, author of Your Children Will Be Next: Bombing and Propaganda in the Spanish Civil War This compelling biography of Francisco Franco situates the Caudillo in his Spanish and global context. It covers every aspect of Franco's life--from birth to death, from the political to the personal--displaying a judicious and critical understanding of this very controversial figure. --Michael Seidman, author of The Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War An intimate portrait of Franco the man, provoking a lively and necessary debate about the nature of the dictator's regime. --Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice

A very thorough and readable biography that masterfully combines research on Franco's life and regime with new and unique sources including Franco's private papers and interviews with Franco's only daughter. It will appeal to a broad readership including anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century Spain, the Spanish civil war, and the Franco regime. --Joan Maria Thom s, University Rovira-Virgili, Spain An intimate portrait of Franco the man, provoking a lively and necessary debate about the nature of the dictator's regime. --Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice Francisco Franco is the only major twentieth-century dictator to die peacefully in his bed--after almost four decades in power. His regime was brutal, despicable, and in many respects ineffectual, yet it did not join the Axis powers in World War II and was a transitional type between traditional military dictatorships and more recent totalitarian regimes. This book, impeccably based on the available sources and displaying sober judgment, could well be the definitive work on the subject. --Walter Laqueur, author of Fascism: Past, Present, Future During and after his life, Francisco Franco garnered more than fifty studies of his life, but Franco: A Personal and Political Biography is quite simply one of the best. At last we are presented with a genuinely objective, balanced, above all dispassionate biography, written by two vastly experienced and distinguished scholars. The book's cool and measured conclusions--always lucidly presented--reflect almost uncannily the meticulously pragmatic approach of the subject himself to the numberless military and political issues his career confronted. From being a twentieth-century pariah of world politics, Franco has now come into his own in terms of serious academic attention. --Robert Stradling, author of Your Children Will Be Next: Bombing and Propaganda in the Spanish Civil War This compelling biography of Francisco Franco situates the Caudillo in his Spanish and global context. It covers every aspect of Franco's life--from birth to death, from the political to the personal--displaying a judicious and critical understanding of this very controversial figure. --Michael Seidman, author of The Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War

An intimate portrait of Franco the man, provoking a lively and necessary debate about the nature of the dictator's regime. - Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice This compelling biography of Francisco Franco situates the Caudillo in his Spanish and global context. It covers every aspect of Franco's life- from birth to death, from the political to the personal- displaying a judicious and critical understanding of this very controversial figure. - Michael Seidman, author of The Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War During and after his life, Francisco Franco garnered more than fifty studies of his life, but Franco: A Personal and Political Biography is quite simply one of the best. At last we are presented with a genuinely objective, balanced, above all dispassionate biography, written by two vastly experienced and distinguished scholars. The book's cool and measured conclusions- always lucidly presented- reflect almost uncannily the meticulously pragmatic approach of the subject himself to the numberless military and political issues his career confronted. From being a twentieth-century pariah of world politics, Franco has now come into his own in terms of serious academic attention. - Robert Stradling, author of Your Children Will Be Next: Bombing and Propaganda in the Spanish Civil War Francisco Franco is the only major twentieth-century dictator to die peacefully in his bed- after almost four decades in power. His regime was brutal, despicable, and in many respects ineffectual, yet it did not join the Axis powers in World War II and was a transitional type between traditional military dictatorships and more recent totalitarian regimes. This book, impeccably based on the available sources and displaying sober judgment, could well be the definitive work on the subject. - Walter Laqueur, author of Fascism: Past, Present, Future A very thorough and readable biography that masterfully combines research on Franco's life and regime with new and unique sources including Franco's private papers and interviews with Franco's only daughter. It will appeal to a broad readership including anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century Spain, the Spanish civil war, and the Franco regime. - Joan Maria Thomas, University Rovira-Virgili, Spain

Author Information

Stanley G. Payne is the Hilldale–Jaume Vicens Vives Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the author of many books, including A History of Fascism, 1914–1945; The Franco Regime, 1936–1975; and Spain: A Unique History. Jesús Palacios is a noted historian, investigative journalist, and adjunct professor at the University of Madrid.

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