Francoist Spain

Although the Spanish Civil War spanned from 1936-1939, the Francoists control of Spain was noticeable immediately, as they used a tactic known as "war of attrition," where they would continuously attack and weaken the enemy into submission. At the same time, they used imprisonment, torture, and execution on the Spaniards "guilty" of supporting the Second Republic (and its values).

Language

Religion

Economy

Main Values:

Language

The legal use of any language other than Spanish was forbidden; this included Catalan, which was prohibited from educational settings, public spaces, and broadcasts.

All government, notarial, legal, and commercial documents not written in Spanish were null and void. Some were confiscated in what was later named the Salamanca Papers.

All publications (not in Spanish) were forbidden. All citizens continued to use them privately, with risk of being caught and arrested.

Names that were not Christian (Francoists would describe them as "Leftist" and "Regional) had to be legally changed to Spanish Catholic names.

Religion

The regime favored conservative Roman Catholicism and reversed the Second Reoublic's secularisation

Civil marriages that had taken place during the Republic were voided, unless both parties were members of the Catholic Church.

Divorces, methods of contraceptions, and abortions were forbidden.

Economy

During the Spanish Civil War, the country divided into two different centralized economies (how the government controls means of production and allocation of resources). While the Republic aimed for a worker-led economy, while the Francoists wanted an authoritarian state with traditional values. In this period, the effort of both parties was focused on the war industry, looking to supply their soldiers.

The lack of growth in the economy was also partly due to the lack of private investments in the country. In this case, it also relates on the farmers and the agricultural industry. Owners of crops and fields were forced to decide whether to fire workers, plant less crops, and sell a smaller quantity.

In Francoist Spain, especially towards the first decade, the economy improved little, even with the help (before, throughout, and after the Civil War) of allies like Italy and Germany – fascist forces.

Military

During the Civil War, the Spanish Army became a central point of the Authoritarian state; it even became a symbol of power and stability.

From 1936-1937, the authorisation of death sentences only required or concurrence of the commander on duty. In this period, the death toll of "death sentences" is estimated between 38,000 and 200,000.

The Armed Forces were in direct relationship with the Franco government, as they even maintained influence in power in state administration and legislature.

Although at the start the Francoist Side had more soldiers by a small margin, their numbers kept growing as the rebellion grew, as military commanders and officers switched sides and favored the change.

When the war began, as part of their strategy, the Francoist side relied on the Spanish Army of Africa – led by Franco and stationed in Morocco – to lead the effort, since they had the most combat experience and studied rutheless methods of battke.