Why wasn’t Franco killed?

When World War II broke out, Franco was initially shocked by Hitler's unprovoked invasion of Catholic Poland, and was careful to avoid being involved in the war alone. This was a severe test of his rule. Throughout the war, Franco had been maneuvering between the two major groups, watching the wind and taking advantage of the contradictions between Britain, the United States, Germany and Italy, and reaping benefits from them. In order to prevent Franco from getting closer to the Axis powers, Britain and France continued to provide economic assistance to Spain in order to win over Spain to remain neutral in the war. Franco considered Spain's weak national strength and was also afraid that Germany and Italy would control him. In the early stages of the war, Franco deliberately alienated the Axis powers. During the war, Franco declared Spain a neutral country, free from both warring parties, sometimes close to Germany and Italy, sometimes applauding Britain and France. When Germany and Italy urged Spain to join the Axis powers in the war, Franco cautiously refused. He tactfully wrote a long letter to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, meaning that if Germany could come up with a German, When the evidence came that Italy would win, Spain immediately joined the German-Italian group. However, by the first half of 1940, as Germany swept across Western Europe and won successive victories, Franco, who was keen on speculation, began to tilt his neutral stance. He hoped to take the opportunity to take back Gibraltar, which had been controlled by the British for more than two centuries. In June, Franco suddenly sent troops to occupy Tangier. At that time, Tangier was an area governed by Germany, Italy, Britain and France. Before Franco took this military action, he only notified Germany and Italy, but did not notify Britain and France. Franco then raised the slogan of taking back Gibraltar. In June 1941, Adolf Hitler attacked the Soviet Union. Franco was dazzled by Hitler's victory. He expressed full support for Hitler's actions and asked Germany to allow the Spanish Falangist volunteers to participate in the war against the Soviet Union in repayment for the war between 1936 and 1939. Germany gave Spain fraternal aid. At this point, Franco still had room to retreat. Externally, he only announced that Spain had changed from a neutral country to a non-belligerent country. Regarding Germany, he emphasized that "Spain sending volunteers does not mean joining the war on the German side. In fact, Franco organized a "Blue Division" composed of Falange members. ", put on the uniform of the German army, and went to fight in the Soviet Union. By 1943, seeing that the Axis powers were unlikely to win, Franco immediately adjusted Spain's foreign policy, declared that Spain would return to neutrality from a "non-belligerent country", and ordered the recall of those in the Soviet Union The fighting "Blue Division".

After the end of World War II, Franco still implemented his reign of terror in the country against parties other than the Falange, especially the Communist Party and the Communist Party. Socialist Party members were roundly rounded up, imprisoned, and even executed, and castration and hanging were used (not abolished until 1963). Franco's horrific and tyrannical rule aroused strong dissatisfaction around the world in December 1946. The resolution recommended that all United Nations member states recall their ambassadors from Spain and decided not to accept Spain as a member state of the United Nations in the future as long as Spain maintained the current system. Faced with this situation of international isolation, Franco announced the implementation of a closed-door and isolated economic policy. A campaign of hatred against Jews and all foreigners was carried out in the country, signboards with foreign characters were prohibited from being hung in public places, and the use of domestic products was encouraged.

From the late 1950s to the time of Franco's death, Spain The rapid economic growth is often regarded as one of the positive teachings left by the Franco period. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Spain's political and economic development was relatively stable. However, due to the decline of Spain in the 19th century, a large number of colonies were lost. The loss of Spain still left a considerable gap between it and Western European countries. The civil war from 1936 to 1939 severely damaged Spain's economy. Coupled with the environment of World War II at that time, it even triggered a series of famines in 1940. Later, Spain's key geographical location and Franco's strong anti-Japanese policy gradually eased relations with Western democratic countries. However, since 1939, Franco had been pursuing a policy of self-sufficiency. At first, Spain's per capita GDP was barely 40% of that of Western European countries. Starting in the 1950s, many technocratic ideas were approved by Franco and funded by the International Monetary Fund, and Spain's economy greatly improved. With its development, it became the second fastest growing country in the world, slightly lower than Japan. There are many reasons for this, but the main reasons are the opening up of tourism and the country's industrialization. By 1974, Spain's per capita GDP has reached 80% of that of Western European countries. This level was only reached by Spain in the 1990s. The automobile industry and nuclear power have both developed greatly. The Spanish-made SEAT 600 can be said to be a symbol of that era. It was very popular among the working class. In 1946, there were only 72,000 private cars in Spain. By 1966, there were more than one million. No country in the world has experienced a comparable increase. But until a few months before his death, Franco still strictly controlled the national system, such as immigration. At that time, the number of foreign skilled immigrants opened in Spain every year was very few, and the review was very harsh. In politics, the Roman salute was still used in large numbers on October 1, 1975, when Franco last addressed the public. The flag with the imperial eagle was not officially discontinued until the adoption of the democratic constitution in 1978.

As the United States and the Soviet Union began to move towards the Cold War, the rejection of him ended, and he became a veteran politician in the fight against communism. Franco took advantage of the contradiction between the United States and the Soviet Union, implemented a pro-American policy, and expressed his willingness to provide military bases to the United States. In 1953, Franco signed the "U.S.-Spain Agreement" with the United States. According to this agreement, Spain provided the United States with four military bases on sea, land and air. Thereby obtaining economic and technical assistance from the United States and breaking the United Nations sanctions against Spain. Relying on the power and influence of the United States, Franco had a wider space for diplomatic activities. Franco has also been looking for opportunities to improve relations with Britain and France in order to enhance his bargaining power in dealings with the United States. In 1963, the ten-year validity period of the US-Spanish Agreement expired, and the terms of the extension were renegotiated according to regulations. At this time, the relationship between the United States and France was very tense, and Franco took advantage of this opportunity to develop relations with France. The two sides had frequent foreign affairs activities, exchanged visits by committee members, issued a joint communiqué, signed an agreement on joint naval and air force exercises, etc. The purpose of doing this is to prepare for the negotiation on the extension of the US-Spain Agreement. Almost all of Spain's demands were reflected in the US-Spain Extension Agreement signed in 1963. Through this agreement, the Spanish government received more than 4 billion US dollars in aid. Franco used these dollars to purchase advanced American weapons and arm the Spanish army. In the 1970s, Spain was one of the six countries in the world that imported the most weapons. Franco's domestic policies became somewhat liberal in the 1950s and 1960s. The continuity of his regime and his ability to evolve creatively earned him a certain degree of respect from some critics. He carefully maintained a balance between the various factions and Most of the implementation of policy is left to those he appoints, keeping himself above the storm of daily political battles as an arbiter, and much of the blame for unsuccessful or unpopular policies falls on his fellow officials. The Falange began to decline in the early 1940s, and later became only a "movement", losing its quasi-fascist character.

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