The political elites of the francoist Spain

In contemporary historiography the Franco Regime is still frequently viewed as a new form of a traditional Spanish feudalism. This interpretation was born during the Spanish Civil War and had been a propagandistic tool of the Republic. Due to this vision, until proclamation of the Republic in 1931, Spanish political regimes were simply series of oligarchic, intolerant (inquisitorial) and corrupted systems, dominated by aristocracy and clergy. New researches on period of the Restoration (1874-1931) highlighted it's characteristics differed from this simplistic formula. Political role of aristocracy was limited and relations of state-Church were complicated and occasionally conflictive. Undemocratic but liberal parliamentarism took form quite similar to other European countries that were more advanced economically and socially. Economic tensions of first decades of the 20th century destroyed the fragile structure of political power in Spain. Primo de Rivera's dictatorship (1923-1930) failed attempt of creation of the new corporative regime opened way to the Second Republic. In 1931 nearly all characteristics of the Restoration were passed away. Old monarchic parties were decomposed and mass mobilization took place of the practices of electoral corruption (caciquismo). New right-wigs political parties emerged in opposition to the reforms of the republican-socialist Government. Among them the most important was the CEDA, leaded by people connected to Catholic lay organizations - but ideologically the most creative was the tiny group of the authoritarian monarchists, Acción Española. Also, in this time first Spanish fascists groups time were born, which in 1933-1934 merged in Falange y las JONS. Republic period was also occasioned to revitalize the 19th counterrevolutionary movement, the carlism. Firstly, CEDA was center of political hope of the conservative electorate. But after failure in 1936 election, party's neutrality in question of political regime became to be seen as a sign of weakness. The role of the extreme right were growing in turbulent political months of the Popular Front government. In July 1936 a rebellion broke out in a part of the army. Conspiracy of generals aimed at curtail of left-wing excesses, but was not absolutely enemy of Republic. Nevertheless, the coup d'etat failed and became the bloody three-years Civil War. During the Civil War an idea of rectification of republican errors was translated into vision of creation of the New State. General Francisco Franco became head of state. His closes governmental collaborators were members of Second Republic right-wings parties which mutated into kind of coteries of new regime (political families). From 1936 to 1943 Spanish fascist tried to locate their party (from 1937 - FET y las JONS) in the center of dictatorship decision-making. After the war failure of the Axis powers, their scopes were more limited. The party apparatus had a vision to become the most powerful among various pressure groups, but even it was too ambitious. During first decades of his dominance, Franco equilibrated portion of ministries of each political family in kind of "limited pluralism" of the Civil War victors. In end of the fifties new political family - technocrats, actualized version of the authoritarian monarchism of Accion Espanola - became process of modernization of Spanish state. In 1969 their actions were finished with proclamation of Juan Carlos de Borbón as Franco's successor. Last six years of Franco's life was the time of various attempts to create a new right-wing groups for time after dictator death. All failed. Due to their weak position people of the regime must negotiate with the anti-francoist opposition. It was the first stage of the transformation (Transición) from which the democracy emerged in 1977. Process of decision making, power of the Head of State, and level of freedom in political debate were absolutely different in the Spain of Restoration and the Franco Regime. There is no serious reason to take the francoism as incarnation of before 1931 monarchy, even if there were some personal continuity between both systems.