The European Rescue of the Franco Regime, 1950-1975

Autor: Fernando Guirao

The European Rescue of the Franco Regime, 1950-1975 explores how the governments of the founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community, acting collectively via the European Communities, assisted in the consolidation of the Franco regime. It explains how the Six (the Nine after 1972) implemented a set of policy measures that facilitated the subsistence of the Franco regime, proving that trade with the Six improved Spain’s overall economic performance, which in turn secured Franco’s rule.

The Six provided the Spanish economy with a stable supply of essential raw materials and capital goods and with outlet markets for the country’s main export commodities. Through these mechanisms the European Communities assisted Spanish economic development and supported the stabilization of the non-democratic political regime ruling Spain. The Franco regime was never threatened by European integration and the Six/Nine managed to isolate meaningful Community negotiations with Spain from mounting political disturbance. The European Rescue of the Franco Regime, 1950-1975 shows that without unremitting material assistance from Western Europe, it would have been considerably more challenging for the Franco regime to attain the stability that enabled the dictator to maintain his rule until he died peacefully at 82 years old.