Managing Nationalist Rivalries (1938-56)

• During the civil war, the different groups that made up the Nationalists worked together with a common goal of beating the Republicans. However, after winning the war, tensions between the different groups (traditional monarchists, Falangists and Carlists) began to emerge. Franco was determined to retain personal control and played a key role in manipulating the tensions.
• The monarchists were a considerable threat to Franco's position after the civil war. The monarchists argued that the restoration of the monarchy was the ideal way to reunite Spain after the civil war. However, it presented problems:

  • a restored monarchy would undermine Franco's position
  • different groups within Spain supported different potential kings
  • the Falange viewed restoration of the monarchy as a backwards step
• Franco agreed with monarchists that the 'new state' should restore the monarchy. However, he argued the period immediately after the civil war was not appropriate. Instead, he said that Spain needed an experienced military leader to ensure its protection from internal threats.
• Franco did contact Juan de Borbon, the exiled Spanish king, promising to appoint him as king when the time was right. In 1947, Franco supported the Law of Leadership Succession, which formally asserted that Spain was a monarchy. However, the new law left the timing of the appointment of a new monarch in Franco's hands.
• Franco retained the support of the Falange as they thought he would establish a fascist state. Franco ensured that the Falange was the only legal political party in Spain and granted Falangists leading roles in the economy and controlling Spanish media. His initial economic policy and the creation of the OSE indicated that Spain would create a fascist economy. In the early 1940s, Franco even made use of fascist symbols and propaganda techniques.
• However, Franco had no intention of handing power to the Falange. During the civil war, Franco merged the Carlists with the Falange, causing them to lose a lot of their initial fascist character. Moreover, after their leader's death, the Falange became increasingly dependent on Franco. The Falange also had no widespread support, meaning they weren't a significant threat to Franco's position after 1939.
• Many Carlists became committed to fascism and the fascist movements of Germany and Italy. As a result, they lost much of their initial support and failed to gain many new converts due to the lack of support for fascism in Spain.