Franco rose to power in the army during the civil war, becoming the youngest captain and then the youngest general Spain had ever seen.Although not a deeply religious man, he wed a young woman from a deeply Catholic family, named Carmen, and allowed the image of her piety and virtuous nature to envelop him as well, turning him into the most influential person he could possibly become to the Spanish people: a modern crusader for the Catholic church and its values.He even went so far as to command his young daughter to go on the national radio and urge the little children to pray for her father’s victory. After the fall of Madrid he began his personal campaign to unite all of Spain under his personal rule.By assuming the identity a pious and virtuous man, even going so far as to command his own priest for daily masses, he created a religious fervor that held sway over the minds of the people and blinded them to the events around them.

The practicality and foresight in this was a stroke of genius.He could simultaneously guarantee the Catholics of Spain that they would not be persecuted as they had under previous rulers, he could create enthusiasm for his regime and he could seek the approval of the Church so necessary to his success.

Francisco Franco, despite the murderous practices of his cohorts and his apparent barbarism, is still regarded as the savior of modern Spain, returning the ideals of Catholicism and reinstating the wealth of the nation.In a way this may not be completely unfounded.By keeping Spain out of WWII itself, Franco allowed his people the time they needed to recover from the civil war and its ensuing purges.

It has been much discussed whether Spain would have joined the Axis or the Allies in the fight had they been able to.He also endeared himself to the Allies who continued to help the Spanish people with foreign aid after the war.But there were ties with Germany that are undeniably subversive to the trust placed in the Spanish government by the Allies.For example, only months after the Civil war broke out, Franco requested support from Germany in the form of military supplies.Hitler then declared his support and sent the supplies to the Falange party and on May of 1937 Franco declared his sympathies with the Nazi regime.This is unsurprising when one looks at how the Jews inside Spain were treated.Jewish children were not allowed to enroll in schools, nor were babies allowed to be registed on the public rolls until they had been baptized and circumcision had been outlawed.There were also tentative plans to exile all Jews who had entered into Spain after 1931, citizens and new refugees alike.

Franco lived until 1975 as dictator of Spain, under the title of Generalissimo, and chose as his heir a member of the disempowered monarchy, showing in the end a true commitment to the traditional values of Spain.Many still credit him with bringing order, religion, and prosperity back to the struggling country.