How far reaching was economic and social change in the years 1956-75? - THE DECLINE OF THE FALANGE AND THE RISE OF THE TECHNOCRATS IN THE LATE 1950s

Question 1

What did Franco need to do by the late 1950s to resolve the economic crisis in Spain?

Answer 1

Franco needed to look outwards to secure his + Spain’s future – requires abandoning ultra-nationalist thinking

Question 2

Who did Franco detach from in this new drastic action?

Answer 2

Franco detached himself from the Falange party – bedrock of his political power base but now holding Spain back

Question 3

What had previously thwarted F’s desires to make further links with Western countries?

Answer 3

Desire to make further links with Western countries, previously thwarted by fascist Falangists who refused to compromise

Question 4

What was the Falange like by late 1950’s?

Answer 4

• Failing membership
• Rigid and extreme political views
• Increasingly out of touch + outdated to Spain’s needs, especially economic policy

Question 5

How + when did F’s changing political loyalties become clear?

Answer 5

February 1957 – cabinet reshuffle

Question 6

What happened in the Feb 1957 cabinet reshuffle?

Answer 6

• Falange ministers either removed or demoted to less prominent positions, eg. education and housing
• Promoted those with more open-minded and reformist views

Answer 7

BUT many new members of the cabinet linked with Opus Dei – power and influence of Church caused concern + criticism from liberals and republicans

Question 8

What was Opus Dei?

Answer 8

secretive Catholic organisation

Question 9

2 examples of new ministers?

Answer 9

Alberto Ullastres Calvo (Trade)
Mariano Navarro Rubio (Finance)

Question 10

What were the new ministers like?

Answer 10

• Technocratic in nature
• Less wedded to ideological dogma
• Experts in their field
• Flexible and open minded, eg. to enhanced international trade links and foreign investment
• Willing to embrace free market – excessive state intervention previously had held back growth and development of the economy
• Free trade preferred, discredited autarky – appealed to capitalist nations (USA)

Question 11

What does technocratic mean?

Answer 11

actions based on technical skills, knowledge and expertise rather than ideological influences

Question 12

When was the Stabilisation Plan introduced?

Answer 12

summer 1959

Question 13

What was the Stabilisation Plan?

Answer 13

plan sought to open up Spanish economy to global influence
Abandoned description ‘National Syndicalist State’

Question 14

What happened in 1958?

Answer 14

revised principals of the one-party political structure

Question 15

What happened in 1970?

Answer 15

Evidence of Falange party declining status becoming extremely evident - name changed to National Movement, show changes seeking to modernise