Overview

Before becoming one of the longest-ruling dictators of the twentieth century, Francisco Franco commanded troops in the kinds of wars that have since become all too familiar. He not only waged vicious counterinsurgency campaigns against Muslim warlords and rebellious tribes in Morocco, but he also led a multinational force to victory in Europe's ""dress rehearsal"" for World War II - the Spanish Civil War. Born into a military family in 1892, Francisco Franco first made a name for himself leading attacks against rebellious Moroccan warlords and tribesmen and by 1926 was promoted to brigadier general. His role in the ruthless suppression of the 1934 revolution by coal miners in Asturias sealed his reputation for brutality, though Franco saw it as simply carrying out an order in the most efficient manner possible. In 1936, as chief of staff for the military, Franco led a revolt against the Popular Front government of the republic and in October of that year became generalissimo of Nationalist Spain and head of state of an insurgent government, thus touching off more than two years of civil war. In November 1936, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy recognized him as Spain's legitimate ruler and sent him extensive military aid. In February 1939, France and Britain followed suit. He then outlasted fellow dictators Hitler and Stalin by decades, dying in 1975 at the helm of the same regime he had established in Spain before the Second World War. In this engaging and concise introduction to the generalissimo's life on and off the battlefield, Geoffrey Jensen makes clear how Franco's military experiences helped shape the character of his dictatorship and its repressive policies.

Full Product Details

9781574886450

Table of Contents

Reviews

An excellent brief account, the best in English, notable especially for doing justice to Franco as combat officer and military commander. --Stanley G. Payne, professor of history, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of THE FRANCO REGIME: 1936-1975

"""An excellent brief account, the best in English, notable especially for doing justice to Franco as combat officer and military commander."" --Stanley G. Payne, professor of history, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of THE FRANCO REGIME: 1936-1975"

Author Information

Geoffrey Jensen, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi and a leading authority on the Spanish military. He is the author of Irrational Triumph: Cultural Despair, Military Nationalism, and the Ideological Origins of Franco's Spain. He lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available