This was definitely not a biography written like a novel as advertised on the cover. It was a long, detailed and extremely well-researched book about a shadowy figure, Francisco Franco, who dominated Spanish politics for most of the 20th Century. Having visited Spain many times, I found it surprising that a fascist dictatorship existed there well into the '70s and there was a proto-fascist uprising that was fortunately unsuccessful in Wanting to learn more about this mysterious 3rd total This was definitely not a biography written like a novel as advertised on the cover.
Wanting to learn more about this mysterious 3rd totalitarian ruler that survived his friends Musolllini and Hitler, I read this Preston biography honestly there are not a lot of other choices and was both saddened and depressed from what I learned. For one thing, the cost of the Spanish Civil War was , lives plus famine-like conditions for over a decade after it ended and continued imprisonment and execution of Republicans for even longer. Franco manipulated both the Allies and the Axis during WW2 by pretending to want to join the war with Italy and Germany and yet making overtures to the UK and the USA about remaining neutral - in both cases, just to reap the benefits of victory while paying the minimal price.
He accumulated as much power as the medieval kings he adored and emulated and ruled with an arbitrary, heavy hand on overtly fascist principles. It was particularly heinous that until the 50s, he had the full, unequivocal support of the Vatican despite what everyone knew about the atrocities he committed during his africanista phase and throughout his self-imposed mandate.
Postwar US and UK foreign policy had shamefully short memories in their off and on backing of the regime.
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Spain is fortunate to have had a more democratic spirit in Juan Carlos after such a dark period in her history. It was also interesting to see that the balance of power under Franco was between the fascist Falangist movement and the militantly Catholic and royalist Carlist faction, both of which participated actively and knowingly in atrocity after atrocity while being at one another's throats but under Franco's thumb for over 30 years. Other reviewers on GR have found this book's author to have taken an anti-Franco editorial line throughout the book.
While indeed this book offers little praiseworthy about the Caudillo, I believe the author was relatively distant from his subject meaning he did not express personal opinions but rather documented facts and he does not come off in this reader's mind as judgmental beyond the objective reality he describes. I found it a bit long at times with copious details on each of the various cabinet shuffled as Franco divided and ruled, but it was educational and informative. View all 11 comments. Although a very informative and interesting book, its author is clearly, from the first pages, ill disposed and biased against the subject of this biography.
Thus the author commits the cardinal sin of the historian and biographer, which is tainting clear, objective facts with subjective, uncalled-for, damning personal opinions and innuendo about the person portrayed so the reader somehow feels like the author is trying to lead him by the nose into sharing his convictions. View all 8 comments. Epic biography of Francisco Franco and the iron fist he controlled Spain with. Explores how he maintained SPanish neutrality and the decades after the war. I liked the book, occassionally it got a little heavy, but overall a good read.
Jun 23, John Meffen rated it liked it Shelves: Very difficult to rate this, my political leanings mean I do not like Franco, but Paul Preston is the genius on the Guerra civil.
It is too big, coming in at just under a4 pages. He just was not that interesting, he was a deeply flawed character but so were many. Jan 26, Johan rated it really liked it. A very interesting read, but a bit of a slough, at the company of Franco was wearing me down: Noel Coward was absolutely right: Sep 05, Adrian added it.
This page monster of a book is the definitive one on the Spanish dictator. Preston's coverage of the Civil War is topnotch. He emphasizes how Franco slowed down Nationalist progress against the wishes of his cohorts in order to secure his own leadership and to thoroughly wipe out Republicans. He saw all Republicans as Communists, who like the Moors he fought against in his early military career in Morocco were not part of la patria and therefore expendable.
He executed the enemy without comp This page monster of a book is the definitive one on the Spanish dictator. He executed the enemy without compunction.
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He rightly guessed that the west's view of him and his stand as a bulwark against Communism would change their minds about him. Franco was a classically insular dictator. Surrounded by acolytes and an adoring media he had no clear conception of how poor Spain was in the s and 50s. In an official took him into a Seville slum and he was shocked at what he saw.
Franco: A Biography
He believed in many odd theories and gimmicks and was a lifelong hater of freemasonry. He supposed that all of his enemies belonged to the order. From the late s on Spain was run by a group of young technocrats who brought Spain into modern Europe with some sage economic policies which Franco had no understanding of. Franco had a fine instinct for survival warding off cadres of generals and groups of monarchists who hoped to overthrow him.
His end was horrendous. He had three heart attacks, suppurating ulcers and stomach hemorraghing. He was operated on three times and only died when his daughter demanded that life supporting machines be unplugged. Other than some lack of social detail and information on the development of the secret police and Guardia Civil I can't think of what the author could have added to this impressive tome. Sep 19, Czarny Pies rated it really liked it Recommends it for: J'adore les biographies qui sont du main d'un admirateur du sujet. Franco a commence sa carriere militaire au Maroc ou il a appris comment supprimer une rebellion des guerillos ce qui lui a tres bien servi dans la Guerre Civile en Espagne vingt ans plus tard.
- Delineation.
- A Different Path: The Story of an Army Family;
- Editorial Reviews.
- I Promessi sposi (Italian Edition).
- theranchhands.com: Franco (Text Only): A Biography eBook: Paul Preston: Kindle Store.
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Preston trouve les pratiques de Franco qui incluaient des nombreux meutres de civiles repugnant. Franco was in no way a fascist in the conventional sense in the s.
Franco was not some blood-thirsty dictator intent on killing anyone who fought against the victorious side. Indeed, his regime's "repression" was meek and diminished with each year following Compared with other regimes faced with similar conflicts democratic, Communist, conservative , Franco's "repression" was mild by comparison. Sixthly, Payne does an excellent job explaining how the very thing that brought Spain into the modern world also led to the undoing of the conservative society he sought to maintain. Tourism, which brought needed hard currency to Spain after the SCW also led to the encroachment of liberal Western "values.
On his deathbed, Franco seemed to sense that change was in the air.
UW Press: Franco: A Personal and Political Biography
One hopes that he never imagined the betrayal of Juan Carlos, the man in whom he had placed so much trust as future king of Spain, and whose multiple promises to adhere to the basic laws of the Franco regime were later revealed as lies. Seventhly, Payne reiterates his previous observations which stand as a sorely needed corrective to leftist lies that the Left had given up on democracy almost as soon as the Republic was established; that the Left in no way governed responsibly to respect the wishes of at least half of Spain; that the Left engaged in violent means to assert or protect its political power: Far from instigating the rebellion against the Republic, Franco was essentially dismissed by the Right in the final weeks leading to the revolt due to his failure to commit.
The murder of Calvo pushed him to join the revolt. Eighthly, Payne is brilliant in pointing out the lie of the century, namely, Guernica. Not only was Guernica a legitimate target a finding endorsed by the UN!
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It does not seem like a failure to me that the Church should side with Franco, who was saving priests and religious from slaughter by the Left. To be fair, he does point out in earlier works that the slaughter of priests by the Left was the worst since Roman times, even worse than the French Revolution. Titles of chapters capture the essence of the narrative within. His writing is clear and calm and easy to follow, with no words wasted.
Each chapter ends with a pithy summary. Notes frequently contain additional information beyond citing the source. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Franco. The beginner will get a broad overview and the veteran student will appreciate the scholarship and wisdom from a giant in his field. See all 32 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
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This is the first comprehensive scholarly biography of Franco in English that is objective and balanced in its coverage, treating all three major aspects of his life—personal, military, and political. The coauthors, both renowned historians of Spain, present a deeply researched account that has made extensive use of the Franco Archive long inaccessible to historians. They have also conducted in-depth interviews with his only daughter to explain better his family background, personal life, and marital environment, as well as his military and political career.
He will frustrate a desire for black-and-whiteness. The new biography by Stanley G.