Explanation: After WW2, fascism in Europe largely ‘fell out of fashion’ with the fall of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The two holdouts were Francoist Spain and Salazar’s Portugal. Portugal had, despite its far-right leanings, sided with the Allies during WW2 (unofficially), and hence was given a ‘hands-off’ treatment in the postwar period. Spain’s Francisco Franco, who had likewise declared neutrality, but in reality sided heavily with the Nazis, had no such ‘credit’ to fall back on to prevent becoming a pariah in the post-war order.
‘Luckily’, a daub of paint and a few of the more ‘revolutionary’ types shuttered to desk jobs, and Franco could re-invent himself as ‘just’ a right-wing anti-Communist! Nazi support? No clue what you’re talking about! Franco had always been aligned with the West, he just really hated Communists!
The Cold War being what it was, that was enough for the West to tolerate and trade with his fucked regime until it was overthrown internally in the 1970s, after Franco’s death.
And to celebrate their new freedom, the spanish people started going nude on the beaches xD
Franco’s spain (and I, like everyone else had no fucking clue about Salazar) was basically proof that ww2 wasn’t about “ending fascism” or anything noble like that; Germany grabbed too much that the allies couldn’t ignore it, and once that was done, all finished. Churchill had “operation unthinkable” but I don’t think that was as much an anti-authoritarian move as it was a “fuck the left wing anything” move.
Since, you know, it’s Churchill, who gave us such bangers as :
I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes […] gasses can be used which cause great inconvenience and would spread a lively terror
I’ve never been able to make heads or tails of Spain’s post-war state change. This has been a lingering question of mine for years. Thank you!!
Let’s all remember the beautiful basque spacial program <3
