On this day, 20 November 1975, Spain’s right-wing dictator, General Francisco Franco, whose 1936 coup led to the Spanish civil war, died. His victory in the civil war in 1939 led to his political enemies being executed en masse, concentration and forced labour camps being set up and causing the deaths of between 150,000 and 400,000 people.
Soon after his death a workers’ assembly and strike movement swept Spain as militant workers encountered democracy.
Comedian Chevy Chase joked about Franco’s death in the Weekend Update segment of the TV comedy Saturday Night Live every week he was on the show, reporting each week that Franco was “still dead”. Chase also read a statement from the US president Richard Nixon, who declared: “General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States. He earned worldwide respect for Spain through firmness and fairness.” This statement was juxtaposed with a photograph of Franco giving a fascist salute next to his friend and ally, Adolf Hitler.
Learn more about the Spanish civil war in our podcast episodes 39-40. Find them wherever you get your podcasts or on our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1858270947691380/?type=3
