Spain during World War II

by Wayne H. Bowen

The story of Spain during World War II has largely been viewed as the story of dictator Francisco Franco’s foreign diplomacy in the aftermath of civil war. Wayne H. Bowen now goes behind the scenes of fascism to reveal less-studied dimensions of Spanish history. By examining the conflicts within the Franco regime and the daily lives of Spaniards, he has written the first book-length assessment of the regime’s formative years and the struggle of its citizens to survive.  Bowen argues that the emphasis of previous scholars on Spain’s foreign affairs is misplaced—that even the most pro-Axis elements of Franco’s regime were more concerned with domestic politics, the potential for civil unrest, and poverty than with events in Europe. Synthesizing a wide range of Spanish-language scholarship and recently declassified government documents, Bowen reveals how Franco’s government stumbled in the face of world war, inexperienced leaders, contradictory political ideology, and a divided populace. His book tells the dramatic story of a six-year argument among the general, the politicians, and the clerics on nothing less than what should be the nature of the new Spain, touching on issues as diverse as whether the monarchy should be restored and how women should dress. Examining the effects of World War II years on key facets of Spanish life—Catholicism, the economy, women, leisure, culture, opposition to Franco, and domestic politics—Bowen explores a wide range of the grinding poverty following the civil war, exacerbated by poor economic decisions; restrictions on employment for women versus the relative autonomy enjoyed by female members of the Falange; the efforts of the Church to recover from near decimation; and methods of repression practiced by the regime against leftists, separatists, and Freemasons.  He also shows that the lives of most Spaniards remained apolitical and centered on work, family, and leisure marked by the popularity of American movies and the resurgence of loyalty to regional sports teams.             Unlike other studies that have focused exclusively on Spain’s foreign affairs during the Second World War, Bowen’s work stresses the importance of the home front not only in keeping Spain out of the war but also in keeping Franco in power. He shows that in spite of internal problems and external distractions, Franco’s government managed to achieve its goals of state survival and internal peace. As the only single-volume survey of this era available in English, Spain during World War II is a masterful synthesis that offers a much-needed alternative view of the Franco regime during crucial times as it provides a testament to the Spanish people’s will to survive.

Genres: Spain, World War II, History

296 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scholarship and well written, although with an academic style so can be a bit dry at times (but it does this well – so it’s not like a horrible wordy academic style, it’s just not full of witticisms and analogies and what-have-you in less formal writing). It’s clearly very well researched from a wide range of Spanish and English sources, and is supported by a good bibliography. It has a good number of footnotes (reference, not extra information) through the text for people wanting to chase up particular points.

The book focusses on life inside Spain, rather than the relationship between Spain and the nations around it during World War II, although there are still two chapters on international relations, so this is by no means neglected. From reading the book, I have a picture of how Franco's Spain operated, its internal political and economic challenges, and the key groups in the country.

The chapter structure and the order the information is presented in is also very well done, and maximises the ease of understanding by the reader of a very complex situation. About the only thing the book didn’t have which would have been useful was a map of Spain with key cities and regions, and an English-language only bibliography to make it easier for readers not fluent in Spanish to follow up with English-language sources (although the author does helpfully highlight some of the key works in the book proper as well, in the introduction and conclusion).