Francisco Franco was the Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces to victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and ruled Spain as dictator until his death in 1975. Rising through the military in Morocco, Franco initially hesitated to join the 1936 uprising but soon became its leader, aided by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
The Civil War killed hundreds of thousands and became a rehearsal for World War II. Franco's victory led to decades of authoritarian rule—political prisoners, censorship, suppression of regional languages and identities. The regime's ideology combined Catholic traditionalism, Spanish nationalism, and anti-communism.
Franco kept Spain out of World War II despite German pressure, then survived into the Cold War by offering bases to the United States. The regime gradually liberalized economically while remaining politically repressive. Franco appointed Juan Carlos as his successor, expecting continued authoritarianism; instead, the king shepherded Spain's transition to democracy after Franco's death in 1975.