Is Spain still really tied - culturally, politically and emotionally - to dictator Francisco Franco? What place did he have (and still has) in the public imagination? What remains today of this man and his legacy?
This book examines Franco's public image and the social construction of his public biography over four different periods: the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the post-Civil War period (1939-1949), the rest of the dictatorship (1950-1975), the democratic period and the modern era (1975-2020).The book deals with biography, narratives, public and political motivations, and analyzes the role that Franco's idea has played and continues to play in contemporary Spain.
He argues that the multiplicity of narratives that have existed in Spain and abroad regarding Franco's personality is closely linked to both the discourse and images produced by those in power and a type of popular 'vulgar Francoism' that includes many stereotypes.This last concept is central to understanding not only Franco's importance in contemporary Spain, but also the intense loyalty to his figures by a large segment of Spanish society. The book presents a complex picture of how the dictator's public image was shaped over time, examining how ordinary Spaniards imagined Franco, and what their sources were.
