Franco: A Biography

This is a long, detailed book, but I found it to be excellent. The kinds of biographies I like are ones that bring the historical period alive by showing a view of the world and how the person interacted with it. This book really fit the bill because Franco is not a major historical player. So, the story of World War II from the perspective of Spain (not in the war) was interesting. WWII is always about the active participants. To see how Franco dilly dallied around with Hitler and Mussolini and survived the war to ally with the US was not something I had been exposed to before. Some of the other reviews indicate that the book is biased. I would say that the author has a view (as he should), but I did not find it to be a distraction. Like one of the other reviewers, I ended up with some empathy for Franco. Spain was in a tough spot and all the interventions from outside weren't much help. So, there is some necessity to what happened (not that it's good). I somewhat came away with a view that Franco was a dull, unimaginative man who did some quite dumb things. But, unlike a Hitler, Stalin, or Mao, Franco was not completely destructive of his own society. Once dead, people seemed to be ready to be normal and pretty much have been so. The size of the book is intimidating if you are not used to reading detailed biographies. I didn't find it to be a problem. Where some reviewers indicate that certain points are repeated over and over, I see that as the author has a high-level story to tell and the story makes the detail meaningful and easier to understand. As a counter-example, William Duiker's biography of Ho Chi Minh is one where the story gets lost in the detail (facts, names, events, but no theme). So, I give Paul Preston great credit.

This is a classic and describes a period of Spain's history that has formed post-Franco culture to an important level. Paul Preston has written a very detailed book about this period, well researched and documented; it also reads well and even though most of the readers will know how the story ends (this is what defines 'history')it maintains the tension even when re-reading after some time. The most recent book (I believe only written in Spanish so far) about Don Juan Carlos (king of Spain) is equally impressive. To both books, however, there is one thing I missed: the deeper psychological background to the key players. Why did they do what they did? Why was Franco able to 'hang on' for so long, how was Juan Carlos able to live under one regime and then change to a democracy (doing what I would call a 'Gorbachov': growing up in the system, getting powerful in the system and then defeating the same system). I am looking forward to have those aspects covered by Mr Preston one day.

This is a first rate biography by Prof. Paul Preston, perhaps the leading authority on mid-20th century Spain. Written well and documented superbly, this book offers an unparalleled account of Franco's long career. Preston presents Franco as an unusually able opportunist dedicated to a relatively primitive ideology characterized by narrow nationalism, a virtually paranoid fear of leftism, and reactionary Catholicism. Preston demonstrates well that Franco essentially embodied the worst tendencies of the Spanish upper and middle classes. Franco's world view was formed by his provinical background, his narrow education in the Spanish military and his service in the colonial forces in Morocco. Physically unimpressive, Franco became a national figure and leader of the Spanish Army by a combination of reckless bravery and an attention to organizational detail unusual in the primitive Spanish military. Franco was then able to use his prestige and connections to eventually attain a position of primacy among the rebellious commanders on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Preston shows well that Franco probably put his political aspirations ahead of military success during crucial phases of the Civil War. Franco appears to have been infected with the idea that he was some kind of 2oth century El Cid selected to save Spain from Bolshevism-Freemasonry. Preston analyzes in detail many of the claims made by Franco's supporters. These include the suggestions that he kept Spain out of WWII and that he set the stage for Spain's remarkable economic growth in the 1960s. Preston shows that Spain's neutrality owed considerably more to good luck and intelligent Allied pressure than Franco's diplomacy. Spain's economic boom occurred only after Franco's cabinet contained indivduals who rejected his primitive ideas of economic autarchy. The Franco regime was characterized by systematic repression from start to finish. From the remarkable brutality of Franco's troops during the Civil War to the massive post-war imprisonments to the systematic repression that lasted into the 1970s, the Francist regime characterized by attacks on anything deemed threatening. Threats included free speech, freedom of religion, independent trade union activity, and a host of institutions necessary for a decent society. Well into old age, Franco continued to express warm feelings about the Nazis and Italian Fascists who had once been his allies. Prior reviewers who characterize Preston's analysis as biased are themselves showing evidence of prejuidice. Preston presents Franco as a narrow-minded, vicious, and egotistical tyrant because that is exactly what Franco was.

Written from a moderate-left viewpoint, this book is likely the last important biography of Franco. Yes, the author obviously dislikes his subject; but no one can accuse Preston of being less than the consummate historian. Other reviewers have complained about bias. (Regarding a previous review: the family tales that "contradict" Preston's command of the facts are merely anecdotes.) It is impossible to write about Franco and the end of the Spanish Republic without providing an interpretation. Given the events, the interpretations are likely to be rather polarized. One last point: this book is for those who already have an interest in the subject and who want to explore all the dark corners of Francoism and the man himself.

Most reviews of Paul PReston's Franco appear to focus on the tedium of the biography which definitely qualifies as a modern day tome. I must agree that the Preston's work was indeed repitive in that in the seven hundred plus pages only a few points were made. Of course that implies that every point was amply suppourted. Beyond the above mentioned tedium there is some real charm in Preston's biography. Preston creates a novel image of one of the most misunderstood figures in the history of this century. I thought that Preston's analysis of the man was indeed brilliant taking the reader beyond Guernica. He delves into the mind of Franco proving how much he was shaped by his formative experience in Morocco. Preston also shatters the myth that Franco was the dictator to complete the European facist trinity. He points out that to define Franco it is far easier to define him by what he is against as opposed to what he is for. Franco was not a man of strong political ideologies, rather a man with strong convictions in his millitary sense which reppelled Communism and freemasonry. I must admit that Preston painted a rather intimate portrait of Franco, and despite the fact that it is often tangential, it did endear Franco, a bit, to my heart. Preston was able to present him as a man of uniform and a man for a government which like his family ought to be paternalistic.