FRANCISCO FRANCO: THE REFORMER OF PONETOLE

The twentieth century turned out to be surprisingly asymmetrical in terms of political events: its first half was marked by cruel fratricidal wars, totalitarian regimes and authoritarian dictatorships. At the same time the second half of the past century witnessed a massive democratization process in various parts of the world. Spain happened to be at the very crossroads of those tragic events and of the new democratic wave against that complicated historical background. This Pyrenean country suffered from the bloody Civil War, endured brutal General Franco's dictatorship that lasted almost 40 years, and then suddenly made a model transition from authoritarianism to democracy. However, such phenomena do not take place without a serious reason. Obviously they are preceded by serious, and often tragic, past experience. General Franco's dictatorship proved to be one of those bitter lessons for Spanish people. The article tracks down the path of the Francoist regime from the seizure of power to the physical death of the dictator. The author highlights changes in institutional, ideological and economic spheres of the regime, emphasizing Francoist differences from other dictatorships at the same time. Relying on papers by Russian and foreign experts, the author suggests that the regime's transformation was influenced both by external and domestic factors, beyond Franco's will, and it led to the emergence of some significant opportunities necessary for a successful democratic transition.

Authors: M. A. Petrov

Direction: Sociological Research

Keywords: Dictatorship, democratic transition, Spain, regime, institutional changes, institutional path dependence

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