Franco: A Biography

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.

Only one conclusion from the book: Franco was a deviate - a horrible person which the US during the Eisenhower Administration supported.

If you really want to understand a crucial and telling piece of world history that has been kept largely a secret due to a largely secretive maniac, Paul Preston's FRANCO: A BIOGRAPHY is the book to read.On one level, it can definitely be argued that "karma's a bitch" and that, because of that, Spain perhaps was due to get back a little of what they'd put so much of Latin America through for so long, and so God created Francisco Franco as a fair and just punishment for the people of Spain.On another level, however, it could also be argued -- and I think much more convincingly argued -- that any culture is dominated and thus actually ruled by its most powerful militarized elements against which most of the people have no say if they disagree. In essence, societies and empires are captives of "their" militaries and those who strategize for them, and most likely Spain has never been any different, even through its most sado-masochistic peak as THE global empire.The problem is that many Spanish most likely wanted no part of the Inquisition, the takeover of the New World, or any of the brutalities perpetrated by the Spanish Empire down through the ages. Yet the sadistic element in Spain, as in every other country, typically remains in control down through time. And so, when it came time for Spain to meet its final defeat in the Spanish-American War at the hands of Teddy Roosevelt, those same sadistic elements in control of Spain, having no more outside whipping boys against which to continue the tradition of indulging their penchant for wanton domination and cruelty, they turned first against Morocco to their south in the Rif Wars, and then against their own internal human infrastructure, in terms of what is so sanitizingly called "The Spanish Civil War", but which, upon the revelations of recent years, should be most accurately called The Spanish Holocaust. And at the center of all that, with the help of pro-fascist, pro-Nazi American-Germanist elements like the Bush family, the Rockefeller family and so on, was the general Francisco Franco.

Interesting book from the respected author. Easy to read for non-speaking English. Gives you more insight into Franco's life. Recommend for the people who are interested in history

In the 1979 movie, "Being There," Peter Sellers plays "Chauncey Gardiner," a cipher who ends up as the frontrunner candidate for president of the United States totally by accident and without even his knowledge. Much of Paul Preston's biography of Franco reads like the sequel: "Being There: the Dictator."The author's Franco spends most of the book raving about Freemasons and Jews, when he is not shooting birds by the thousand (page 675) or fishing for WHALES(?) (page 723). Things just happen all around him, without him evincing any talent, aptitude, or intelligence. The author concludes that numerous books written after Franco's death portray an "astonishing personal mediocrity which characterized `a sphinx without a secret.'" (page 783)Let's consider some of the things that "happened" to Franco. He personally led bayonet charges in Morocco, becoming the darling and ideal of the Africanistas, the elite and battle hardened veterans of Spain. At Alhucemas (kind of a Spanish D-Day in Morocco) Franco countermanded an order to withdraw, ordered an assault, and successfully established a bridgehead. (page 48) He vindicated himself at a disciplinary hearing called to question his actions. Sounds like Chauncey Gardiner to me.Franco became the youngest general in Spain, and in Europe (page 49), despite the fact that most promotions were by seniority. Were those who promoted him over all his peers ciphers, also?Franco, of course, became the leader of the Nationalist uprising, fought and won the Spanish Civil War, kept his own Nationalist side reasonably united (one of the banes of the "Republicans"), held on to Spain and to power during the nightmare years of Hitler, weathered the post war years until the cold war realignment, and appointed those who helped facilitate explosive economic growth in the 1960s. Last and certainly not least, he educated and groomed the mild and enlightened prince he designated to replace him. Hmmm. I don't think the Chauncey Gardiner model is tenable. Do you?(Someone is going to object: "Franco didn't want a democrat and moderate to replace him, but someone who would perpetuate his `fascist' regime." My retort: Are we to believe that Chauncey Franco thought he had picked Kim Jong-un and bequeathed to Spain Good King Wenceslas?)The author must have printed every word Franco ever said in favour of Hitler, or against Jews. Maybe the author is not aware that no Jew was ever deported from Spain during the Shoah, or kidnapped and incarcerated in concentration camps, but I think not. The author knows this perfectly well, and chose in his book to hide it.It occurs to me: why didn't the author explore why Franco said so many awful things about Jews, and protected every Jew he had the power to protect, whether in Spain, France, or Eastern Europe? Read The Destruction of the European Jews (the 3 volume masterpiece): why are Franco's diplomats, along with Sweden's, always the ones protesting, publishing, decrying the persecution and murder of Jews? It doesn't take a genius to imagine Franco ordering this in August 1944, but he ordered these things, he alone was responsible for them (he was a dictator, remember?), from the first day of the war, when it was "obvious" to everyone that Hitler was going to win. A serious biographer might try to explain this mystery. I do not, I admit, understand it myself. We sure won't get such sensitive, such intelligent, such innovative and ground breaking biography from the hack who wrote this "Franco."There are good things in the book. Franco's military career in Morocco is pivotal and covered well. The author admits that Franco loved his family and was loyal to them.The best thing to do is read the "epilogue" (page779 to 787) first. If you can stomach this 9 page paean of hatred to Franco, you may be able to get something out of the book. If you think this "epilogue" really is an epilogue, you'll love the book.

First-rate, readable scholarship. Gift to my husband, holder of a Masters from Columbia School of International Relatioms and a life-long amateur historian of 20th Century history, in particular military history.

I purchased this book for my uncle and he reported to me that it was the best biography of Franco he had ever read. My uncle is an avid Hispanophile and student of Franco's life so this was high praise indeed.

An extensive detailed biography of the longest surviving European dictator .It is cram-full of political and diplomatic details that can be exhausting for the casual reader but rewarding for the patient committed reader. I feel that a shortened version could have a wider readership through editing particularly the long wartime narrative with the General's constant prevarications about joining the Axis forces and the crafty opportunism he displayed by playing one side against the other. I am not so sure that every reader would want to know the outcome of every single meeting he had with the Western ambassadors or the German and Italian dignitaries, let alone every exchange he had with his various foreign affairs ministers and acolytes. Sure it can be riveting in a perverse way but I would have preferred for instance more information about the nature of the " Carlist" movement and the origins and doctrine of the Falangists. An insight into the post civil war living conditions of the Spanish population would have been interesting or the fate of the incarcerated Republican prisoners.This is a matter of personal taste and doesn't detract in anyway from the magnificent achievement of the author , a monument to his meticulous scholarship.

If you want pages and pages of detail about what seems like each and every decision made through the three years of the Civil war then this is the book for you. I became so bogged down in wearisome details, names etc that I just skipped to the end of some of these chapters. It is a hugely impressive work but failed on a number of levels for me. The authors very obvious view lurks constantly throughout the narrative. Franco is presented as evil, callous, politically manipulative, personally as cold as ice. From start to finish. And that's it. There is little, if any, time spent on how this regime actually affected everyday life for the people of the country-except as victims. Excellent work for historical and diplomatic detail but left the actual character and motivation of the man a mystery to me.

This biography is particularly strong on diplomatic history. Readers interested in the broader social context might well need to consult other sources.Preston provides an intricately detailed analysis of each stage of Franco's life from childhood to senescence. He offers a careful assessment of the Caudillo's military strategy during the Spanish Civil War, which relied on the pitiless destruction of all resistance across the nation before giving consideration to ending the conflict. Whilst he was in power, Franco saw himself as ruling for the winning side, rather than on behalf of all Spaniards. He saw reconciliation as weakness and was responsible for the ruthless repression of all potential opposition after his victory. Though Franco kept Spain out of WW2, Preston concludes his inclination was consistently to sympathise with the fascist axis.This authoritative and well-referenced work ultimately portrays Franco as a vindictive mediocrity of limited intellect with no real vision for his country other than to cling on to power. It is a must read for anyone interested in the history and evolution of modern Spain.

Not a history book, history should be based on facts alone to allow the reader to judge by himself, as usual Preston fails to keep his personal opinions to himself,The book is full of the author's own opinions and does nothing but criticise both Franco and Spain whilst praising the United Kingdom and the USA every time half a chance arisesThere are a couple of contradictions and a couple of mis-translations when quoting spanish phrases or words

An intriguing and addictive book that is well paced and exciting to read. For those who wish to learn more about the Spanish Civil War and the part Franco played in it, as well as its immediate post war history, you can't go far wrong with this. I have read the Kindle version which is text only, but its ease of reading and the simple way of the author's expression makes it a 'short' 1400 page book. I'll be reading more of Preston's work. Why not a 5*? Simply because the kindle edition would benefit from the illustrations.