One reason I started latching onto José Antonio Primo De Rivera and Federico Garcia Lorca, is that after fascism fails in a country, no one usually will admit they ever were fascist. That is not so much the case with José Antonio Primo De Rivera. To Spanish speaking Fascists, Primo de Rivera is still a hero. Why? Because he too died at the outset of the Spanish Civil war. General Francisco Franco made Primo De Rivera a hero, and thus he became enshrined in Catholic, Falange, Fascism ever more, as a hero. He was no hero. Spanish Fascism didn't originate with Primo De Rivera it originated as much with his father and King Alfonso.
Lessons Learned
There are three main lessons to be learned from Rivera, his life, and his death:
- General Fancisco Franco was doing what Fascists do; creating myths.
- Killing the leader of a totalitarian group does not stop the movement.
- Fascists turn scoundrels into heroes.
Who was José Antonio Primo De Rivera?
“José Antonio Primo de Rivera was born in Madrid on April 24, 1903, the eldest son of General Miguel Primo de Rivera, Prime Minister and Dictator under the monarchy of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. From his father he inherited the title of Marquess of Estella (in Navarre).”
For more on Miguel and the birth of Spanish Fascism read:
What is Done to Others Abroad, Eventually is done at Home
In Hannah Arendt's "Origins of Totalitarianism" she profiles the relationship between European Fascism and its associated "eliminatist" rhetoric, and colonialism. José Antonio Primo De Rivera's father illustrates this role. Miguel Primo De Rivera was born to a wealthy family in Jerez, Spain, in 1870. Before he ever entered Spanish politics he served in the Spanish Colonial army and took part in the colonial wars in Morocco, Cuba and the Philippines, in the 1890s. These wars were brutal and pursued by ruthless armies led by even more ruthless men. Colonialism taught habits of mind that eventually were applied at home.
Fascists Fail
Miguel had tried to raise taxes on the rich to pay for his wars, which alienated his base, and then failed. When he failed, his life also failed. When Miguel died, King Alfonzo XIII first appointed General Dámaso Berenguer. When that failed he gave the government to Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar. Both attempts to save the crown failed, and King Alfonso had to go into exile, in April 1931. The Second Spanish Republic was born in April 1931.
Defending his Father
José Antonio Primo De Rivera was picking up where his father left off. His bios say he got into politics defending his father's ideas. Meanwhile he studied Fascism. He fell in love with Mussolini and Hitler's ideas. In March 1933 he published El Fascio, which announced:
“We are Fascists, because we find our origins in Mussolinian principles; we are Nazis, because in National Socialist doctrines vibrate our faith and doctrine. But we are, above all, Spaniards. The National Syndicalist State, corporative and totalitarian, is of Spanish type. It is not a block from the Italian or German quarry. It is a Spanish creation.”
Fascism is Tailored to the Country
The official foundation of the Phalanx would be in October. The Phalanx was Fascism, but Spanish Fascism. Fascism is a movement of nationalism. Fascist groups despise "internationalism," they feed on exclusion.
The Republic
From 1931-1936 Spain was increasingly radicalized. But in 1931, with the inception of the Second Republic, things got off to a hopeful Start. The New leadership wanted to bring Spain into the 20th century and reach out to people all over Spain. People like Federico Garcia Lorca started initiatives like Garcia Lorca's "Barraca," traveling theater, to bring modern theater to the countryside [see: Garcia Lorca and the Fascists]
The Republicans Shut down "El Fascio" El Fascio
Demonizing the Establishment
But the military was divided, increasingly willing to use the same brutal methods it had used in North Africa on its own people, and incipient fascists were willing to demonize and scapegoat the republican leadership for being unable to control the police and military authority. Prime Minister Azaña was forced to deal with a revolt at Casas Viejas. His orders were not followed as he intended. But the media vilified him for the result. Azaña was depicted as:
giving the order to “shoot them in the belly!” [Garcia Lorca and the Fascists]
Like with our Right Wing, slurs become malevolent rumour and malevolent rumor. Something similar happened with Janet Reno in the Branch Davidian affair. And like her:
“Azaña had been mislead by the authorities” [Garcia Lorca and the Fascists]
The Right Wing exploits efforts to work with authoritarian police and military by discrediting "the establishment" of moderates and liberals. It did this to the Azaña. They were vilified and demonized by the Right Wing press, right wing Catholics, Right wing Falang, and in the media and rumor mills.
Elections Matter
This incident was used as part of a propaganda campaign that led to the right wing, Alexandro Lerroux of the Radical Party in coalition with the CEDA (a Coalition of Right Wing Groups), winning elections in 1933 with the Radicals together winning 219 seats.. From 1933-1936 things got more and more tense, with the fascist Falang advocating outright warfare. The mainstream right wing cutting funds to those trying to improve the situation for common folks. And the Church demonizing the personal morals of people like Garcia Lorca. The far right was willing to go with elections “As long as they were the ones winning them” Like Hitler when he got out of Jail, The Right was willing to, like Hitler:
“Instead of working to achieve power by an armed coup we shall have to hold our noses and enter ” Parliament. [Rise of Hitler]
They had won the election. They could hold off on violence for the moment. But the plotting was ongoing.
“Niceto Alcalá Zamora entrusted the formation of a cabinet to Alejandro Lerroux, who was reliant on the support of CEDA.”
Unifying the Right based on hate
The Right initially unified under a triumviate of “Ramiro Ledesma, Ruiz de Alda and José Antonio Primo de Rivera.” These figures supported ;Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Alejandro Lerroux, but agitated for more radical action.
“In October 1934, the direction unified” [Wikipedia Article]
José Antonio made himself Jefe Nacional (National Chief) and developed the political program known as "the 27 Points". He also purged Ledesma and his anti-clerical ideas the following year (1935). And by 1936 he'd organized the Right under his control and had attracted dedicated leaders and the Commanders of Spain's foreign forces, including Francisco Franco. After his death, with the addition of the Carlists (monarchists) by Franco, the union was complete.
They unified on a plank of revolution, see: Violent Revolution
Elections only Matter if they are respected
In 1936 a Popular Front of left and centrist groups, won election.
“On Sunday 16 of February Spain Went to the Polls” [Ian Gibson Book page 429]
There were rumors of coup d'état two days before the election. But the Center Left won a narrow victory at the polls. The Republicans won 267 seats in the Cortez and the right only 127. The Republicans were euphoric. They freed people unjustly jailed during the previous 3 years of right wing rule.
Refusing to Accept Elections that Don't Go their Way
The Right wing refused to accept the results. Gil Robles who had been the candidate of the Right, and his followers, were shattered. They shifted allegiance to Primo De Rivera and his program of violent revolution. By then the country had fallen into extremism and violence.
Escalating to Revolution
Primo De Rivera had "united the right" in Spain under his plank of Nationalism, Right Wing Catholicism, revolution and Unity. The Falange became the dominant political movement of the Nationalists and they took action to nullify the election. They mounted a “direct action campaign with the specific purpose of creating chaos and making a right wing coup inevitable in the name of law and order.” They had frightened “the monied class” with the idea that Spain might be having a Marxist revolution:
“from February onwards there were constant provocations, assassinations and retaliations”[Gibson Book page 430]
Killing a Leader Doesn't stop a Movement
The Republicans responded on the 14th of March by arresting a number of Falange leaders, including José Antonio Primo de Rivera, on the 14th of March and outlawed the organization on March 18th. This just made things worse. They imposed a State of Emergency, which also made things worse. The Socialists and Anarchists deserted the Coalition, which made things even worse still.
”De Rivera was sentenced to five months in prison with trafficking arms in May 1936.” [Chronology]
he was then executed in Alicante on 20th November 1936 [Sparticus].
Francisco Franco
By then the Spanish Civil War was in full swing. And General Francisco Franco had taken over the role of Commander in Chief of all the Fascists. Franco had joined the revolt first plotted by the Army under Emilio Mola in July 1936:
“General Emilio Mola issued his proclamation of revolt in Navarre on 19th July, 1936. The coup got off to a bad start with José Sanjurjo being killed in an air crash on 20th July. The uprising was a failure in most parts of Spain but Mola's forces were successful in the Canary Islands, Morocco, Seville and Aragon. Franco, now commander of the Army of Africa, joined the revolt and began to conquer southern Spain.” [Sparticus - Franco]
Brutality Abroad becomes Brutality At Home
The Military phase of the Spanish Civil War was led by veterans of the North African war.
“By the end of September 1936, the nine other generals involved in the military uprising came to the conclusion that Franco should become commander of the Nationalist Army. He was also appointed chief of state. General Emilio Mola agreed to serve under him and was placed in charge of the Army of the North.” [Sparticus - Franco]
The War would be brutal. Help from Italy and Germany came in the form of aerial bombings and mass murder. One incident of hundreds occurred at Guernica and was memorialized in a famous 1937 painting by Pablo Picasso. See https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp
Heros and Pathological Liars
Franco would make De Rivera a Martyr for propaganda purposes. Modern Spanish propagandists do too.
But he was a thug. There are errors and discrepancies in the dates and timelines of nearly all the sources I used. There were also blatant lies in the more propagandistic sources. Fascists tend to be pathological liars. My best source was the biography of Garcial Lorca which sparked this whole series. Modern fascists try to claim Franco was not a Fascist. That Fascism could not possibly be a Catholic movement. That the Spanish Fascists were anti-communist heros. They do this for modern reasons.
Falangism as a Guide to Understanding the Modern Right
Nevertheless Spanish Falangism is probably a better guide to what is happening with Fascism in the United States right now than Nazism. The main difference is that the Spanish didn't have multiple versions of Christianity that had ever been legal and they had already exterminated their Jews or driven them underground way back in 1492. The USA has a temporary alliance of Christians who probably would fall into fighting each other if they achieved the kind of regime that they claim to want. But that doesn't stop them trying.
- Right Wing Imperialism, & Myth Making
- Right Wing Explicit Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism
- Right Wing National Syndicalism and Corporatism
- Right Wing Land Reform and Privatization
- Right Wing Chauvinism and Indoctrination
- Right Wing Violent Revolution And Dictatorship
- Parallels between Falange fascists and US Fascists on Abortion
- Biographies
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Antonio_Primo_de_Rivera
- https://spartacus-educational.com/SPantonio.htm
- Miguel: https://spartacus-educational.com/SPrivera.htm
- The Spanish Phalanx and Latin America
- https://www.alamy.com/spanish-civil-war-el-fascio-magazine-published-by-the-spanish-falange-party-in-the-1930s-image210364277.html
- Garcia Lorca, A Life, by Ian Gibson:
- https://www.amazon.com/Federico-Garcia-Lorca-Ian-Gibson/dp/0571142249
- https://spartacus-educational.com/SPAchronology.htm
- https://spartacus-educational.com/2WWfranco.htm
- http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/new.htm
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