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Post by kj on Mar 7, 2024 11:57:38 GMT
I read Preston's huge tome years back and it was one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life for one extremely petty fact on my part, namely that Preston hates Franco and much to my pleasure struggled throughout the book to contain his indignation that Franco won the civil war, ruled for decades and died peacefully in his bed. Even the fact that he led a quiet domestic life, never cheated and was a bit of a bore annoys Preston.
Aside from that, it is an encyclopaedic book with epic detail. I'd like to open Payne's book sometime if I can ever summon the will.
In my own view, Franco was the perfect pragmatist/opportunist who caught the breaks repeatedly. He was certainly not an extremist or ideologue and whenever the Falange grew overheated he always succeeded in turning down the temperature.
Like all such rulers, though, once he died the whole edifice came toppling down pretty quickly. "Put not your faith in princes..." etc.
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Post by cato on Mar 7, 2024 12:00:56 GMT
Franco was not the most ideal of the Fascist dictators but he is a symbol of Fascism. He wasn't. He was a reluctant late particant in the anti Republican military coup that led to the civil war. He used the Fascist leaning Falange for political rallies and spectacle but deprived them of any power or real influence. Franco was a traditional authoritarian Catholic dictator. Not a fascist. Few if any historians hold to the view he was a fascist ideologue or ruler. |
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Post by cato on Mar 7, 2024 12:06:38 GMT
I read Preston's huge tome years back and it was one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life for one extremely petty fact on my part, namely that Preston hates Franco and much to my pleasure struggled throughout the book to contain his indignation that Franco won the civil war, ruled for decades and died peacefully in his bed. Even the fact that he led a quiet domestic life, never cheated and was a bit of a bore annoys Preston. Aside from that, it is an encyclopaedic book with epic detail. I'd like to open Payne's book sometime if I can ever summon the will. In my own view, Franco was the perfect pragmatist/opportunist who caught the breaks repeatedly. He was certainly not an extremist or ideologue and whenever the Falange grew overheated he always succeeded in turning down the temperature. Like all such rulers, though, once he died the whole edifice came toppling down pretty quickly. "Put not your faith in princes..." etc. It's about half the size of Preston's tome and is almost a complete rebuttal. I was surprised to see it in print (given its revisionist take) albeit from a US university. Payne is a major theorist and historian of Fascism and not some neo Nazi nut. Both books now sit beside each other on my bookshelves. |
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