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2h ago

Spain Confronts Franco at 50 Years as Nostalgia Rises and Vox Gains Ground

Officials plan to dissolve the Franco Foundation in a bid to counter a resurgence of favorable views of the dictatorship.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for a tribute to victims of the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco era, nearly 50 years after the former Spanish dictator's death, at Spain's National Music Auditorium, in Madrid, Spain, October 31, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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Overview

  • CIS polling finds 21.3% of Spaniards now rate the Franco era as good or very good, nearly double the share recorded in 2000.
  • Support for Vox has climbed, with voting intention reaching a record 18.9% by July and stronger backing among young men.
  • The Sánchez government has expanded exhumations, removed Franco-era symbols, designated sites of repression, and launched pro‑democracy campaigns.
  • Madrid’s pledge to shut the Franco Foundation faces a lengthy legal process, with PP and Vox contesting broader memory measures in court.
  • AI-driven content and social media are fueling revisionist narratives as some youths cite housing and job insecurity, even as historians stress the regime’s executions, prisons, and repression.