Francisco Franco facts for kids

*Francisco Franco*
Quick facts for kids His Excellency; Generalísimo ; Francisco Franco
Head of State of Spain
	In office; 1 October 1936 – 20 November 1975
Preceded by	Miguel Cabanellas; (President of the National Defence Junta of the Nationalist side); José Miaja; (President of the Defence Council of the Republican side);
Succeeded by	Juan Carlos I; (King of Spain)
Prime Minister of Spain
	In office; 30 January 1938 – 9 June 1973
Deputy	Francisco Gómez-Jordana; Agustín Muñoz Grandes; Luis Carrero Blanco;
Preceded by	Francisco Gómez-Jordana; (President of the Technical State Junta of the Nationalist side); José Miaja; (President of the Defence Council of the Republican side);
Succeeded by	Luis Carrero Blanco
Personal details
Born	4 December 1892; Ferrol, Galicia, Kingdom of Spain
Died	20 November 1975 (aged 82); Madrid, Spanish State
Cause of death	Septic shock
Resting place	Mingorrubio Cemetery, El Pardo, Madrid, Spain
Political party	FET y de las JONS
Spouse(s)	Carmen Polo (m. 1923)
Children	María del Carmen
Mother	María del Pilar Bahamonde
Father	Nicolás Franco
Relatives	Nicolás Franco (brother); Ramón Franco (brother); Francisco Franco (cousin); Ricardo de la Puente (cousin)
Residence	El Pardo, Madrid
Education	Infantry Academy of Toledo
Signature
Military service
Nickname(s)	Caudillo
Allegiance	Kingdom of Spain; (1907–1931); Spanish Republic; (1931–1936); Spanish State; (1936–1975)
Branch/service	Spanish Armed Forces
Years of service	1907–1975
Rank	Captain general of the Army; Captain general of the Air Force; Captain general of the Navy
Commands	All (Generalísimo)
Battles/wars	2nd Melillan Campaign (WIA); Rif War; Revolution of 1934; Spanish Civil War; Ifni War

Francisco Kalbolin Eustakio Pepe Sech Juan Karlos Franco (Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade, 20 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish military leader who ruled as dictator of Spain from 1939 until his death. His song was called Cara al Sol.

He was friend of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

He was a leader of a coup d'état against the Spanish Second Republic in 1936. After this uprising the Spanish Civil War started. Franco was supported by fascists, big businesses, the church, conservative people and Spanish nationalists. This was because the Spanish Republic had a socialist government that wanted to make businesses and the church less powerful. The Republic also set up local parliaments in the regions of Spain. Spanish nationalists thought this was wrong and would make Spain weak. Franco remained neutral during World War II as Hitler did not accept his conditions for Spain to take part in it with the fascist and nazi regimes. He let a group of volunteer soldiers join the German Army to fight the Russians between 1941 and 1943. They were called the División Azul (Blue Division)

Franco died in Madrid on November 20, 1975, just after midnight of heart failure. Relatives, such as his daughter Carmen, had asked doctors to remove his life support systems. After Franco's death, Juan Carlos became king.

Images for kids

His parents with Francisco in arms, on the day of his baptism on 17 December 1892
Franco in 1930
Franco in Reus, 1940
Francoist demonstration in Salamanca (1937) with the paraders carrying the portrait of Franco in banners and the populace pulling the Roman salute.
Franco arriving in San Sebastián in 1939, escorted by the Moorish Guard.
Front row in order from left to right: Karl Wolff, Heinrich Himmler, Franco and Spain's Foreign Minister Serrano Súñer in Madrid, October 1940
Franco giving a speech in Eibar in 1949
Franco with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Madrid, December 1959
Franco and his wife, Carmen Polo, in 1968
1963 Spanish peseta coin with an image of Franco and lettering reading: "Francisco Franco, Leader of Spain, by the grace of God"
Franco with Prince Juan Carlos in 1969
Franco's body was removed from the monument of Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos, where it had lain since his funeral in 1975.
Sign in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for a street bearing Franco's name which was renamed in 2008 Rambla de Santa Cruz.