Francisco Franco

Spanish military general, long-time ruler and dictator who commanded his country for 36 years with an iron hand. A man of tremendous determination, he led rebel forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and went on to become Chief of State. He maintained a strong anti-communist policy, though many disapproved of his methods. The son of a naval paymaster, Franco entered a military academy at age 15, graduating at 18 and rising rapidly through the ranks. By the time he was 33, he was the youngest general in Europe. In 1936, he began a revolt against the republic and in 1939, became dictator of Spain. Called "El Caudillo," he joined Hitler and Mussolini in an alliance of the Axis powers as both Germany and Italy had supported him during his take-over of the government. He refused Hitler’s request to be part of World War II. In 1973 Franco relinquished his position as premier but continued to be Head of State. He brought forward Prince Juan Carlos as his successor. Franco became ill on 10/17/1975 and died at 5:25 A.M. on 11/20/1975 in Madrid from an accumulation of ailments that included heart problems, bleeding ulcers and pneumonia. Link to Wikipedia biography