Biography. General Franco. undeservedly rejected by Francisco Franco

On December 4, 1892, in the coastal town of Ferrol on the Atlantic Ocean, Francisco Franco was born, the future dictator whose power in Spain lasted 36 years.

1. At baptism, the boy was given the name Francisco Paulino Ermenhildo Teodulo Franco Bahamonde.

According to Spanish tradition, the name combines the paternal and maternal lines. So, in honor of his grandmother and godmother, he became Ermenhildo, in honor of his paternal grandfather - Francisco, in honor of the Saint - Teodulo, since the christening fell on his day, and Paulino - in honor of his godfather.

2. Franco had two sisters, Paz and Pilar, and two brothers, Nicolas and Ramon, who was the first Spanish pilot to make a transatlantic flight.

3. The future Generalissimo was a descendant of the seventh Count of Lemos, Pedro Fernandez de Castro. His family had strong ties to military service in the navy, both of his grandfathers became quartermaster generals, and young Francisco Franco wanted to follow in their footsteps.

4. At the age of 15, the young man got a job at the infantry academy in Toledo. He was so thin and homely-looking that the academy decided to replace his long, heavy rifle with a light carbine, but Franco proudly refused.

At the age of 18, Franco became a lieutenant, went to Morocco, where he was repeatedly awarded orders with the “native regular troops,” and already at the age of 22, senior lieutenant Franco became a captain.

5. On the battlefield, Francisco was considered a "conspirator." For several years he was never wounded, and only in 1916 was he first shot in the stomach. But here, too, luck was on his side. Despite the seriousness of the wound and the hot climate, which contributed to the spread of infection, the shell did not hit vital organs and the young man recovered quite quickly.

6. At the age of 23, Franco became a “comandante”, the rank of major was awarded to him by the Ministry of Defense, thanks to the fervent requests of the Moroccan administration. In the Oviedo garrison, the future dictator was nicknamed “the little major,” and every morning his admirers gathered at the hotel where the military man was staying.

7. At the Romeria folk festival in Oviedo, Francisco met 17-year-old Maria del Carmen Polo y Martinez Valdez.

She came from a noble Asturian family, her ancestors having made their fortune in America. Her paternal grandfather was a famous professor of literature, and her mother was the heiress of one of the Asturian noble families. The girl was raised by Salesian monks; she was strict, religious and arrogant. Franco tried to attract her attention with love notes, which he threw into her coat pockets in a cafe or pinned into the ribbons of the hats of their mutual friends.

8. Maria's family was against the poor officer, but their attitude changed, as did the social status of the 24-year-old military man. The fact that King Alfonso XIII himself awarded Franco the rank of lieutenant colonel, gave him permission to marry, and agreed to become the imprisoned father made a great impression on the nobles. The wedding ceremony was so magnificent that even the bride did not believe in the reality of what was happening.

It seemed to me that I was seeing a fantastic dream... or reading a wonderful novel... about myself,” the first lady of Spain recalled the wedding.

Franco was a family man; his contemporaries knew nothing about affairs on the side or quarrels with his wife. The only daughter was born in the marriage.

9. Despite the family idyll, the main thing for Francisco Franco was government and the unity of Spain.

He avoided politics for a long time, but still got involved in the civil war. On April 1, 1939, at the age of 47, he became the de facto ruler of Spain. On August 4, 1939, Franco was declared for life "supreme ruler of Spain, responsible only to God and history."

10. Experts rank Francisco Franco fourth among dictators after Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

However, the Spaniard stood apart among politicians. He hated Stalin, like Soviet communism, but was in no hurry to drag Spain into World War II just because of his hostility. In 1940, a 9-hour meeting between Francisco Franco and Adolf Hitler took place. On it, the Fuhrer persuaded the caudillo to participate in the war or at least allow the German army to pass through the territory of Spain to Gibraltar, and Franco only voiced a list of demands: several hundred tons of grain for Spain, planes and guns that would be involved in the operation to capture Gibraltar. Coastal guns and anti-aircraft guns, heavy guns and so on are needed. With his position, Franco greatly irritated the fascists.

Franco is clearly a scared crow. He gets very puffed up when the opportunity seems favorable to him; but when the opportunity slips away, he again becomes timid and cowardly, Goebbels said about him.

General Franco's policy throughout the war remained exclusively self-interested and cold-blooded. He thought only about Spain and Spanish interests, Winston Churchill later noted.

11. Despite controversial management methods, the dictator achieved the main thing: weak, bloodless Spain was able to preserve itself during the Second World War. And since 1959 and the advent of the stabilization plan, the “Spanish Economic Miracle” began.

Franco abruptly changed the composition of the government, including technocrats in the ministries. Five years later, the increase in industrial production was 140 percent, which unexpectedly put Spain in first place, ahead of Japan with 139 percent and the United States with 121 percent. Up to 350 thousand cars were produced annually in Spain. They produced 75 percent more televisions, 147 percent more refrigerators, and 98 percent more washing machines. People's incomes have doubled.

12. It is the first lady of Spain who is credited with initiating strict censorship in the country's literature and art. However, the dona was unable to break her husband’s will and prevent the coronation of Juan Carlos de Bourbon.

Francisco Franco took him in as a child and spent more than 30 years preparing him for royalty. On July 22, 1969, 37-year-old Juan Carlos I became Prince of Asturias.

13. Franco died in 1975. But even after death, he haunts the Spaniards.

Thus, in 2005, the dictator’s mausoleum in the Valley of the Fallen was blown up by the Basque terrorist organization ETA.

Residents of Spain have repeatedly demanded that the government move Franco's remains to a regular cemetery. According to a 2013 social survey, more than half of Spaniards are in favor of moving the statesman’s grave, and the Valley of the Fallen itself is being asked to be made a memorial in memory of those killed during the Franco dictatorship.

Francisco Franco Bahamonde
Francisco Franco Bahamonde
Occupation:	Military, politician
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Francisco Paulino Ermenegildo Teodulo Franco Baamonde(Spanish) Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde December 4, 1892, Ferrol, Spain - November 20, 1975, Madrid) - Spanish statesman, dictator of Spain in 1939-1975.

early years

Born on December 4, 1892 in the seaside town of El Ferrol on the northwestern coast of Galicia.

He was the son of the hereditary officer Nicholas Franco and Salgado, and had a very aristocratic pedigree. Had two brothers and two sisters. The father was a drunkard and a libertine.

Francisco finished school at the age of 14. He was going to become a military sailor, like his ancestors. But after defeat in the war with the United States in 1898, the fleet shrank and there were no positions available. In 1907, enrollment at the Naval Academy was sharply reduced. Franco entered the infantry academy in Toledo.

After graduating in 1910, he served for two years in a garrison inside Spain, and at the first opportunity in 1912 he went to fight in Morocco, where heavy losses ensured rapid promotion for the survivors.

He served in the Moroccan cavalry brigade and became the youngest major in the country. He was known as a super-pedantic campaigner and a teetotaler - against the backdrop of the anecdotal sloppiness and drunkenness common among Spanish officers of that time. At the age of 23, he was seriously wounded in the stomach, awarded and sent to Spain for treatment.

In 1917, in Asturias, he commanded an operation to suppress a miners' strike, carried out using the same methods as punitive operations in Africa.

General

In 1920, he met the organizer and commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion - an analogue of the French one - and became his deputy.

In 1921, when the Kabyle rebels (the so-called Rif Republic) defeated the Spanish troops, Franco defended the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco from them and received the rank of colonel. After the liquidation (together with the French army) of the Kabyle Republic in 1926, he became a general, the youngest in Europe at that time.

He was appointed head of the new General Staff Academy in Zaragoza. It was a kind of revolution, since Franco was much less well-born than almost all other Spanish generals.

Before the start of the civil war

In April 1931, a parliamentary majority proclaimed a republic. Her government was unstable, and the influence of leftist forces was growing all the time, attacking the military and the church.

Opponents of the reforms spoke under the slogans of preserving the country's national identity, declaring all reforms to be foreign influences. In 1933, the nationalist right was founded syndicalist"Phalanx" party. She's sharp opposed capitalism, calling for the unification of the entire people into a production syndicate.

Franco did not support the republic, but did not want to spoil his career and did not openly join the monarchist opposition. His academy was closed and he was sent to command in the province of A Coruña and the Balearic Islands to keep him away from other potentially disloyal elements.

In 1932, there was an unsuccessful attempt at a military coup led by General Sanjurjo. She was suppressed, the rebels fled to Portugal.

The government of the republic consisted of many small left-wing parties and was unable to meet the expectations of voters. In 1933, a strong right-wing government came to power.

When miners in Asturias began a full-scale revolt a year later, Franco arranged for colonial troops to be brought in from Morocco to put it down. He gained a reputation as the savior of Spain and was appointed to the highest post in the army - chief of the general staff.

In February 1936, unexpectedly for everyone, the Popular Front, consisting of socialists, communists, anarchists and left-liberal parties, won the elections. The right, which also enjoyed widespread support, adjusted the electoral law towards majoritarianism. As a result, although they lost by a small margin, they received a very small share of seats in parliament.

Franco was removed from his post and appointed military governor of the Canary Islands.

The government released political prisoners and confiscated the lands of churches and monasteries. Violence increased in society. For example, at the beginning of 1936 in Madrid there was a pogrom against monks and priests with dozens killed.

Civil War (1936-1939)

The leaflet is an appeal on behalf of Franco to the fighters of the International Brigades. 1937

On July 18, 1936, the military rebelled in Morocco. The next day he was supported by the main garrisons in Spain. In the first weeks it relied on the material support of the Portuguese dictator Salazar.

The government knew about the plans of the rebels, but decided to let them act, unreasonably expecting to suppress all disloyal elements at once. Most of the armed forces and police remained on the side of the government. The People's Militia (100 thousand fighters) was quickly created.

The commander of the uprising, General Sanjurjo, died on June 20 in a plane crash en route from Lisbon to Spain. Chapter "Phalanx" Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera was arrested and shot a few months later. From the very first days of the war, both republicans and nationalists resorted to the total destruction of their political opponents. People were shot in the thousands.

The rebels quickly captured most of Old Castile in the north and a bridgehead in the south from Cordoba to Cadiz (two separate bridgeheads, totaling about a third of the country's territory). They controlled Spanish Morocco, where the revolt began. In major cities, including Madrid, the uprising was quickly suppressed.

Franco commanded the rebel troops in the southern zone. He declared himself commander-in-chief; another rebel commander, General Mola, didn't mind. The Junta of National Defense in September 1936 awarded Franco the title of generalissimo and appointed him interim head of state.

In October 1940, Franco met with Hitler in Hendaye, on the border of Spain and France. The result of the meeting was a secret protocol. In accordance with this document, Spain undertook (without specifying specific dates) to begin military action against Great Britain.

What would have happened if Franco had lost the civil war?

Encyclopedia Britannica ends its chapter on the Spanish Civil War with the suggestion that the country's Communist government, led by Stalin's representatives, would likely have entered World War II on the side of Germany, as well as the USSR.
It would attack France in 1939. And Hitler certainly would not have refused the passage of German troops to capture Gibraltar, which would have given the course of the war a much worse character.
L.Groerweidl

Franco refused to participate in the plan to capture Gibraltar, demanding more favorable terms of the agreement (obviously impossible for Germany).

Franco refused Hitler permission to allow German troops to pass through his territory to attack Gibraltar. To capture Gibraltar by Spain, he demanded free supplies of the latest weapons and huge territorial gains at the expense of France. Mussolini believed that this was done to create a plausible excuse not to enter the war.

At the same time, Spain exported food, minerals and ammunition to Germany and Italy, as well as fuel purchased in the USA and Latin America. Supplies of tungsten from Spain and Portugal were vital to German industry. Without them, she would have stopped within a few months. Great Britain bought tungsten from them as much as it could so that the enemy would get less.

In October 1941, the Spanish “Blue Division” consisting of 19 thousand “volunteers” arrived at the Soviet-German front (this made it possible to maintain the status of neutrality). In 1943, what was left of it was withdrawn, but many of its soldiers chose to remain in German units, including the Waffen-SS.

Within the country, Franco established a harsh totalitarian regime. In 1941, 2 million people (out of a population of 25 million) were in prisons and concentration camps.

Franco's behavior was dictated by the situation in the theaters of war. In June 1940, during the defeat of France, he changed Spain's status from "neutral" to "non-belligerent" (that is, supporting one of the sides without participating in hostilities) and encouraged Portugal to do so.

Back in June 1940, Spain captured the international zone of Tangier, and in December 1942, when Franco believed that Nazi Germany had already reached the zenith of its successes, it announced the inclusion of Tangier in its possessions.

The fierce nature of the fighting on the Eastern Front and the threat of a food and energy blockade of Spain by the United States and England forced F. Franco to again declare (October 1943) Spain a “neutral country.”

Military personnel from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition who fled from France could pass through Spain without hindrance.

On the eve of the military defeat of Germany, Franco undertook a maneuver in order to preserve the fascist regime in Spain. A few months before the Crimean Conference (February 1945), he sent a letter to British Prime Minister W. Churchill, offering assistance to the Spanish army in the fight against Bolshevik expansion in Europe. The dictator also spoke out for the formation of the “Western Bloc”.

As a result, after the end of World War II, the Franco regime did not fall, taking advantage of the outbreak of the Cold War, although at one time it was in international isolation under the influence of the USA and the USSR.

Franco was not a monarchist, and in his army monarchists were a small minority. But after the collapse of fascist regimes in Europe, he was forced to find a new basis for his power.

In 1947, he organized a referendum on the restoration of the monarchy. After the positive result, he issued a corresponding decree, in which he also declared himself ruler for life of Spain. In 1969, the future king Juan Carlos was appointed. He gained power only after Franco's death.

After the Civil War, Franco pursued a policy of "economic nationalism" - autarky, encouraging Spanish enterprises to produce anything and everything regardless of economic logic. Until 1952, the card system and the black market were maintained.

There were official trade unions under the control of the Phalanx, which included both workers and owners. They had a network of sanatoriums and holiday homes, children's summer camps. Since 1951, state free healthcare was introduced.

After 1953, Franco abandoned this concept, allowed the economy to become freer and allowed foreign companies into the Spanish market. In 1953, he met with the US President and agreed on cooperation. An agreement was signed on preferential American lending for the modernization of the Spanish economy.

The consequences of this were called the Spanish economic miracle. By the early 1970s, Spain ranked fifth in Western Europe in terms of industrial production.

Franco ordered the construction of a national memorial, “Valley of the Fallen,” next to the ancient royal palace in memory of all those who died in the civil war. The captive Republicans began to build it. In 1959, the complex was inaugurated. After this, the pressure on the opposition, which was allowed to act unofficially, began to ease.

In 1973, Franco resigned as head of the cabinet due to illness, remaining supreme ruler. He died in 1975.

Franco and the Jews

According to various sources, there are versions about Franco’s active role in saving Jews. At the same time, they mention his ancestors - Jews of the Middle Ages, who were later baptized (a significant proportion of modern Spaniards had such ancestors). Applying the term "Marrano" to him is incorrect, since nowhere is it mentioned that he himself or his ancestors secretly professed Judaism after baptism.

The situation at the beginning of the 20th century

The Edict of 1492, which also prohibited the residence of Jews on the territory of Spain, was actually abolished by the constitution of 1869, which recognized, for the first time in the history of Christian Spain, the principle of religious tolerance and the right of non-Catholic communities to exist within the country (officially, all prohibitions of the Edict of 1492 were only repealed in 1968). However, since the end of the 19th century. small groups of Jews from different countries were allowed to live in Spain as private individuals, without the right to organize into communities.

During the Civil War

Among the volunteers who arrived in Spain and took part in the war on the side of the left, there were many Jews. But the republican authorities pursued an anti-religious policy, which also affected Jewish communities. They refused to allow the Jewish community of Madrid to build their own cemetery and did not fight against anti-Semitic actions (the robbery of one of the Madrid synagogues and the desecration of Torah scrolls). Almost the entire Jewish population of the capital was forced to flee (only 12 families remained).

The Jewish population welcomed Franco's occupation of parts of Tetuan, Ceuta and Barcelona, ​​and a number of Jews from North Africa served in his troops.

Spanish General Francisco Franco defeated the Republicans, who were supported by the USSR. This happened in 1939. The victory put an end to a bloody and exhausting civil war that lasted for three years. The victory over the Republicans predetermined the economic recovery in Spain and contributed to the growth of its population. But at the same time it gave rise to many of the current problems that the country is facing now.

Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 killed a million people. It was due to her position at that time. At the beginning of the 20th century. the former colonial power had become a second-rate country, entering a protracted period of decline and instability. Various local groups, wresting power from each other, also added fuel to the fire. So, only in 1930–36. this happened four times. First, the military seized the reins of power, then the king, then the left forces, after a while the right forces and again the left.

The fact that a civil war began in the country is not only to blame for some external forces, but also for the Spaniards themselves. Of course, the USSR, Nazi Germany and fascist Italy sought to establish a regime loyal to themselves in Madrid. But even in Spain itself there was no force capable of saving the country from disaster. The right had no intention of giving up medieval privileges such as large private and church landholdings and resisted reforms from the left. The leftists also did not behave well, trying to defeat the remnants of the past by physically destroying their opponents. Both explosives and firearms were actively used.

In February 1936, as a result of parliamentary elections, the Popular Front, in which the communists were strong, came to power, which aggravated the situation. The left launched a reign of terror against dissidents and expropriated private property. In response, the army rebelled in July of that year and achieved victory in less than three years.

On April 1, 1939, the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco was established, who began to be called “caudillo” (Spanish leader). In the USSR he was considered a “Hitlerite,” but Franco did not destroy the Jews, but, on the contrary, saved at least 60,000 representatives of this people who fled from the Nazis. In addition, the head of Spain was a devout Catholic.

The only party allowed was the Phalanx, whose ideology was partly reminiscent of the Italian fascists. However, the dictator quickly broke off the ideological Nazis who criticized the “military clique.” Some were expelled from the party, others were included in the “blue” division of volunteers, which in 1941 went to the East to fight the USSR. Thus, Franco remained neutral in the war and got rid of those who demanded support for Hitler’s “crusade” against communism.

The general became a political long-liver. It is hardly possible to relate unequivocally to the era of his almost 40-year reign. For example, thanks to Franco, the problem of national minorities, especially the Basque ones, sharply worsened. He abolished the autonomy given to the Basques (as well as the Catalans and Galicians) by banning their language. It is no coincidence that the ETA group, which emerged in 1959, was not initially a terrorist or separatist organization. She came to this 10 years later, when it became clear that it was impossible to talk about any autonomy with Franco.

At the same time, the figure of the dictator is ambiguous. In 1939, he inherited a backward country. When he left, he left behind a developed state. In the early 1960s. it adopted a stabilization plan that went down in history as the “Spanish miracle.” In 1960–74 In terms of economic growth (6.6 percent per year), Spain ranked second in the world, second only to Japan. Largely thanks to Franco, today the Spanish economy ranks ninth in the world and fifth in Europe in terms of total GDP.

But unlike the heyday of post-war Germany, Spain's economic growth was less dependent on material assistance from the United States. In the first years, the country was isolated and developed independently. Its economy flourished later during the Cold War. This was facilitated by America, for which Spain was interesting as a profitable ally against the USSR.

Demographic data also speaks volumes about Franco. He severely punished abortion and pederasty, and supported the institution of the family. From 1900 to 1932 the population of Spain increased by 5.5 million people - from 18.6 to 24.1 million. But over a shorter period - from 1932 to 1959, despite the civil war that claimed a million lives, the increase was 5.8 million people. And in 1959 - 77. the population increased by 6.4 million people.

Franco died at the end of 1975. And after his death, the dynamics of the birth rate decreased. So, from 1977 to 1996. it was almost halved.

The Spanish Civil War also influenced the modern relations of this country with Russia. Thus, many right-wingers, who are to one degree or another the ideological heirs of the caudillo, still treat the Russian Federation with prejudice. Now relations between our two countries have improved. But they became such only in 2004, when the left, the ideological descendants of the Republicans supported by the Soviet Union, replaced the right in Madrid.

February 5 - June 8 Predecessor: Juan Negrin Successor: Luis Carrero Blanco Birth: December 4 ( 1892-12-04 )
Ferrol, Spain Death: 20 November ( 1975-11-20 ) (82 years old)
Madrid, Spain Buried: Valley of the Fallen, San Lorenzo de El Escorial Spouse: Carmen Polo (1900-1988) The consignment: Spanish Phalanx Awards:

Francisco Paulino Ermenegildo Teodulo Franco Baamonde(Spanish) Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde ; December 4, Ferrol, Spain - November 20, Madrid, Spain) - Spanish statesman, ruler and caudillo of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975, at the same time, until June 8, 1973, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Generalissimo.

Childhood

Rise to Power

As a result, after the end of World War II, the Franco regime did not fall, taking advantage of the outbreak of the Cold War, although at one time, under the influence of the USA and the USSR, it was in international isolation.

It should be noted that under pressure from the international community, which especially intensified after the suicide of the famous intellectual Walter Benjamin, who was refused to travel through Spain to the United States, Franco not only “turned a blind eye” to the fact that Spanish border guards, in return for bribes, allowed Jews who had fled from Spain to enter Spain. occupied countries, but also refused to adopt anti-Semitic legislation. For this reason, the historiography of modern Israel treats him leniently, despite his collaboration with Hitler. In addition to the Jews, pilots of the anti-Hitler coalition who were shot down over France and managed to cross the Pyrenees were saved in Spain. The Franco regime did not even prevent them from chartering ships at their own expense and going to territories controlled by the Western allies.

Post-war time

Family, personal life

Ramon Franco - brother, famous aviator. Killed in 1938 during a combat mission.

Franco's widow Carmen Polo received the title of Duchess after his death. Had one daughter

Francisco Franco (Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde) was a Spanish general who took responsibility for the situation in Spain in the period 1936-1939 and established a military dictatorship, which he led until 1975. As an authoritarian head of state, he had very high ambitions from a young age. Franco came from a military family. Very soon the young man received the rank of general (in the 1920s). He is also considered one of the youngest generals in Europe. The man's rapidly progressing military career was temporarily halted after the fall of the monarchy in 1931, after which the leaders of the newly created Republic of Spain introduced major military reform. Ultimately, Franco became the chief of the army's general staff. After this, he conspired and planned to overthrow the republic. It was thanks to Franco that the coup began, which led to a brutal war in the country. Several fascist groups gave this ruler significant support, especially Nazi Germany and Italy. Thus, the general continued his bloody war, which resulted in the death of half a million people. Establishing an autocratic dictatorship, Franco ruled until his death in 1975. He restored the monarchy to the country before his death, making King Juan Carlos I his successor.

Francisco Franco Bahamonde was born on December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, Galicia, Spain. His father Nicolás Franco y Salgado was an officer in the Spanish Naval Administrative Corps. The boy grew up with two brothers and two sisters and had a very close relationship with his mother. Franco's early life can be described as very turbulent, as his father was an eccentric and wasteful man. The future dictator of Spain studied at the infantry academy of the city of Toledo from 1907, from the age of 14. He completed his training after three years as a lieutenant.

This determined young man became a captain in 1915 and was elected second in command of the Spanish Foreign Legion in 1920. As a military officer, Franco continued to rapidly rise through the ranks and in 1926, at the age of 33, he was appointed general. Major military reform brought Franco's flourishing career to a halt. In 1933, conservative forces took control of the Republic and Franco's position was restored. He was promoted to major general in 1934. He was a successful and respected military leader. As the Spanish political system continued to disintegrate, the general joined a rebel group and took part in a military plot against the government. The rebels recognized him as the head of Spain. Having gained control of the Spanish government, he tried to restore Spain to its former glory, but the economic and social situation of the nation had deteriorated so much that this goal could not be achieved. Franco ruled as a dictator, thousands of opponents of his policies were killed (from 15,000 to 50,000 people). Many citizens were forced to work in the most unfavorable conditions. This ruthless ruler was known for numerous violent actions, mostly against political and ideological enemies. Due to his authoritarian regime, Francisco Franco was not a popular head of state, but his regime did lead to significant economic development in the 1960s. The final years of his reign were relatively liberal, with Spain making significant economic progress during the last two decades under his leadership. Unlike most dictators, Franco named the grandson of the last reigning king of Spain as his successor.

In 1923, Franco married Maria del Carmen Polo y Martinez-Valdez. The couple had one daughter. Francisco suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years. He left this world on November 20, 1975 in the capital of Spain.