Spain Unveils “Recovery Of Democracy” Events Marking Franco Anniversary
Spain’s Socialist coalition government has unveiled a new series of 480 commemorative events scheduled for this year to mark both the 50th anniversary of General Franco’s death in November 1975 and the return to democracy 3 years later.
The ‘Spain at Liberty‘ (España en Libertad) programme of events including concerts, talks, exhibitions and other activities expand on the more than 150 events already organised nationwide under the banner
Franco, who was head of state from the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 led the country for almost 40 years.
Following his death Spaniards held their first elections since 1936 with in turn led to the approval of a new constitution in 1978 by a national referendum.
Democratic Memory Minister Ángel Víctor Torres explained that the government had chosen not to stage a single ‘central act’ on Thursday to mark the date of Franco’s death, preferring instead to ‘celebrate the recovery of democracy throughout the year’
‘We are not celebrating the death of the dictator, we are celebrating the beginning of the end’ of the dictatorship, he said during a press briefing.
The planned programme is intended to showcase Spain’s political, social and economic evolution, while also recognising those who fought to secure those changes.
Torres noted that the commemorations will continue into 2026 and potentially further, with many activities directed at younger generations born after the dictatorship who never lived through the ‘years without freedom’.
The government is additionally developing a video game designed to help players grasp ‘personal attitudes and policies that threaten democracy’, according to a statement from his ministry.
A survey by the national polling institute CIS in October found that just over 20% of Spaniards viewed the dictatorship as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, while 65.5% regarded it as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’.
