Chapter 1666 Franco's Choice
Following this secret meeting, the Soviets and their allies began an orderly withdrawal from Spain, though leaving was not easy due to the war and blockade.
Depending on the situation, the Labour Party's armed forces in Spain will choose to travel to either France or Portugal, Spain's two neighboring countries, before returning home.
The Soviet withdrawal essentially meant that the Spanish Civil War had entered its final countdown phase, and yet another major European power had fallen into the arms of extreme nationalism.
The city of Salamanca, Spain, is where Franco's command post is located.
Salamanca has a population of approximately 50,000. During the civil war, a large influx of Nationalist military and political personnel, diplomats, journalists, and their families arrived. Simultaneously, as a rear city, it also received many refugees fleeing Republican-controlled areas and civilians supporting nationalism.
Compared to Madrid, Salamanca is quite harmonious and stable. This small Spanish city shows no signs of war if it weren't for the large influx of soldiers and government personnel.
At that moment, Franco was enjoying afternoon tea with his confidant, Luis Carrero Blanco.
"Your Excellency, the Red government is now on the verge of collapse. According to information provided by the Germans, the Soviets are withdrawing their personnel from Spain. The recapture of Madrid is just around the corner."
Franco sipped his coffee leisurely and said, "In fact, since last September, Madrid has completely lost any possibility of turning things around."
"Now that the Soviets have withdrawn, it has accelerated our efforts to recapture all of Spain."
Blanco said, "Your Excellency, the outcome of the war is already decided. Without the support of the Soviet Union, the recapture of Madrid is only a matter of time. Now we should consider the post-war development of the country."
For Franco's government, the victory in the civil war was not the end. At that time, Franco's government would become the only official government in Spain, so the issue of governing the country was also placed before Franco.
He asked Blanco, "Louis, what are your thoughts?"
Compared to the country's political and economic development, Franco, as a soldier, was clearly not very good at it, so he valued Blanco's opinions highly in political affairs.
After a moment of thought, Blanco said, "Your Excellency, the most important thing for Spain after the war is to restore its economy. Before the outbreak of the civil war, Spain's economy was already quite backward compared to the rest of Europe."
"Major cities, such as Madrid, were severely affected by this war."
"The outflow of population is severe, cities have become ruins, and factories and public facilities have been severely damaged. It can be said that the country we took over was a complete mess."
"Moreover, we have incurred a lot of debt due to the war, which is a heavy burden on us."
At this moment, the Franco government faces another serious problem that they are unaware of.
That is, after the outbreak of the civil war in 1936, the Republican government secretly transferred the country's gold reserves and foreign exchange to the Soviet treasury.
This wealth was controlled by the Republicans, who were the sole legitimate government of Spain before the war.
Apart from the Soviet Union, no other country was willing to support the Spanish Republican government, making it inevitable that this wealth would flow into the Soviet Union.
In order to suppress the rebellion, the republican government also needed to organize an army and purchase weapons. With countries such as Britain and France choosing to sit idly by, the Soviet Union was the only option for the republican government at that time.
Just like Franco borrowed a lot of money from Germany, Italy, and East Africa.
Franco was also very troubled by the difficulties Spain faced after the war. He put down his coffee cup, stood up, and said.
"Phew... You've ruined my good mood in an instant!"
"When we think about the current state of Spain, it will not be easy for us to restore the country's economy or even keep the country running after the war."
"Due to the war, Spain's industry and agriculture suffered devastating damage, and the reconstruction of cities and the balance of power among various factions were all issues that had to be addressed after the war."
As the leader of the Nationalist faction, Franco was well aware that his subordinates were a motley crew, infiltrated by various forces.
Their demands after the war will inevitably become a headache for Franco.
Franco said, "Royalists, the Catholic Church, and factional infighting within the army—this is really troublesome!"
Blanco was also very troubled by this problem. He said, "The factions within the army alone are enough to give us a headache. Besides the officer corps, there are the Falange, the Carlos faction, the professional officer corps, and officers supported by other countries..."
The officer corps mainly refers to the Afrika Korps faction previously led by Franco. This was Franco's core and most trusted backbone force, and they were the most loyal to him.
The Falange were similar to the forces Franco had incorporated. In order to control them, Franco integrated a large number of Falange units into the regular army, and their officers were also given military ranks. However, there were often frictions between them and professional soldiers.
The Carlos faction were extremely conservative, royalist traditionalists. Their militia, the "Red Hat Army," was known for its bravery and was one of the core groups of the National Army's Northern Corps. They also had ideological competition with the Falange Party.
The professional officer corps consists of professional officers who have no strong political leanings but join the rebellion out of dissatisfaction with the Republic's government, a sense of honor as professional soldiers, or simply opportunism.
Finally, there were the officer groups supported by Germany and Italy. During the Spanish Civil War, Germany and Italy's support for Franco was very important, so many people from these two countries held important positions and served as advisors in Franco's government and army, as well as Spanish officers who were influenced by these two countries.
The above are just some of the larger factions within the National Army.
Blanco said, "Therefore, after the war, His Majesty should strengthen control over the military and put a check on it, just like the Falange officers and the Carlos officers, whose contradictions can be used to prevent them from becoming too powerful."
Franco nodded and said, "I plan to establish a General Staff in the army after the war, which will be composed of senior officers from various factions."
"At the same time, all promotions and appointments of senior officers in the military must be approved by me personally, with loyalty being the most important criterion for promotion, rather than just military talent."
"And the veterans of the Afrika Korps should be given important and key positions."
"At the same time, a new intelligence agency will be established, independent of the military and government systems."
As a leader who rose to power through military force, Franco knew very well that the army was his most important tool for ruling Spain, so he had to keep the army under strict control.
Therefore, loyalty and divide and rule were Franco's two standards for operating the army after the war.
As for eliminating all the opponents, that's unrealistic, especially those with German and Italian support; he wouldn't act easily against them.
Germany and Italy were able to put him on the throne and also had the ability to bring Spain to a new master. Therefore, royalists and some local forces became important pawns for Franco to balance the internal affairs of the army.
Blanco added: "In addition, the various factions should be utilized to consolidate postwar stability in other areas."
"For example, the Falange Party is our best tool for ideologically suppressing and purging forces such as the Labour Party."
"In addition, we should win over the military's top brass with benefits and honors, so that they will stand firmly on His Majesty's side."
To win over the army and ensure its loyalty to Franco, it was necessary to improve their welfare and social status, thus binding them closely to Franco.
So Franco naturally took this suggestion; he would have done it even if Blanco hadn't said so.
Franco then asked, "Then there's diplomacy, which is very important for the country's future development. Right now, we're heavily influenced by Germany and Italy, which isn't a good thing."
Blanco shared this view, stating, "While Germany and Italy played a significant role in supporting us during the war, they also sowed the seeds of great danger for us."
"Therefore, we should maintain a certain distance from Germany and Italy, or even eliminate their influence and infiltration within Spain. Spain is Spain for the Spanish people, not a follower of Germany and Italy."
Franco and Blanco cannot be called pure nationalists, but they were deeply influenced by this ideology and therefore naturally did not want to become vassals of other countries.
This is similar to the relationship between Germany and Italy. Benito of Italy clearly found it difficult to accept Italy becoming a vassal of Germany, even though the two countries have a huge gap in national strength and Germany holds the dominant position in their cooperation.
This kind of relationship is a common problem within the camp of extreme nationalist countries; although they unite, each harbors its own ulterior motives.
After all, their mindset dictates that they will consider issues primarily from the perspective of their own country and nation.
Blanco continued, "Of course, getting rid of the influence of Germany and Italy is a long-term task, and we don't have the opportunity to resolve this hidden danger in the short term."
"Moreover, dealing with Germany and Italy was also beneficial to Spain's post-war reconstruction efforts."
Germany and Italy clearly played important roles in Spain's post-war reconstruction, especially the economically powerful Germany, so the Franco government had to maintain good relations with both countries.
Spain needs external assistance in both funding and technology for its reconstruction.
Blanco continued, "For the economy to recover, we must also pay attention to our relations with other countries, including Britain, France, the United States and East African countries."
"We can appropriately extend goodwill to both Britain and France, thus winning over both sides."
"Whether it's Britain or France, they certainly don't want to see us completely side with Germany, which gives us room to maneuver."
"And in my view, diplomatic relations between the United States and East Africa are more important than those between Germany and Italy!"
Blanco's last words clearly piqued Franco's curiosity, and he asked, "Why do you say that?"
Instead of answering directly, Blanco asked Franco, "Your Excellency, what do you think of the current situation in Europe, and which country will ultimately emerge victorious?"
After thinking for a moment, Franco shook his head and said, "This is a very complicated problem. The situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense, and the direction of its development is difficult to predict."
"The main problem is that it's hard to judge the German government's intentions. Germany is very powerful now, and judging from its various actions, they have great ambitions."
Blanco affirmed, "That's certainly true. Now, let's assume that war will break out in Europe. If Germany wants to seize European hegemony, it will have two options."
"First and foremost is the Soviet Union, Germany's mortal enemy. Both geographically and ideologically, there is a very high probability that war will break out between Germany and the Soviet Union."
"Secondly, we cannot ignore the contradictions between Germany and France. Since the 18th century, Germany and France have had a feud. The Franco-Prussian War and the World War further intensified these contradictions."
"Moreover, it's hard to say which of these two countries will start a war first, Germany or Germany."
"Germany and the Soviet Union were mortal enemies, but if Germany directly declared war on the Soviet Union and failed to achieve the desired results, it would easily give France and Britain room to maneuver. If Germany and the Soviet Union were to suffer heavy losses, then Britain and France would very likely take advantage of Germany's misfortune."
"If Germany attacks France first, there are two problems: the Soviet Union may intervene to help France, and France lacks the energy and minerals that Germany needs."
"One point worth noting here is that there was a high probability that France and the Soviet Union would join forces against Germany. If this had happened, the course of this war would have been very likely to have escalated into a world war!"
"Therefore, all things considered, the future course of wars in Europe is full of uncertainties. The best option for us in Spain is to stay out of trouble for now. After all, we should try to avoid getting involved in new wars after this one."
The civil war has made it extremely difficult for Spain to even maintain its economy, and the war-weariness among the people is unlikely to be eliminated in a short period of time. Therefore, Blanco firmly opposes Spain getting involved in a new war.
He continued, "It's hard to predict who will ultimately win in Europe, but one thing is clear: countries outside of Europe, especially the United States and East Africa, will likely not be negatively affected, and may even gain considerable benefits, no matter how the war in Europe unfolds."
"The United States and East Africa are virtually invincible, so they will inevitably become the two most important political forces in the international community in the future."
"Therefore, if Spain can establish connections and build good relations with these two countries, it may become Spain's fallback plan in the future."
Franco wholeheartedly agreed, noting that the geographical locations of East Africa and the United States were so advantageous that they were unlikely to be affected by war.
Most importantly, these two countries are arguably the two most powerful countries in the world, with no weaknesses in any area, including their economy, military, industry, and resources.
Therefore, Franco said: "As you said, no matter how the international situation develops in the future, the United States and East Africa are not going to lose. If we in Spain have the conditions of both countries, we don't need to worry about changes in the European situation now."
"Therefore, maintaining good relations with both countries is indeed a good move for us, especially East Africa, where we already have a good relationship."
"We can further consolidate our exchanges and cooperation with East Africa after the war, which will also help balance the relationship between Germany and Italy."
(End of this chapter)
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