Franco: A Biography

Rating:
Summary: a most bigoted,partial,prejudiced account that ignores truth
Review: For someone who wishes to know every detail of the Franco's life this will be an excellent book. Very well written and painstakingly researched this book explores every major event during the dictator's reign including listings of the names of cabinet members, each tactical decision during the civil warm, details of all meetings, and an account of every hunting expedition. The book does answer important questions about how Franco came into and remained in power, and how his decisions unwittingly helped pave the way for democracy. The stories surrounding the years of the civil war, and Franco's dealings with Hitler are fairly engrossing, but most of this book is filled with dry facts and figures with little to make it interesting to the average reader. In fact, most of Franco's life after WWII is uneventful, being tied up in political and economic concerns. This is a good example of the way most historians fail to create a picture of the past to which a person in the present can relate. More personal moments and period detail would have made this book far more enjoyable. In short, if you are using this book for research, it will prove a valuable resource, otherwise I do not recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: well researched but thoroughly biased
Review: Mr Preston writes a thorough, albeit completely biased account of Franco. I expectd to read a book that measured Franco on balance, especially in view of the irrevocable political antagonisms that characterized Spain in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, Preston seems bent on ruthlessly attacking not only every aspect of the man's public record but also weakly constructing a sort of psychological profile to explain the General's every move. Interestingly, the more I read the book the more I gained a healthy respect for dictator and the role he played in setting the stage for the resurgence of democratic Spain after his death.

Rating:
Summary: The best documented, most readable, academic book of 1996.
Review: Paul Preston's Franco is so comprehensive that a reader with no prior knowledge of the Spanish war or Francisco Franco, could claim expertise on the subject by reading this book. The book is the best documented book I have yet seen. Almost every paragraph is footnoted and bears the proper notation as to its source. This is an academic work that must have taken years to complile into such a magnificent work of history. This book is in a class of its own. Its objectivity is awsome, but never boring.

Rating:
Summary: portrait of a dictator
Review: Preston's account is the classic biography of the century's longest-lasting dictator. His largest contribution is giving a description of Franco's character while not exonerating him from the atrocities he committed. It gives a vivid portrait of his transition from a "self-styled el Cid" to a tottering old man who could barely walk at the end of his life. His account is well-balanced and is quality reading for anyone who wishes to gain an overall perspective of Franco's character..

Rating:
Summary: Must read to understand Spain and the Spaniards
Review: This is a classic and describes a period of Spain's history that has formed post-Franco culture to an important level. Paul Preston has written a very detailed book about this period, well researched and documented; it also reads well and even though most of the readers will know how the story ends (this is what defines 'history')it maintains the tension even when re-reading after some time. The most recent book (I believe only written in Spanish so far) about Don Juan Carlos (king of Spain) is equally impressive. To both books, however, there is one thing I missed: the deeper psychological background to the key players. Why did they do what they did? Why was Franco able to 'hang on' for so long, how was Juan Carlos able to live under one regime and then change to a democracy (doing what I would call a 'Gorbachov': growing up in the system, getting powerful in the system and then defeating the same system). I am looking forward to have those aspects covered by Mr Preston one day.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Biography
Review: This is a first rate biography by Prof. Paul Preston, perhaps the leading authority on mid-20th century Spain. Written well and documented superbly, this book offers an unparalleled account of Franco's long career. Preston presents Franco as an unusually able opportunist dedicated to a relatively primitive ideology characterized by narrow nationalism, a virtually paranoid fear of leftism, and reactionary Catholicism. Preston demonstrates well that Franco essentially embodied the worst tendencies of the Spanish upper and middle classes. Franco's world view was formed by his provinical background, his narrow education in the Spanish military and his service in the colonial forces in Morocco. Physically unimpressive, Franco became a national figure and leader of the Spanish Army by a combination of reckless bravery and an attention to organizational detail unusual in the primitive Spanish military. Franco was then able to use his prestige and connections to eventually attain a position of primacy among the rebellious commanders on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Preston shows well that Franco probably put his political aspirations ahead of military success during crucial phases of the Civil War. Franco appears to have been infected with the idea that he was some kind of 2oth century El Cid selected to save Spain from Bolshevism-Freemasonry. Preston analyzes in detail many of the claims made by Franco's supporters. These include the suggestions that he kept Spain out of WWII and that he set the stage for Spain's remarkable economic growth in the 1960s. Preston shows that Spain's neutrality owed considerably more to good luck and intelligent Allied pressure than Franco's diplomacy. Spain's economic boom occurred only after Franco's cabinet contained indivduals who rejected his primitive ideas of economic autarchy. The Franco regime was characterized by systematic repression from start to finish. From the remarkable brutality of Franco's troops during the Civil War to the massive post-war imprisonments to the systematic repression that lasted into the 1970s, the Francist regime characterized by attacks on anything deemed threatening. Threats included free speech, freedom of religion, independent trade union activity, and a host of institutions necessary for a decent society. Well into old age, Franco continued to express warm feelings about the Nazis and Italian Fascists who had once been his allies. Prior reviewers who characterize Preston's analysis as biased are themselves showing evidence of prejuidice. Preston presents Franco as a narrow-minded, vicious, and egotistical tyrant because that is exactly what Franco was.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Biography
Review: This is a first rate biography by Prof. Paul Preston, perhaps the leading authority on mid-20th century Spain. Written well and documented superbly, this book offers an unparalleled account of Franco's long career. Preston presents Franco as an unusually able opportunist dedicated to a relatively primitive ideology characterized by narrow nationalism, a virtually paranoid fear of leftism, and reactionary Catholicism. Preston demonstrates well that Franco essentially embodied the worst tendencies of the Spanish upper and middle classes. Franco's world view was formed by his provinical background, his narrow education in the Spanish military and his service in the colonial forces in Morocco. Physically unimpressive, Franco became a national figure and leader of the Spanish Army by a combination of reckless bravery and an attention to organizational detail unusual in the primitive Spanish military. Franco was then able to use his prestige and connections to eventually attain a position of primacy among the rebellious commanders on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Preston shows well that Franco probably put his political aspirations ahead of military success during crucial phases of the Civil War. Franco appears to have been infected with the idea that he was some kind of 2oth century El Cid selected to save Spain from Bolshevism-Freemasonry. Preston analyzes in detail many of the claims made by Franco's supporters. These include the suggestions that he kept Spain out of WWII and that he set the stage for Spain's remarkable economic growth in the 1960s. Preston shows that Spain's neutrality owed considerably more to good luck and intelligent Allied pressure than Franco's diplomacy. Spain's economic boom occurred only after Franco's cabinet contained indivduals who rejected his primitive ideas of economic autarchy. The Franco regime was characterized by systematic repression from start to finish. From the remarkable brutality of Franco's troops during the Civil War to the massive post-war imprisonments to the systematic repression that lasted into the 1970s, the Francist regime characterized by attacks on anything deemed threatening. Threats included free speech, freedom of religion, independent trade union activity, and a host of institutions necessary for a decent society. Well into old age, Franco continued to express warm feelings about the Nazis and Italian Fascists who had once been his allies. Prior reviewers who characterize Preston's analysis as biased are themselves showing evidence of prejuidice. Preston presents Franco as a narrow-minded, vicious, and egotistical tyrant because that is exactly what Franco was.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive work
Review: Written from a moderate-left viewpoint, this book is likely the last important biography of Franco. Yes, the author obviously dislikes his subject; but no one can accuse Preston of being less than the consummate historian. Other reviewers have complained about bias. (Regarding a previous review: the family tales that "contradict" Preston's command of the facts are merely anecdotes.) It is impossible to write about Franco and the end of the Spanish Republic without providing an interpretation. Given the events, the interpretations are likely to be rather polarized. One last point: this book is for those who already have an interest in the subject and who want to explore all the dark corners of Francoism and the man himself.