Miguel Ángel del Arco Blanco

Hunger and the Consolidation of the Francoist Regime (1939-1951)

After the end of the Civil War, the Franco regime tried to consolidate itself in the tragic socioeconomic context of the post-war years. How was it possible for a regime to establish and implant itself in spite of an economic crisis and a desperate and undernourished population? As this article demonstrates, a brutal policy of autarky underpinned the consolidation of Francoism. Through the daily mechanisms of autarky and the black market to which it gave rise, the ‘New State’ and its local representatives repressed their Civil War opponents on a daily basis. At the same time, the regime secured the consent of its local supporters by offering them the chance to feather their own nests. In this way, hunger formed the ballast of the new ship of state because the regime was able to force some into starvation while allowing others to profit through the control of much needed resources.After the end of the Civil War, the Franco regime tried to consolidate itself in the tragic socioeconomic context of the post-war years. How was it possible for a regime to establish and implant itself in spite of an economic crisis and a desperate and undernourished population? As this article demonstrates, a brutal policy of autarky underpinned the consolidation of Francoism. Through the daily mechanisms of autarky and the black market to which it gave rise, the ‘New State’ and its local representatives repressed their Civil War opponents on a daily basis. At the same time, the regime secured the consent of its local supporters by offering them the chance to feather their own nests. In this way, hunger formed the ballast of the new ship of state because the regime was able to force some into starvation while allowing others to profit through the control of much needed resources.