On November 20, 2025, Spain is marking 50 years since the death of Francisco Franco, the dictator who ruled the country for nearly four decades, a period known as the Francoist Dictatorship: 1936-1975.
Franco died on November 20, 1975, ending a regime built on strict authoritarian control, censorship, and limited civil rights. His death paved the way for Spain's transition to democracy, which remains one of the most significant political shifts in Spain's history.
Fifty years later, opinions about the Franco era remain divided. Some see the period as one of order, stability and progress, while others highlight the repression, political persecution and restrictions that defined the regime.
Even today, Spaniards are largely split along the right-left divide over how to handle the legacy of the four-decade dictatorship that followed the 1936-1939 civil war, which ended with Franco's death 50 years ago on Thursday at age 82.