Franco and King Juan Carlos

Francisco Franco was born on December 4, 1892 in Galicia, Spain and came from a Spanish Naval family. Franco was supposed to enter the navy like the men in his family before him, but because of the Spanish-American War the Naval Academy was closed and so he decided to enter the Spanish Army. He entered the Infantry Academy in Toledo in 1907 and finished in 1910. During his time in the Army he fought in many wars in Morocco and in 1917 became the youngest Major in the Army and later on in 1925 he was promoted to Colonel then in 1926 promoted to General becoming the youngest in Spain. At this time Franco became a very important General in the Army and was marked as the monarchical officer. With the fall of the monarchy in 1933 although he was very important to the monarchy, he didn’t take any official stand, but did have a lot of influence in the events that led to the Spanish Civil War. The war began in July 1936 and officially ended in April of 1939 with Franco’s victory. Franco’s reign lasted from 1939 until his death in November of 1974, but in 1969 he designated Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon as his successor. By 1973 Franco had surrendered his position as Prime Minister. In 1974 Franco fell ill and Juan Carlos took over as Head of State and a year later Francisco Franco died on November 20, 1975.

Since Franco the role of the monarch has become less totalitarian. In 1978 a new constitution was created describing what the monarch’s role is and what rights the people have. The King is known as the Father of the Nation but ultimately constitutional sovereignty is really given to the people. The King is Head of State and swears an oath to carry out his constitutional duties, abide by the constitution itself, and the laws of state. Also, the King swears an oath to respect the rights of Spanish citizens and of the self governing communities. The Prince of Asturias also takes this oath when he is of age along with another oath of loyalty to the monarch. The constitution of 1978 also confirms the title of the monarch as King of Spain officially. Some duties the King may grant are military and civil orders and awards of distinction. The most distinguished order the king my award is the Order of Charles III to citizens who have brought distinguished service to the nation and the highest military award is the Laureate cross of Saint Ferdinand.

The role of the King with the government is also defined by the constitution. The government consists of the President and the ministers of state. The government directs everything from domestic policy to the defense of the nation. The leaders of government will create laws and any other aspects of government and then will hold a general election. The king will consult with the president and speakers of government so they may inform him of the goings on of the state, but will not interfere much with the decisions that are made, unless they infringe on the rights of the people.

Although the King of Spain isn´t the only power in the country the people of Spain love and admire their monarcy. Their very proud and respectful of their royal family and are very interested in their lives. I believe that when the monarcy was reinstated, it marked a time of much needed healing for Spain as a country.

Morocco: Northern Riff

This weekend we visited Morocco! I can't even begin to explain how amazing the 3 cities we went to were. We went to Tetuan, Tangier, and Chefchoaen. I took SO many pictures and here are few from each of our stops. I can't wait to go back there again.