The Creation of Franco's Single Party

Political pluralism was suppressed in Franco's Spain from the very beginning. The Francoist regime brought with it the establishment of a one-party system, in which the FET-JONS became the sole legal political entity.  This party, which would soon be referred to as the "National Movement," was tasked with maintaining, spreading, and renewing the doctrine upon which the dictatorship was founded.

For Franco, FET-JONS was a tool for the consolidation of his power, and the dictator made himself its leader more out of opportunism than conviction. Despite its origins, the new party was nothing more than the temporary gathering of the "reactionary coalition" that supported Franco, a group of political forces that had been united forcefully and artificially. Nevertheless, both the dictator and his main collaborator, Ramón Serrano Suñer, believed that the new party should be based on the Spanish Phalanx, believing that its ideology and proselytism were the most suitable for establishing the necessary mass base among the forces that supported the rebellion.

On 19 April 1937 in the city of Salamanca, Franco promulgated the Decree of Unification. This was preceded by the "Salamanca events"—a power struggle within FET-JONS itself —and the new party ultimately adopted 26 of the basic points of Falangism as its doctrinal foundation. The membership included fascists, other authoritarians, and conservatives of many stripes, but the leadership was not fascist, and beyond the use of language in its propaganda and the staging of its public events, Franco never allowed it to carry out purely fascist policies. This illustration from the 9 May 1937 issue of the children's magazine "Flecha", shows an idealized version of the unification of Falangists and Carlists.

FET-JONS adopted a combination of symbols that reflected this hybrid nature, although elements from the Falange dominated. Its uniform combined the blue shirt of the Falange with the Carlist and Traditionalist red beret, supplemented with a black tie as a sign of mourning for the “absent” José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The flags that presided over the single party’s events were the national flag of Spain flanked by the red and black Falange banner and the Burgundian Cross of the Traditionalist Communion. The main anthem of the party was the Falange’s “Facing the Sun” (Cara al Sol), although it was accompanied by the Carlist anthem “Oriamendi”. The official salute was performed with the arm raised, and the main ritual chants were "Arise Spain (Arriba España) and “Spain. One, Great, and Free” (España Una, Grande y Libre).

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