Virginia Pérez Navarrete
16-VI-2012
Final Project: Collecting an Oral Story
Social Science
Alfonso López
CES DON BOSCO
2ºA
FRANCO´S DEATH
When Franco died, on November 18th 1975, more than two millions of Spanish people felt upset although others were exultant. Most people were disconcerted because he was their Head of State during 40 years: the uncertainty about the future was latent in those ones.
The purpose of this essay is reflecting the atmosphere lived those days in Spain
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde,-Franco-, (4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish General, a dictator. He was the leader of the Nationalist military rebellion in the Spanish Civil War and totalitarian Head of State of Spain, from October 1936 (as a unified nation from 1939 onwards) until his death in November 1975. Franco died just after midnight on 20 November 1975, at the age of 82 and two million of Spanish people went to his funeral. Prince Juan Carlos I was his successor as Head of State.
All Spanish people were expectantly to the limited news from TV and Radio. But life was continuing its course. For example, my father, Juan Ernesto Pérez Moreno, was in the hospital on November 20th because her first daughter, after three sons, was born two days before.
In my family there were contradictory feelings; by one hand, Juan, who felt so excited and glad this day due to his personal circumstances. By the other hand, her mother in law was in the room with her daughter, caring to the new granddaughter and inserting 25 pesetas coins into the black and white television. She was crying during the funeral and she recognized some friends in the line of people that were paying last respects to Franco.
Juan was no surprised about her mother in law, part of his family, some friends and the popular reaction and feelings of 2 millions individuals. The shame of those people was easily understandable, as he told me: “A lot of people loved Franco because he improved their lives”.
The country was divided into two sides: those who were against Franco’s Regime and those who lived better when Franco took the power. Those who were in the first side are very well played by actors in “Cuéntame como pasó”, a Spanish TV Show about Spain
On the other hand, during Azaña´s Period, before Franco, in Andalusia there were a lot of country houses (cortijos). In those cortijos the owner was like a tyrant, and the workers as his slaves. The owners knew how to read and write, they had access to the culture. When Franco arrived to the power, he solved this situation; farmers, agriculture workers and people in the cities were grateful because they improved their quality of life.
They weren’t afraid to miss freedom, only intellectuals and republicans sector were; they only wanted to eat and give something to eat to their sons. To illustrate their gratitude to Franco, Oriente's Square in Madrid
Our country continued its life thanks to people who was able to keep calm and continue working. Juan was as a responsible civil engineer, head of a team of ten young engineers, more than the middle married and expecting for a baby. Naturally, he decided to stay in Galicia
It’s clear that he was concerned by other issues more relevant for his life than Franco’s Death. He doesn’t remember talks about this fact in their building work and he expressed: “He was an elderly and Prince Juan Carlos was prepared to be the successor”.
Although Franco’s Death was a significant historic fact in Spain, with enormous consequences for the country: Juan Carlos I in the power, as the new King instead of his father, Don Juan-a Franco’s enemy- Legalization of Republic Party, the first President of Government, Spanish New Law: Constitution (1978), for my father Franco’s Death was an anecdote in his daily routine.
Juan read about those consequences in History Books because he was expatriated by his company. After finish the colossal bridge, to be grateful with a good job, his boss sent the family to Venezuela Spain
In the course of time, the behaviour of her girl, her little daughter, was sometimes similar to a dictator: she was able to “fight” against her three older brothers, she always was right- at least she believed it-, she never felt frightened and she loved discussions when she approached adolescence. They invented a joke comparing her with the reincarnation of Franco. It’s surprising that someone you love so much, in this special case, my father, was able to tell me a lot of my faults, face to face!.
But I preferred think that Franco’s Death was necessary for my arrival to our wonderful and free country. It’s a fascinating metaphor; one death, one born in the same week; the most important death for Spanish population, the most important born for my parents, especially for my mother, who wish a “doll” to brush my hair and to dress me all in pink.
To draw a conclusion, when you have important issues to deal in your private life, historical facts are feeling with less intensity because you are concerned in your own daily routine. You are working hard and trying to enjoy with your family.
Juan lived Franco’s death as a normal and expected fact, and I admire him because he is not an extremist man-as other members of my family. He is a clever one and I am so proud of him: he is a good father and boss, always thinking to do the best for his family and for his company.
Most of human beings continue living their lives normally although the political, economic, and cultural facts will be awe-inspiring. You have no solutions, not time to attempt to everything, so you order your priorities and continue working, loving your family and doing the best.
Virginia Pérez Navarrete
* WEAKNESS POINTS TO IMPROVE IN OTHER ESSAYS
A lot of them! The use of shorter sentences, being less emotive and subjective and more objective…a lot of my faults …but I tried to solve in this second opportunity.
Our interview was so interesting, but so long. My father and me love to speak so we stayed half and an hour talking. I need to summarize a lot for the essay. But, to be honest, I wanted to record this interview in order to have a beautiful conversation with my father to save for the future. I love him so much and he is near 70, so...I took my time to listen his answers and made new questions while he was speaking…
Next time I will check the recorder of my mobile before start-if my Journalism’s teachers could see me now…because the sound is lower than I wish. A novice mistake!
If I could interview to my uncle Yeyo too, a socialist individual who was in the hospital when I was born, perhaps I would have a complete-but different- perspective of Franco’s Death.
* BACKGROUND WEBSITES
- http://www.generalisimofranco.com/20n/prensa/20N-1975.htm
- http://www.infoguerracivil.com/espana-transicion.html
- http://www.biography.com/people/francisco-franco-9300766
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco
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