Franco & Putin | A Comparative Dive into Authoritarian Rule Across Decades

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The world of politics has seen many notable figures who have led their nations through major transformations. Francisco France the 20th-century Spanish leader and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president of the 21st century. These are two which have had or are having a major impact on historical politics. In this essay, we will critically analyze and compare two of these mentioned prominent personalities of world politics.

Franciso Franco Bahamonde was a brave and extraordinary Spanish military officer, who was a prominent figure in the history of Spain. He was born on the 4th of December 1892. “Francisco Franco Bahamonde, at one point the youngest general in Europe and later the most prestigious figure in the Spanish Army, was born on December 4, 1892, in EI Ferrol, the Galician seaport that is Spain's chief naval base on the northern coast.” (G.Payne, 1987)

Before becoming a leader, Franco was an enthusiastic military soldier, his capabilities displayed on and off the field led him through military ranks quickly such as the Spanish-Moroccan wars where he was able to distinguish himself from others. His success in these wars portrayed him as a capable leader for the future Spanish generations.

“Franco did not receive his new posting by chance. Only the best young officers were selected to command regulares, and in the actions of 1912 he had demonstrated that he knew how to keep his head and lead men under fire. Key characteristics had become evident: physical courage, personal calm, mental clarity under pressure, and the capacity to command.” (Payne, 2014)

The Spanish Civil Wars (1936-1939) was indeed what Franco had been waiting for and it turned out to be the turning point in Franco’s career. He led the Nationalist Party against the Republicans and forged a coup against the elected Republican government.  Franco led the Civil War with immense tactics and turned it into a total massacre. “It was above all the outbreak of violent mass revolution in the Republican zone, with its church burnings, economic appropriations, and many thousands of murders, that quickly rallied the more conservative half of the Spanish population to the Nationalist cause” (Payne, 2014)

In July 1936, a coup was forged that aimed to overthrow the running Republicans. Franco, a capable leader gained the support of various right-wing, conservative allies making him stronger and stronger. This included the support of major military allies and economic and financial elites. Moreover, he was also supported by his communist allies such as the Nazis in Germany with military aid and financial support. As the end of the Civil War came, Franco declared himself head of state and head of government, marking the new era of an authoritarian regime that was to last for 4 decades.

Vladimir Putin was brought up in a communal apartment in Leningrad (from 1991 once again St Petersburg)”. He started his political career as a KGB officer in the 1990s, a Soviet Union’s secret service, then known as the Committee for State Security (KGB). He quickly rose ranks through his skills and commitment. His days turned when he moved to Moscow and joined the presidential staff under President Boris Yeltsin. Gaining the trust of Boris Yeltsin, he was given various positions including the Director of the Federal Security Service and the Secretary of the Security Council. Vladimir was appointed as the Prime Minister in 1999 by the President himself, this was done to maintain political stability and leave the future in safe hands. In 2000, Boris resigned and inevitably made Vladimir Putin the Acting President. Putin now a Master of Politics who understood Russian politics quite remarkably due to his time under different departments knew how to win the upcoming presidential election. In March 2000, Putin won the presidential election, and this marked another turning point in Russian politics.

“Almost everyone underestimated Putin. In one year, he catapulted from the head of the Federal Security Service or FSB (the domestic successor to the KGB) to prime minister, to acting president, to an elected president who won the March 2000 presidential election on the first ballot.” (McFaul, 2000)

“Russia has a two-ballot system for the office of the president. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, then the top two vote winners compete in a second round. Putin avoided a second round by capturing 52.9 percent of the popular vote in the first round.” (McFaul, 2000)

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Franco's consolidation of power came from direct authoritarian rule. Franco solidified his power through straight military involvement, he made the military the all-powerful and who were only to be obeyed by Franco himself. “The leaders of the new Spanish state firmly believed that the European order was moving toward national "organic" authoritarian regimes, and for the first four years after the Civil War Franco ran the entire government as though it were an army” (G.Payne, 1987)

Furthermore, a Fascist approach was introduced, oppressing the opponents, and executing several while imprisoning the rest or forcing them into exile. This helped him eliminate any opposing threat to his regime. Franco was a believer in a centralized state, keeping the decision in his own hands. This helped him diminish the role of the political institutions, taking away the capability of them to overpower him. Moreover, he used censorship and had full control over the information that was given to the masses. The controlled media policies left no means of information being able to get to the masses that could threaten his political career.

Spain's state institutions were significantly impacted by Franco. The Franco regime turned into a fascist regime quickly “While Spain now had an almost totally fascist façade and a strong fascist party, kept in check by a fascistized Franco, this apparent political transformation was still only a façade, and the Falange leaders – more than anyone else – were perfectly aware of this”. (Campo, 2004) The government destroyed democratic institutions, consolidated control, and stifled local identities. Conservative ideals were strengthened by the state's close relationship with the Catholic Church. Beyond his passing, Franco's influence continued, which postponed Spain's democratic transition. The political environment was shaped for years by the historical scars of the Spanish Civil War.

On the contrary, Vladimir's consolidation of power comes from years of experience and political maneuverings. As a typical politician, it took time for Putin to mark his power in Russian. Although he had many lucky days such as having the advantage of being the Prime Minister and later the Acting President. However, he didn’t stop there, He mastered the art of controlling people's sentiments and creating a sense of unity which led to his immediate victory in the following Presidential elections. He achieved these results through extreme Russian political knowledge plus the craft of portraying himself as the ultimate strong and decisive leader, creating an aura of the ultimate savior and leader of Russia.

Like Franco, he turned himself into an authoritarian, “Russia was a stable competitive authoritarian regime through 2008. … Under Vladimir Putin (1999-2008), increased state and party capacity helped eliminate many potential sources of regime instability, and the regime was largely immune from outside pressure and consolidated.” (Motyl, 2016) 

He weakened the opposition by imposing laws and restrictions on them so they couldn’t get a political foothold. Arrests and imprisonment of opponents were increased, and a glimpse of fascism was to be seen. Moreover, he controlled the media, by nationalizing major media business and hence censorship against anyone who was against the government. He consolidated his power with deep political thinking, strategic decision-making, and gradual erase of democratic institutions. A defining feature of Putin's influence on Russian state institutions has been the internalization of authority in the executive branch. Checks and balances were undermined, and democratic institutions grew weaker. One distinguishing characteristic became the tight ties, frequently under official control or influence, between the state and important economic sectors. Putin's muscular foreign policy has changed Russia's geopolitical position, particularly in the former Soviet area.

Despite being distanced by the timelines, both influential leaders shared many common analogies. Both leaders were in favor of centralizing power into their hands, by controlling the decision-making, controlling the media, and working alongside the elites to maintain their support. One could conclude them a pure narcissist, with the greed to be everlasting in power. This proves for Franco that the Franco regime only ended with his death. Furthermore, both were upheld by their greed to remain in power, so they started eliminating the possibility of being threatened by eliminating their opponents. After coming to power, both leaders turned into extreme authoritarian leaders. Franco made his regime up to four decades while Putin was on his way to following his idol's steps. Another similarity between them was the use of nationalism to build up patriotism amongst the masses and solidify their vote base by creating a sense of unity. Both played their role in reminding people of their history and connecting people to their roots to build a sense of nationalism. Both had mastered the ability to carry themselves or portray themselves as the ultimate solution for the catastrophes emerging. Moreover, both played a decisive role in dismantling the democratic institutions and their opponents. Political oppression was deemed destiny for those opposing their political parties. Putin went to the extent, of granting him the ability to run in Presidential elections again while even extending his term to six years. “Under Yeltsin and the earlier Putin, the regime tended to tolerate some protests and preferred “managed political pluralism.” Today, the pocket parliament has passed a series of laws that liquidate basic constitutional freedoms and point the way to full-scale dictatorship.” (Shevtsova, 2015) These measures adopted by the Putin regime undermine the fundamental work of the democratic institution, while the supporters of Putin firmly believe that the regime is moving towards democratic developments day by day.

While being quite similar in their way of leadership, there were instances where one could differentiate them from the other. Both come from different backgrounds and have different ideological fundamentals. Franco coming from a military background, introduced himself as a complete dictator of the Spanish era while Putin coming from a political background and coming into politics in the 21st century where the far-left liberals have gained a majority say in world politics, it is inevitable for Putin to play his authoritarian rule while keeping democracy on paper to keep the liberals in a dilemma.

Another important disparity among them was the use of religion to gain or sustain political power. Franco had the full support of the Catholic church behind him in maintaining his power. The church helped him portray Spain as a religious and conservative country, unifying the people under one banner. On the contrary, Putin had no direct involvement with the Russian Orthodox Church. However, one might argue that the Church was indirectly involved in maintaining and presenting the conservative ideologies of Putin to the religious masses. One example of this could be the anti-LGBTQ stance of Vladimir Putin was supported by the religious churches.

“Concerns regarding violations of the rights of LGBTQ community have been expressed in reports of international organisations as well. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in 2022 report noted that despite legislative changes which align with international standards, the problem of implementation still persists.” (Rogava, 2023)

In conclusion, aspects of Vladimir Putin's personal dictatorship in Russia and Francisco Franco's personal dictatorship in Spain are quite similar to some extent such as their use of nationalism, elements of concentrating power in their own hands, and the immense fascist methods used to undermine the opponents. The narcissistic attitude of both leaders and their greed to stay in power is one of the major similarities between them. However, variations in the ideological underpinnings justified by their upbringing in different times and backgrounds can be found. Nonetheless, both leaders led their nation through a remarkable change. One could express his opinions towards these regimes but without having a deep acknowledgement and understanding of these regimes, one cannot complete his political knowledge. A thorough understanding of the political dynamics of the 20th and 21st centuries require an understanding of these leaders and their effects on state institutions and political environments.

References

Campo, I. S., 2004. Fascism, fascistization and developmentalism in Franco's dictatorship. Social History, Volume 29, pp. 342-357.

Stanley G. Payne (1987) The Franco Regime, 1936–1975. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press.

Payne, S.G. and Palacios, J. (2014) Franco A Personal and Political Biography. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press

McFaul, M. (2000). Putin in Power. Current History, [online] 99(639), pp.307–314.

Rogava, K., 2023. The Role of The Georgian Orthodox Church in Resistance to LGBTQ Equality: Examining Discourses and Geopolitical Implications (Master's thesis, UiT Norges arktiske universitet).

Alexander J. Motyl; Putin’s Russia as a fascist political system. Communist and Post-Communist Studies 1 March 2016; 49 (1): 25–36. doi:

Shevtsova, Lilia, 2015. Forward to the past in Russia. J. Democr. 26 (2), 22e36. http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/journals/journal_of_ democracy/v026/26.2.shevtsova.html.