The death of Franco

General Francisco Franco died in November 1975, ending 36 years of dictatorship over Spain.

The general had been in power since 1939 after winning the country’s bloody civil war, and his death followed a long illness.

He was mourned by conservative Spaniards but those on the left celebrated, calling him a fascist who had once been an ally of Hitler and Mussolini.

In 2015, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Jose Antonio Martinez Soler, a young journalist about the ending of an era.

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(Photo: General Francisco Franco lies in state in Madrid, 1975. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)