You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Submitted Successfully!
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic. For video creation, please contact our Academic Video Service.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1 Juan Alfonso García-Roca -- 545 2025-06-06 03:18:11 |
2 layout Camila Xu Meta information modification 545 2025-06-06 03:19:02 |

Video Upload Options

We provide professional Academic Video Service to translate complex research into visually appealing presentations. Would you like to try it?

Confirm

Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Garcia-Manso, J.M.; Sánchez-Pato, A.; Garcia-Roca, J.A. Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58460 (accessed on 05 December 2025).
Garcia-Manso JM, Sánchez-Pato A, Garcia-Roca JA. Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58460. Accessed December 05, 2025.
Garcia-Manso, Juan Manuel, Antonio Sánchez-Pato, Juan Alfonso Garcia-Roca. "Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58460 (accessed December 05, 2025).
Garcia-Manso, J.M., Sánchez-Pato, A., & Garcia-Roca, J.A. (2025, June 06). Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58460
Garcia-Manso, Juan Manuel, et al. "Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development." Encyclopedia. Web. 06 June, 2025.
Peer Reviewed
Sport During Franco’s Technocracy: From Propaganda to Development

Sport in Spain during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939–1975) underwent significant evolution across three distinct political phases: autarky, the technocratic stage, and late Francoism. Each of these periods was characterized by different approaches and uses of sport within the regime’s political structure. In the early years, sport was primarily employed as a tool for propaganda and social control, aligning with the authoritarian values of the state. Subsequently, with the rise of technocrats in the 1960s, reforms were implemented to promote the structural development of the sports system, fostering its modernization and the creation of specialized institutions. Finally, in the late Francoist period, sport became an instrument for international projection, as Spain increased its participation in international competitions and hosted sporting events. This entry analyzes the primary governmental initiatives for the organization and promotion of sport during the Franco regime, with particular attention to the administrative roles played by figures such as José Antonio Elola-Olaso and Juan Antonio Samaranch in the evolving structure of the Spanish sports system. Through an analysis based on documentary sources, it provides a comprehensive overview of Francoist sports policies, their objectives, and their impact on Spanish society. In this regard, sport under Franco’s rule was not only a means of political control but also laid the foundation for the later professionalization and globalization of Spanish sport.

dictatorship technocracy sport propaganda communication
The dictatorship of General Francisco Franco Bahamonde (1892–1975) marked a totalitarian era in contemporary Spanish history, lasting from the end of the Civil War (1 April 1939) until Franco’s death (20 November 1975). During this period, the regime employed a range of political, social, and economic strategies to consolidate its control, adjusting to both domestic and international developments. Most historians divide this extended period into three phases: autarky, developmental Francoism—also referred to as the technocratic stage—and late Francoism [1][2].
In its initial phase, the regime relied on domestic repression and pursued an autarkic economic model. This strategy faced further challenges following the defeat of ideologically aligned totalitarian states—Germany, Italy, and Japan—during World War II, which led to the geopolitical ascendancy of the Western Allies, initially in cooperation with the USSR for strategic purposes [3].
The autarkic model aimed, though unrealistically, to achieve national self-sufficiency by replacing imports with domestic production. Its implementation failed, resulting in significant social imbalances and an inability to meet basic societal needs [4]. These problems were especially acute during the so-called Blue Period (1939–1945).
By the late 1950s, political isolation and flawed economic policies had pushed Spanish society toward collapse. Indicators of the crisis included rising living costs, growing public debt, shrinking reserves, a widening trade deficit, inflation reaching 42 pesetas per U.S. dollar, and unsustainable public spending. This critical situation demanded substantial reform to avoid systemic failure. It created an opening for the School of Public Administration in Alcalá de Henares and reformist figures within the regime—particularly Laureano López Rodó and Luis Carrero Blanco—to advocate for internal change. Nonetheless, this period was marked by tensions between hardline and reformist factions within Francoism. The regime remained ambivalent: while the repression of political dissent persisted, efforts were also made to improve the population’s material and economic conditions. Figure 1 illustrates the key phases in the evolution of Francoist sport.
Figure 1. Sport Francoism: key milestones and phases.

References

  1. Tusell, J. History of Spain in the 20th Century. III, The Franco Dictatorship; Taurus: Madrid, Spain, 1999. (In Spanish)
  2. Juliá, S. Politics and Society. In La España del Siglo XX; Juliá, S., García, J.L., Jiménez, J.C., Fusi, J.P., Eds.; Marcial Pons Historia: Madrid, Spain, 2003; pp. 15–321. (In Spanish)
  3. Gómez, A. The Failure of Autarky: Spanish Economic Policy and the Post-World War Period (1945–1959). Espac. Tiempo Forma Ser. V Hist. Contemp. 1997, 10, 297–313. (In Spanish)
  4. del Arco-Blanco, M.A. Dying of Hunger. Autarky, Scarcity, and Disease in Early Francoist Spain. Pasado Mem. Rev. Hist. Contemp. 2006, 5, 241–258. (In Spanish)
More
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : , Antonio Sánchez-Pato , Juan Alfonso Garcia-Roca
View Times: 1.8K
Online Date: 06 Jun 2025
1000/1000
Hot Most Recent
Notice
You are not a member of the advisory board for this topic. If you want to update advisory board member profile, please contact office@encyclopedia.pub.
OK
Confirm
Only members of the Encyclopedia advisory board for this topic are allowed to note entries. Would you like to become an advisory board member of the Encyclopedia?
Yes
No
Academic Video Service