In the organizer's words:

The Spaniard Francisco Franco is one of the most influential dictators of the 20th century. Unlike his allies Hitler and Mussolini, he was able to remain in power beyond the Second World War until 1975. The place of his person and his almost 40-year rule in contemporary European history is still controversial today. This comprehensive account of Franco's life provides insights into the eventful history of Spain in the 20th century and at the same time offers starting points for a better understanding of authoritarian rule in the present day.

After 1945, Franco was regarded by many as an eternal fascist who no longer fitted into the new democratic Europe. And yet he successfully offered himself as a partner to the Western world and enjoyed considerable popularity among the Spanish population until his death in 1975. He cultivated an image as an efficient modernizer and was advised by Western experts, but his rule was also based on the mass persecution of dissenters and was characterized by extreme social contrasts, corruption and an economy of scarcity. Based on current research, Till Kössler undertakes a historical reassessment of Franco in this biography. He traces his career vividly and close to the sources: from his beginnings as a young colonial officer in Morocco to his rise to become a cruel fascist autocrat in the Spanish Civil War and an ally of the Axis powers in the Second World War, right through to the upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s.

Till Kössler is Professor of Historical Education at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. His research interests include the history of violence and overcoming violence as well as the history of authoritarian regimes after 1945.

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