Spain’s Last Empire: Fascist Colonial Policy and the Twilight of Spanish Rule

Map of the Western Sahara from 1949, highlighting Spanish colonial territories and geographic features in West Africa.

In the 20th century, as decolonization swept across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, Spain clung stubbornly to the crumbling remnants of its once-vast empire. Unlike Britain or France, which gradually retreated from their colonies in the post-World War II era, fascist Spain resisted the tide of history. Under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, Spain’s colonial policy became an ideological outlier—rooted in nationalism, racial hierarchy, and nostalgia for imperial greatness. But this policy was ultimately unsustainable, both politically and economically, and collapsed under the weight of global pressure and internal contradictions.

A Dictatorship Rooted in Imperial Nostalgia

After the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, General Francisco Franco established an authoritarian regime that idolized a mythical past. Franco’s Spain sought legitimacy through historical grandeur, invoking Spain’s golden age of empire and Catholic unity. The regime viewed its colonial possessions—notably in North Africa (Spanish Sahara, Ifni, and Spanish Morocco), and a few territories in Equatorial Guinea—as both strategic assets and symbolic proof of national strength.

Unlike Britain and France, which framed their empires in terms of modernization and development (however paternalistic), Spain’s colonialism under Franco was intensely ideological. It aimed to project strength through territorial control, and to assert racial and cultural superiority through forced assimilation and repression.

Fascism’s Colonial Vision

Francoist colonial policy borrowed from the fascist playbook of Italy and Germany. It emphasized hierarchy, military order, and racial purity. Indigenous populations were often excluded from meaningful participation in governance, denied basic rights, and subjected to violent repression.

In Spanish Sahara, for example, Spain largely ignored the development of local political institutions and brutally crushed resistance movements like the burgeoning Polisario Front. Schools, healthcare, and infrastructure remained minimal, serving the needs of settlers and military personnel rather than the local Sahrawi population. In Equatorial Guinea, colonial policy was marked by racial segregation and a deliberate lack of investment in African leadership, ensuring long-term dependency.

This approach ran counter to the emerging post-war norm: the idea that colonies should be prepared for self-rule. Spain’s refusal to adapt made its presence increasingly untenable.

Why Spain Held On

Several factors explain why Franco’s regime resisted decolonization:

1. Isolation and Ideology: After World War II, Spain was diplomatically isolated. Shunned by the United Nations until the 1950s, Spain had little incentive to follow the Western consensus on decolonization. Instead, it leaned on fascist-era ideology to justify continued rule.

2. Domestic Legitimacy: Franco’s government used colonial exploits to stoke nationalism and distract from domestic repression. Holding onto territory was framed as a patriotic duty—especially in the face of international criticism.

3. Economic Interests: Though minor compared to British or French colonies, Spanish holdings provided resources (like phosphate in Spanish Sahara), access to fisheries, and military outposts.

4. Strategic Geography: Morocco and Western Sahara were seen as Spain’s southern flank—a vital buffer zone. In the Cold War context, Franco feared losing these areas to Soviet-aligned nationalist movements.

The Fall of Francoist Colonialism

Spain’s colonial strategy began to unravel in the 1960s and ‘70s. The United Nations declared colonialism incompatible with international law, and Spanish territories became the focus of global scrutiny.

• In Equatorial Guinea, independence was granted in 1968 after years of international pressure and growing internal unrest. The process was chaotic, with Spain leaving abruptly and tensions erupting under the new regime.

• In Ifni, Spain was forced to cede the territory to Morocco in 1969 after guerrilla attacks and a stalemated war.

• The most dramatic end came in Western Sahara. As Franco’s health deteriorated in 1975, Spain hastily abandoned the territory, signing the Madrid Accords with Morocco and Mauritania. This left the Sahrawi people without a path to self-determination, sparking a decades-long conflict that persists to this day.

Why It Didn’t Last

Spanish fascist colonialism lacked the institutional depth and international support needed to survive. Without real development, political inclusion, or popular legitimacy, these colonies became hotbeds of resistance. Spain’s unwillingness to embrace decolonization earlier meant that its eventual withdrawals were rushed, poorly managed, and left deep scars.

Moreover, Franco’s ideological rigidity—while domestically useful—was an international liability. As Spain re-entered the global stage in the 1970s and transitioned to democracy after Franco’s death, holding colonies became a diplomatic embarrassment rather than a point of pride.

Legacy

Today, the legacy of Spanish colonial policy under Franco is felt most acutely in Western Sahara, often referred to as “Africa’s last colony.” Spain’s failure to provide a clear path to independence haunts its foreign policy and remains a moral stain on its decolonization record.

While other European powers tried, however imperfectly, to adapt to the changing global order, Spain under Franco chose stubbornness and nostalgia. It delayed the inevitable—and in doing so, made the fall all the harder.

Bibliography

1. Payne, Stanley G. The Franco Regime, 1936–1975. University of Wisconsin Press, 1987.

   
   

   • A comprehensive history of Francoist Spain, including its ideology and colonial policy.

   
   

2. Domínguez, Jorge. “Spain: The Last European Empire.” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 54, No. 4, 1976, pp. 802–820.

   
   

   • An exploration of Spain’s late decolonization compared to its European counterparts.

   
   

3. Shelley, Toby. Endgame in the Western Sahara: What Future for Africa’s Last Colony? Zed Books, 2004.

   
   

   • Details the Spanish withdrawal from Western Sahara and its ongoing consequences.

   
   

4. Sundiata, Ibrahim K. Equatorial Guinea: Colonialism, State Terror, and the Search for Stability. Westview Press, 1990.

   
   

   • Provides detailed analysis of Spanish colonial rule in Equatorial Guinea and its collapse.

   
   

5. United Nations General Assembly. Resolution 1514 (XV): Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. December 14, 1960.

   
   

   • The UN declaration that accelerated global decolonization efforts, including pressure on Spain.

   
   

6. Howe, Stephen. Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2002.

   
   

   • A concise guide to imperial ideology and global decolonization.

   
   

7. Fradera, Josep Maria. The Imperial Nation: Citizens and Subjects in the British, French, Spanish, and American Empires. Princeton University Press, 2018.

   
   

   • Provides comparative analysis of colonial ideologies, including the Spanish model under Franco.

   
   

8. Hughes, Matthew. “Fighting for Franco: International Volunteers in Nationalist Spain During the Spanish Civil War.” History Today, Vol. 52, Issue 11, 2002.

   
   

   • Contextualizes the militarized nationalism and imperial revivalism under Franco.

   
   

9. Pazzanita, Anthony G. “Spain and the Western Sahara: The End of an Era.” The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 16, No. 2, 1978, pp. 291–304.

   
   

   • Covers the Madrid Accords and Spain’s retreat from the Sahara.