Fifty Years of Freedom: Francoism and the Historical Politics of Democratic Spain

In early 2025, the Spanish government unveiled a broad official campaign entitled “Spain in Freedom. 50 Years”, aimed at supporting the state's historical policy and marking the fiftieth anniversary of Francisco Franco's death. This campaign represents a significant practical expression of the Spanish memory policy developed and approved by the government led by Pedro Sánchez. This article, based on a study of official documents, media materials, and statistical data, analyzes its effectiveness and concludes that despite official condemnation and supportive campaigns for the historical policy implemented under the 2022 Democratic Memory Law, the memory of the Franco period remains contentious. Nearly a third of the population is willing to characterize the Franco dictatorship period positively, and a trend toward increasing pro-Franco sentiment is evident among young people. The fact that young people aged 18 to 35, who grew up during the democratic period and did not directly encounter Franco's regime, express a positive attitude toward the dictatorship raises questions about Spanish democracy itself and the effectiveness of the state's historical policy in the context of contemporary economic and social realities.