Falange Española Tradicionalista

Falange Española Tradicionalista (FET) A Spanish Fascist organization founded as the Falange Española in 1933 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of General Primo de Rivera. Through its manifesto adopted in 1934, the Twenty-seven Points, it espoused political illiberalism and authoritarianism, and a belief in a national community devoid of class conflict, nationalism, and hostility to other ideologies or intellectual discussion. Through paternalist social values it successfully enlisted and reinforced the power of the Roman Catholic Church. After a slow start, it developed into a mass movement after 1936 and the outbreak of the Civil War. It was hijacked by Franco, who needed a political movement to back his military campaign, and thus the FET came into being on 18 April 1937. Subsequently, the FET served as an indispensable link between Franco's regime and the population. It gained almost one million affiliated members in 1942, but despite this never had decisive influence over Franco, who refused the demand of many Falange members to join Germany in World War II, and who carefully balanced the influence of the FET with that of other interests. After 1943, and especially after 1945, the Fascist elements of the FET were progressively revoked, and its more acceptable elements, such as its link with the Catholic Church, emphasized. The Twenty-seven Points were replaced in 1958 with a vague programme advocating the hardly controversial issues of peace, cooperation, and unity. Devoid of any ideology and purpose after Franco's death, the FET was dissolved in 1977.