David Uclés calls Franco 'inept': how to explain 40 years of rule?

David Uclés calls Franco 'inept': how to explain 40 years of rule?

Writer David Uclés, a Nadal Prize winner, has peine the debate by calling Franco "inept, traumatized, uncultured, and foolish," questioning how such a man could dominate Spain for four decades. The paradox is clear: if he was so useless, how did he win the civil war, stay in power until his death, and modernize the country? Historical data indicates Franco was Europe's youngest general after Napoleon, and his funeral was Spain's most massive. While some see a brilliant strategist, others view him as a product of circumstances.

The paradox of the youngest general

The main argument against Uclés is Franco's military career. At 33, he was Europe's youngest general after the Rif War, showing tactical skill. His letter to Johnson on Vietnam is cited as prophetic. Supporters argue that, unlike Hitler or Mussolini, Franco didn't lose his war and died in bed, leaving a country with 45% more population than in 1936. The question remains: if Franco was so foolish, where does the left that failed to overthrow him stand?

The Uclés phenomenon: literature or posturing?

Uclés, compared to Ana Iris Simón, is a carefully crafted editorial product: boina, worker aesthetic, and a reivindicative discourse. He has sold 300,000 copies, but literary critics call him a "refrite of clichés for TikTok audiences." Alberto Olmos, in El Confidencial, argues his success is based on staging rather than quality. Additionally, he was accused of using painter Zabaleta's work without permission, erasing his signature and adding his own. The controversy is not just political: it is also about intellectual authenticity.

The balance of the dictatorship: lights and shadows

The debate touches the core of historical memory. For some, Franco was a dictator who repressed, especially women; for others, a leader who industrialized and literate Spain. Uclés's supporters highlight female suffering, while his critics remember men died on the front or returned mutilated. The conversation stalls in the impossibility of consensus: each side selects data that suits them.

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This debate reveals that Franco remains a minefield. While Uclés calls him inept, his defenders invoke the Vietnam letter. The unanswered question is whether Franco's merit was real or simply luck in facing divided enemies. And, above all, what it means that a country that hates him so much has not yet digested his legacy.

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