Migration was barely a thing under Franco, and now we're overwhelmed thanks to the left
Was there immigration under Franco? An analysis of the current debate: from the myth of a Spain without foreigners to theories about the role of the state and capital.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Immigration in Spain: from the Francoist myth to the power of the state
During the Franco era, Spain was a country of emigration: millions of Spaniards went looking for work in Europe. Today, the narrative that longs for that period as a time without immigration clashes with historical reality and with a debate that goes beyond political colours. Behind the mass arrival of foreigners, some analysts point to the state itself and to capital as the driving forces of the phenomenon, not the "reds" or the "fascists".
The mirage of Francoist Spain
Those who idealise the Franco era as a time without immigration forget that Spain back then was shedding population. Spanish emigrants numbered in the thousands every year. The context of poverty and autarky attracted no foreigners. Today, economic growth (however uneven) and the welfare state are migration magnets. Yet the debate focuses on who is to blame: for some, the pogre left; for others, the state-capitalist system.
Who benefits from immigration?
One school of thought holds that mass immigration is neither a mistake nor an accident, but a deliberate policy of concentrated power. The state, through its military and economic elites, needs docile labour and consumers to keep growth going, while the native middle class – with its rights and demands – becomes dysfunctional. From this standpoint, both the right and the left are complicit, having delegated every solution to the state.
The open question is whether Spanish society, trapped in its ideological divisions, will be able to identify the real engine of immigration. Meanwhile, the Francoist myth keeps serving as a political weapon, but the reality is more complex and less partisan than either side admits.
Related discussions in the forum
During the Franco era, Spain was a country of emigration: millions of Spaniards went looking for work in Europe. Today, the narrative that longs for that period as a time without immigration clashes with historical reality and with a debate that goes beyond political colours. Behind the mass arrival of foreigners, some analysts point to the state itself and to capital as the driving forces of the phenomenon, not the "reds" or the "fascists".
The mirage of Francoist Spain
Those who idealise the Franco era as a time without immigration forget that Spain back then was shedding population. Spanish emigrants numbered in the thousands every year. The context of poverty and autarky attracted no foreigners. Today, economic growth (however uneven) and the welfare state are migration magnets. Yet the debate focuses on who is to blame: for some, the pogre left; for others, the state-capitalist system.
Who benefits from immigration?
One school of thought holds that mass immigration is neither a mistake nor an accident, but a deliberate policy of concentrated power. The state, through its military and economic elites, needs docile labour and consumers to keep growth going, while the native middle class – with its rights and demands – becomes dysfunctional. From this standpoint, both the right and the left are complicit, having delegated every solution to the state.
The open question is whether Spanish society, trapped in its ideological divisions, will be able to identify the real engine of immigration. Meanwhile, the Francoist myth keeps serving as a political weapon, but the reality is more complex and less partisan than either side admits.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (57 replies).
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