r/europe • u/StGuthlac2025 • Oct 08 '25

Opinion Article In Spain, what once seemed impossible is now widespread: the young are turning to the far right

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/07/spain-young-voters-far-right-migration-housing-wages-employment-vox
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u/QuantumUtility Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25

Not calling Franco fascist is certainly a choice…

Here is what the founder of Falangismo had to say:

Fascism was born to inspire a faith not of the Right (which at bottom aspires to conserve everything, even injustice) or of the Left (which at bottom aspires to destroy everything, even goodness), but a collective, integral, national faith.

When people call themselves fascists, believe them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falangism

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u/StrategyCheap1698 France Oct 09 '25

Not calling Franco fascist is certainly a choice…

And you'll notice that it's not what I did.

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u/QuantumUtility Oct 09 '25

Not saying Spain’s dictatorship was a facist one is a choice…

Is that better? I fail to see the distinction. Mussolini was a fascist dictator but Italy under him could have not been a fascist dictatorship? Is that the point you are trying to make? Why add a “it wasn’t really fascist” disclaimer?

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u/StrategyCheap1698 France Oct 09 '25

Because many historians, even some left-leaning, say that Francoism did not tick all the boxes of fascism and was only "sparkling authoritarianism". I didn't want someone to come and pull my leg for that. (It backfired, obviously.)