Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco Bahamonde was a Spanish general who was the leader of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. He had led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. This period in Spanish history, from the Nationalist victory to Franco's death, is commonly known as Francoist Spain. Born in Ferrol, Galicia, into an upper-class military family, Franco served in the Spanish Army as a cadet in the Toledo Infantry Academy from 1907 to 1910.