Foreign trade as an instrument to save Franco's regime (1943-1946)

Abstract

In 1943, the Axis victory in the war seemed increasingly unlikely, which led the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop a new trade policy in order to preserve the regime. Trade ties between Spain and the United Kingdom were important for both countries, but after the conflict, they became even more so for the British due to the deep economic weakening caused by the war. As a result, trade relations intensified, and despite Clement Attlee's political rejection of Franco, when he was the British Prime Minister, he maintained a lukewarm attitude and even defended the Franco regime against Stalin. This was aimed at preserving good trade relations, involving their great ally, the United States, in this policy. At the same time, there were diplomatic efforts to provoke a regime change, but these did not succeed, as Franco consolidated his power through force, and trade ties. In this way, the regime survives, since both the United Kingdom and the United States did not wage economic warfare as they had done during the war.