Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco’s Spain

In Architects of Terror, Paul Preston explores how paranoia, conspiracy, and anti-Semitism were used to justify the military coup of 1936 and enable the construction of a dictatorship in Spain. The coup was launched to overturn the social and economic reforms of the democratic Second Republic and its educational and cultural challenges to the established order. A central justification for the war was the alleged scheme for world domination by a non-existent "Jewish-Masonic-Bolshevik Conspiracy." Despite the fact that Spain had only a tiny minority of Jews and Freemasons, Franco and his inner circle were ardent believers in this fabricated conspiracy and spread the notion that the survival of Catholic Spain and the establishment's economic interests required the total annihilation of Jews and Freemasons. The book presents vivid portraits of the key ideologues who propagated the myth and the military figures who implemented the atrocities that it justified.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 464 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

From the esteemed historian of 20th-century Spain, Paul Preston, comes a groundbreaking new work, Architects of Terror, which delves into the chilling history of how paranoia, conspiracy, and anti-Semitism were employed to justify the military coup of 1936 and pave the way for the establishment of a dictatorship characterized by violence and persecution. This previously untold tale explores the intricate ways in which antisemitic beliefs were weaponized to justify and propagate the overthrow of the liberal Second Republic in Spain.

The Spanish military coup of 1936 was initiated with the primary objective of overturning the social and economic reforms enacted by the democratic Second Republic. Additionally, it posed significant educational and cultural challenges to the established order. The ensuing civil war was fought primarily in the interests of landowners, industrialists, bankers, clerics, and army officers, whose privileges were under threat. However, a central justification for this war, which claimed the lives of approximately 500,000 Spaniards, was the alleged existence of a non-existent "Jewish-Masonic-Bolshevik Conspiracy." Despite Spain having a minuscule Jewish and Freemason population, Franco and his inner circle were steadfast believers in this fabricated conspiracy and propagated the notion that the survival of Catholic Spain, as well as the establishment's economic interests, necessitated the complete eradication of Jews and Freemasons.

Architects of Terror is a captivating narrative that uncovers the origins of violence and hatred through the manipulation of fake news, deceit, corruption, and nostalgia for a lost empire. The book presents vivid portraits of the key ideologues who propagated the myth of the Jewish-Masonic-Bolshevik Conspiracy, as well as the military figures who carried out the atrocities that it justified. Through meticulous research and analysis, Preston sheds light on the complex web of events that led to the military coup, the subsequent civil war, and the brutal persecution of Jews and Freemasons. This work is a vital contribution to our understanding of the dark chapters in Spanish history and serves as a warning about the dangers of conspiracy theories and the misuse of power.

Weight: 334g
Dimension: 129 x 199 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008522155