The Falange is a Spanish political movement with origins in the early 20th century, which played a significant role in Spanish politics, particularly during and after the Spanish Civil War.
The Falange was founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the son of the former dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera, in 1933. Its full name was Falange Española, which later became Falange Española de las JONS (Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista) after merging with the JONS, a smaller group led by Onésimo Redondo and Ramiro Ledesma Ramos. The Falange's ideology was influenced by:
During the Spanish Civil War, the Falange aligned with the Nationalist faction led by General Francisco Franco. Its militia, the Falange Militia, was active in the conflict, though it was often outshone by the military prowess of Franco's regular army. After the war, Franco merged the Falange with other nationalist groups into the Movimiento Nacional (National Movement), which became the sole legal political movement under Franco's regime.
After the war, the Falange's influence within Franco's government varied over time:
With Franco's death in 1975, Spain transitioned to democracy, and the Falange's political influence diminished: