Carlos Arias Navarro
Encyclopedia
Don
Carlos Arias-Navarro, 1st Marquis of Arias-Navarro, Grandee of Spain, born Carlos Arias y Navarro (11 December 1908 – 27 November 1989) was one of the best known Spanish
politicians during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco
.
Arias-Navarro served in the Ministry of Justice since 1929 as attorney
in Málaga
and Madrid
. Arias was close to the right-wing sectors and joined the Francoist side during the Spanish Civil War
. He was public prosecutor in the trials set up by the triumphant rightists against true or perceived sympathizers of the Republican side, who were accused of being pro-communists. The repression in Málaga was among the most vicious, with some 20,000 people assassinated by Franco's Nationalists, with or without "legal" sanction.
He married María de la Luz del Valle y Menéndez, without issue.
After serving in various positions, including Mayor of Madrid
from 1965 to June 1973, Arias-Navarro became Minister of Governance in June 1973. After the assassination of the Prime Minister (Presidente del Gobierno) Luis Carrero Blanco
he was appointed to that office as the 71st on December 31, 1973, a position he continued to hold after the death of Franco. Carlos Arias Navarro had the support of the Franco family, most notably Carmen Polo
, and retained the post during the transition to democracy. However, the execution of the Catalan anarchist Salvador Puig Antich
in March 1974 had already shown his aversion towards political liberalization, while others events, including the executions in September 1974, the organization of the Green March
in November 1975 by King Hassan II of Morocco
, and the illness and death of Franco (which Arias Navarro announced on television), displayed his weaknesses and further eroded his authority.
Franco's successor as head of state, King Juan Carlos I, continued his appointment, so that it was his government (which included Manuel Fraga Iribarne
and José María de Areilza
) that instituted the firsts reforms, however unwillingly. Seeing himself as Franco's political heir, he tried to continue the late dictator's policies, opposing any change. After a lengthy power struggle, this led to his dismissal by Juan Carlos I, with Arias-Navarro resigning on 1 July 1976.
The next day, he was granted the hereditary title of marqués de Arias Navarro (English
: Marquis of Arias Navarro), together with the dignity Grande de España (English: Grandee of Spain). Since he had no heirs his title became extinct after he died.
Arias-Navarro was succeeded by Adolfo Suárez
, named general secretary of the Francoist official party Movimiento Nacional
in December 1975. In June 1977, during the first free general elections held since 1936, Arias Navarro integrated the Alianza Popular
, a Right-wing party created by Manuel Fraga. He then led the Búnker
group of hard-liners opposed to any reforms, along with the leader of the Francoist party Fuerza Nueva
, Blas Piñar
. Arias Navarro, however, never again occupied a relevant position in the later Spanish government.
Both left and extreme right attacked him, calling him by the nickname "The Old Pusillanimous".
show that, following the left-wing Carnation Revolution
coup in Portugal
on 25 April 1974, Arias-Navarro met with the United States Deputy Secretary of State
Robert S. Ingersoll
in March 1975 and offered to invade Portugal in order to stop the spread of Communism. The report Ingersoll forwarded to the then-Secretary of State
, Henry Kissinger
, on 18 March, stated that "appropriate steps" were being taken to ensure that "the events in Portugal did not cross the border into Spain."
Ingersoll went on to add that Spain wanted Washington to support Spain in the event of war, precisely at a time when the US was renegotiating the status of its military bases, and Arias wanted Washington to support Spain's future membership of NATO.
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Carlos Arias-Navarro, 1st Marquis of Arias-Navarro, Grandee of Spain, born Carlos Arias y Navarro (11 December 1908 – 27 November 1989) was one of the best known Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
politicians during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
.
Arias-Navarro served in the Ministry of Justice since 1929 as attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Arias was close to the right-wing sectors and joined the Francoist side during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. He was public prosecutor in the trials set up by the triumphant rightists against true or perceived sympathizers of the Republican side, who were accused of being pro-communists. The repression in Málaga was among the most vicious, with some 20,000 people assassinated by Franco's Nationalists, with or without "legal" sanction.
He married María de la Luz del Valle y Menéndez, without issue.
After serving in various positions, including Mayor of Madrid
Mayor of Madrid
The Mayor of Madrid is an elected politician who, along with Madrid City Council, is accountable for the strategic government of Madrid....
from 1965 to June 1973, Arias-Navarro became Minister of Governance in June 1973. After the assassination of the Prime Minister (Presidente del Gobierno) Luis Carrero Blanco
Luis Carrero Blanco
Don Luis Carrero Blanco, 1st Duke of Carrero Blanco, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish admiral and long-time confidant of dictator Francisco Franco.- Biography :...
he was appointed to that office as the 71st on December 31, 1973, a position he continued to hold after the death of Franco. Carlos Arias Navarro had the support of the Franco family, most notably Carmen Polo
Carmen Polo
María del Carmen Polo y Martínez-Valdés, 1st Lady of Meirás, Grandee of Spain was the wife of Francisco Franco and a member of the Spanish nobility.-Family:...
, and retained the post during the transition to democracy. However, the execution of the Catalan anarchist Salvador Puig Antich
Salvador Puig Antich
Salvador Puig Antich was a Spanish anarchist, born in Barcelona, and active during the 1960s. A member of the Movimiento Ibérico de Liberación , he was executed by the Francoist regime after being tried by a military tribunal and found guilty of the death of a Guardia Civil policeman...
in March 1974 had already shown his aversion towards political liberalization, while others events, including the executions in September 1974, the organization of the Green March
Green March
The Green March was a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan Spanish Province of Sahara to Morocco.-Background:...
in November 1975 by King Hassan II of Morocco
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
, and the illness and death of Franco (which Arias Navarro announced on television), displayed his weaknesses and further eroded his authority.
Franco's successor as head of state, King Juan Carlos I, continued his appointment, so that it was his government (which included Manuel Fraga Iribarne
Manuel Fraga Iribarne
Manuel Fraga Iribarne is a Spanish People's Party politician. Fraga's career as one of the key political figures in Spain straddles both General Francisco Franco's dictatorial regime and the subsequent transition to democracy. He served as the President of the Xunta of Galicia from 1990 to 2005...
and José María de Areilza
José María de Areilza
Don José María de Areilza y Martínez-Rodas, 3rd Count of Rodas, jure uxoris Count of Motrico was a Spanish politician engineer and diplomat....
) that instituted the firsts reforms, however unwillingly. Seeing himself as Franco's political heir, he tried to continue the late dictator's policies, opposing any change. After a lengthy power struggle, this led to his dismissal by Juan Carlos I, with Arias-Navarro resigning on 1 July 1976.
The next day, he was granted the hereditary title of marqués de Arias Navarro (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Marquis of Arias Navarro), together with the dignity Grande de España (English: Grandee of Spain). Since he had no heirs his title became extinct after he died.
Arias-Navarro was succeeded by Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF is a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of...
, named general secretary of the Francoist official party Movimiento Nacional
Movimiento Nacional
The Movimiento Nacional was the name given to the nationalist inspired mechanism during Francoist rule in Spain, which purported to be the only channel of participation to Spanish public life...
in December 1975. In June 1977, during the first free general elections held since 1936, Arias Navarro integrated the Alianza Popular
Popular Alliance (Spain)
The People's Alliance was a electoral coalition, and later a political party, founded in 1976 by Manuel Fraga along with six other former Francoist ministers.- History :...
, a Right-wing party created by Manuel Fraga. He then led the Búnker
Búnker
The term búnker refers to a far-right faction during the Spanish transition to democracy. The group of hardline francoists opposed political and social reform; the group's steadfast refusal to compromise led to the name of "bunker." Under the presidency of Carlos Arias Navarro, búnker and its...
group of hard-liners opposed to any reforms, along with the leader of the Francoist party Fuerza Nueva
Fuerza Nueva
New Force was the name of a succession of far-right political parties in Spain founded by Blas Piñar, the son of one of the defenders of the Alcázar of Toledo and director of the Institute of Hispanic Culture during the Francoist period...
, Blas Piñar
Blas Piñar
Blas Piñar is a Spanish politician. He has had connections with Catholic organizations; directed the Institute of Spanish Culture and served as deputy in the Cortes and a councillor of the Movimiento Nacional.In the 1960s, Blas Piñar was in charge of the Institute of Spanish Culture that was...
. Arias Navarro, however, never again occupied a relevant position in the later Spanish government.
Both left and extreme right attacked him, calling him by the nickname "The Old Pusillanimous".
Spain and Portugal
According to the Spanish daily El País, files released by the US National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
show that, following the left-wing Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
coup in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on 25 April 1974, Arias-Navarro met with the United States Deputy Secretary of State
United States Deputy Secretary of State
The Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was...
Robert S. Ingersoll
Robert S. Ingersoll
Robert Stephen Ingersoll was an American businessman and former diplomat. Ingersoll was Chief executive officer and Chairman of the Board of BorgWarner and his international business experience was an important factor in his selection as United States Ambassador to Japan from 1972 to 1973, and...
in March 1975 and offered to invade Portugal in order to stop the spread of Communism. The report Ingersoll forwarded to the then-Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
, on 18 March, stated that "appropriate steps" were being taken to ensure that "the events in Portugal did not cross the border into Spain."
Ingersoll went on to add that Spain wanted Washington to support Spain in the event of war, precisely at a time when the US was renegotiating the status of its military bases, and Arias wanted Washington to support Spain's future membership of NATO.