No Gazpacho, I can't imagine a better outcome. Spain is a beautiful country with an amazingly broad history. I try to travel to other places but my heart and friends keep bringing me back to Spain

On the other hand, even if Spain had become a Communist totalitarianism State in 1936-1939, I doubt it would be that way today. It is hard to say what would have happened.

"To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and its inevitable ambiguity"
Roy P. Basler

Perhaps, it might be best to say that Spain is a wonderful place in spite of Franco

You'll never know.

Then again, there's Fidel Castro
I've been waiting for over forty years and like the Enegizer Bunny, he keeps on killin'

Excellent point Booklady. I guess I find it hard to believe that such a governement could exist in Western Europe in 2005. But like you said, "you'll never know". It is good it turned out the way it did as Pablo had mentioned.

I know this is completely off the subject, but I really enjoy your commentaries. Did you see the film "The Motorcycle Diaries"? What is your opinion on the portrayal of Che Guevara in this film? I had mixed feelings about the film but LOVE the music.

Booklady: I know that the issue of Fidel is a sore subject with you, and it is nothing that warms my heart either. Just remember the Devil is very patient, but he always gets his man. In the mean time, if you want to know just how bad things are in the "land of the palms" tune in on a shortwave radio any night after 7PM on 9820 on the 31 meter band and read between the lines of what is being said. Your brothers and sisters are like me, you and the Devil, they are just waiting.

Germany would have invaded and the Allied armies would have liberated Spain. We might not have even invaded Southern France, using Spain as a spring board to invade France or open another front for the liberation of France. All of this would have made Spain a democracy in 1950s.

The time Franco was in power, it should be looked at missed opportunities.

Bill

Bill from NYC, said:

Germany would have invaded and the Allied armies would have liberated Spain. We might not have even invaded Southern France, using Spain as a spring board to invade France or open another front for the liberation of France. All of this would have made Spain a democracy in 1950s.

Alando says:

I have always thought this was an interesting topic to consider. What if Spain's involvement in WWII would have been with the Allies or with the Axis. At that time in history, was Spain's military up to the challenge of defeating the Nazis? Or if Spain would have joined the side of the Axis, would Spain's military have been the boost that Germany needed to be victorious over the allies? What are peoples thoughts on this?

Alando,

If Spain had become a full-fledged Axis partner, one can only speculate that it would have been a real hardship on the people. All their gold being confiscated by Russia, the people having just gone through a civil war. The only thing they might have offered their partners was their natural resources, such as the iron from northern Spain that they provided to Germany, during their civil war. It would have taken many more hungry years to recover after the defeat of the Axis power. From what I understand, even during the peace time conditions of the 1940's and 50's, the 1950's were hungry years.

On the other hand, if they would have aligned as a full member of the Allied powers, it would have saved the U.S. many deaths at Normandy. I believe that a grateful U.S. would have forged a closer relationship to Spain, resulting in a boost to their economy during the 1950's.

But anyway, I don't beleive that Spain becoming an Axis member would have tilted the war either way. In hind sight, the only reason Hitler got as far as he did was shear boldness and the liguini spined Europeans not challenging him by appeasement. His forces, as later discovered, were spread very, very thin. How little the world learns from history.