Francisco Franco was born in El Ferrol, Spain on December 4th 1892. He was the second son of a father who was a naval paymaster and a devout catholic mother. Franco’s father was eccentric, wasteful and somewhat dissolute (Trythall, pg 1). Franco was destined for a career as a naval office but reduction of admissions forced him to choose the army. At age fourteen he gained admission to Spain’s premiere military institution, the Infantry Academy …showed first 75 words of 1102 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1102 total…the political argument and social problems that troubled Spain throughout the early 20th century. He also helped to lay the beginnings for Spain’s economic modernization. But his human rights record was a different story. He created a political system that denied individual rights and freedoms to most Spaniards. Whether he be remembered as a hero or a villain , he is without a doubt one of the most interesting political figures of the twentieth century.