Spanish Republican government in exile

The Government of the Spanish Republic in exile () was a continuation, in exile, of the government of the Second Spanish Republic following the victory of Francisco Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War. It existed until the restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1977.

History

Following the fall of the Republic in April 1939, the president of Spain, Manuel Azaña and the prime minister, Juan Negrín, went into exile in France. Azaña resigned his post and died in November 1940. He was succeeded as president by Diego Martínez Barrio, who had been prime minister in 1936. Following the German occupation of France in 1940, the government was reconstituted in Mexico, which under the left-wing president Lázaro Cárdenas continued to recognise the Republic, although Negrín spent the World War II years in London. Negrín resigned as prime minister in 1945 and was succeeded by José Giral.

Until 1945, the exiled Republicans had high hopes that at the end of World War II in Europe, Franco's regime would be removed from power by the victorious Allies and that they would be able to return to Spain. Furthermore, the newly-established United Nations would pass a resolution condemning the Francoist regime and the exiled Republicans initially worked with the Allies. When these hopes were disappointed, the government-in-exile faded away to a purely symbolic role. The government moved back to Paris in 1946. There was also a Basque government-in-exile and a Catalan government-in-exile.

In the immediate postwar period, it had diplomatic relations with Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Venezuela, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, and Albania,Shain, Yossi (ed). Governments-in-Exile in Contemporary World Politics. New York: Routledge. 1991, p. 152. but the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union did not recognise it.Ebon, Martin. World Communism Today. New York: Whittlesey House. 1948, p. 252.

Following Franco's death in 1975, King Juan Carlos initiated a transition to democracy. In 1977, the exiled Republicans accepted the re-establishment of the monarchy and recognised Juan Carlos's government as the legitimate government of Spain. The key moment came when socialist leaders Felipe González and Javier Solana met Juan Carlos at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid — a tacit endorsement of the monarchy by the previously staunchly republican Socialists.

On 1 July 1977, the Government of the Spanish Republic was formally dissolved. In a gesture of reconciliation, Juan Carlos received the exiled leaders at a ceremony in Madrid.

Presidents in exile

#PortraitNamePresident FromPresident UntilPolitical Party Diego Martínez BarrioInterim3 March 193911 May 1940Republican Union Álvaro de Albornoz y Liminiana Interim11 May 194017 August 1945Independent 1 Diego Martínez Barrio17 August 19451 January 1962Republican Union 2 Luis Jiménez de Asúa1 January 196216 November 1970Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 3 José Maldonado González 16 November 19701 July 1977Republican Left

Prime Ministers in exile

PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical PartyPresident Juan Negrín 31 March 1939 17 August 1945 Spanish Socialist Workers' PartyÁlvaro de Albornoz José Giral 17 August 1945 9 February 1947 Republican Left Diego Martínez Barrio Rodolfo Llopis 9 February 1947 8 August 1947 Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Álvaro de Albornoz 8 August 1947 13 August 1951 Republican Union 13 August 1951 17 April 1960 Republican Union Emilio Herrera 17 April 1960 28 February 1962 Independent Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz 28 February 1962 28 February 1971 Republican Union Luis Jiménez de Asúa 28 February 1971 21 June 1977 Republican Union José Maldonado González

Spanish Republican government in exile

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