José Antonio Girón
Encyclopedia
José Antonio Girón de Velasco (b. 28 August 1911, in Herrera de Pisuerga
, Palencia
; d. 22 August 1995, in Fuengirola
, Málaga
) was a prominent Spanish
Falangist politician. He was minister of Labor (1941–1957), counselor of the Kingdom's Council and member of the Cortes Generales. He was one of the most heard voices against any kind of changes during the last years of Francoism, taking part in the political group known as "the Bunker
", for their reluctance to the transition to democracy after Franco's
death.
He began his political activities during his university studies in Valladolid
. In 1931 he joined Juventudes Castellanas de Acción Hispánica
(Castilian Youth for Spanish Action), a small political group founded in Valladolid by Onésimo Redondo
, that would merge with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
(Unions of the National-Syndicalist Offensive) and José Antonio Primo de Rivera's
Falange Española
. He fought in the Civil War
on the Nationalist side and commanded units of Falangist militias. After the war, he was appointed national delegate of Veterans and in 1941 minister of Labor, when he was only 30. He deployed an intense activity, like the labor institutes for training workers and the development of the social security system (Instituto Nacional de Previsión). He was removed from the Ministry in 1957 according to the liberalizing shift that Franco wished for the Spanish economy (Stabilization Plan
). The previous year, Girón had decreed a salary increase that the Spanish economy could not afford.
Throughout Francoism, Girón was one of the leaders of Falange and he increasingly showed his dissent, according to the Falangist principles, to many policies of the regime. Notably, he was strongly opposed to opportunism. He yearned for the Falangist 'pending revolution', as Primo de Rivera's ideas just inspired a few policies but Francoism was not really an actual Falangist regime, but a consensus of rightist and authoritarian tendencies. After Franco's death, both he and Blas Piñar
were the natural leaders of the "Bunker" in the Francoist Parliament, and voted against the political reformation (1976) that allowed the transition to democracy.
Herrera de Pisuerga
Herrera de Pisuerga is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,457 inhabitants....
, Palencia
Palencia (province)
Palencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid....
; d. 22 August 1995, in Fuengirola
Fuengirola
Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches, and home to a mediæval Moorish fortress...
, Málaga
Málaga (province)
The Province of Málaga is located on the southern coast of Spain, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the South, and by the provinces of Cádiz, Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada.Its area is 7,308 km²...
) was a prominent 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...
Falangist politician. He was minister of Labor (1941–1957), counselor of the Kingdom's Council and member of the Cortes Generales. He was one of the most heard voices against any kind of changes during the last years of Francoism, taking part in the political group known as "the Bunker
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...
", for their reluctance to the transition to democracy after Franco's
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...
death.
He began his political activities during his university studies in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
. In 1931 he joined Juventudes Castellanas de Acción Hispánica
Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo Ortega was a Spanish Falangist politician, founder of Juntas Castellanas de Actuación Hispánica , a political group that merged with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and...
(Castilian Youth for Spanish Action), a small political group founded in Valladolid by Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo Ortega was a Spanish Falangist politician, founder of Juntas Castellanas de Actuación Hispánica , a political group that merged with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and...
, that would merge with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista was a national syndicalist movement in 1930s Spain, eventually incorporated into the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.-History:...
(Unions of the National-Syndicalist Offensive) and José Antonio Primo de Rivera's
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
Falange Española
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
. He fought in the 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...
on the Nationalist side and commanded units of Falangist militias. After the war, he was appointed national delegate of Veterans and in 1941 minister of Labor, when he was only 30. He deployed an intense activity, like the labor institutes for training workers and the development of the social security system (Instituto Nacional de Previsión). He was removed from the Ministry in 1957 according to the liberalizing shift that Franco wished for the Spanish economy (Stabilization Plan
Spanish miracle
The Spanish miracle was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain from 1959 to 1974. The international oil and stagflation crises of the 1970s ended the boom.- The pre-boom situation :...
). The previous year, Girón had decreed a salary increase that the Spanish economy could not afford.
Throughout Francoism, Girón was one of the leaders of Falange and he increasingly showed his dissent, according to the Falangist principles, to many policies of the regime. Notably, he was strongly opposed to opportunism. He yearned for the Falangist 'pending revolution', as Primo de Rivera's ideas just inspired a few policies but Francoism was not really an actual Falangist regime, but a consensus of rightist and authoritarian tendencies. After Franco's death, both he and 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...
were the natural leaders of the "Bunker" in the Francoist Parliament, and voted against the political reformation (1976) that allowed the transition to democracy.