Raimundo Fernández-Cuesta
Encyclopedia
Raimundo Fernández-Cuesta y Merelo (1897, Madrid
– 9 July 1992, Madrid) was a leading Spanish
politician with both the Falange
and its successor movement the Spanish Traditionalist Phalanx of the Assemblies of National-Syndicalist Offensive.
An early member of the Falange, Fernández-Cuesta served in the early Burgos
-based government of Francisco Franco
, fulfilling the role Agriculture Minister as well as the leader of the grand political party that Franco had built up. His appointment as leader was largely intended to keep onside Falangists who feared the influence of both the Army and monarchism on Franco, although the role proved to have little power as real influence over Franco was instead to lie with Ramón Serrano Súñer
. Such was the influence of Súñer that, after the Spanish Civil War
was won, he engineered the effective exile of his rival Fernández-Cuesta, who was appointed Spanish ambassador to Brazil
. Alongside this, Fernández-Cuesta's reputation was damaged by his abject failure in the Agriculture portfolio, with Spain facing famine in the 1940s as a consequence of his mismanagement.
Fernández-Cuesta was effectively absent from the frontline of Spanish politics until 1945 when he was appointed Minister of Justice. As part of his remit he oversaw a liberalisation of Spain's treatment of dissidents designed to win the regime support from NATO, including announcing in December 1949 plans to release 13,000 political prisoners (although in fact only 3,000 were ultimately released under the scheme). He was moved in 1951 to the post of General Secretary of the Movement, and in this movement oversaw a return to much more draconian ways as unrest over rising unemployment repression under Fernández-Cuesta's direction. He lost this position in early 1956 after Franco came under pressure by leading figures in the Army to remove him following a riot at the University of Madrid
in which it was said that the Falangists the Frente de Juventudes had acted too heavy handedly in battling students seeking to organise their own syndicate outside of the official government body. His position was however filled by his ally José Luis de Arrese
as Franco continued to seek a balance between the different wings of his movement within the cabinet. Effectively sidelined, Fernández-Cuesta became loosely associated with extreme rightists such as General Iniesta Cano and Blas Piñar
.
After Franco's death he re-founded the Falange Española de las JONS, a nostalgic group that failed to make any headway in democratic Spain.
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...
– 9 July 1992, Madrid) was a leading 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...
politician with both the Falange
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....
and its successor movement the Spanish Traditionalist Phalanx of the Assemblies of National-Syndicalist Offensive.
An early member of the Falange, Fernández-Cuesta served in the early Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
-based government of 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...
, fulfilling the role Agriculture Minister as well as the leader of the grand political party that Franco had built up. His appointment as leader was largely intended to keep onside Falangists who feared the influence of both the Army and monarchism on Franco, although the role proved to have little power as real influence over Franco was instead to lie with Ramón Serrano Súñer
Ramón Serrano Súñer
Ramón Serrano Súñer , was a Spanish politician during the first stages of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, the Spanish State, between 1938 and 1942, when he held the posts of President of the Political Junta Política of Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS , and Interior and...
. Such was the influence of Súñer that, after 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...
was won, he engineered the effective exile of his rival Fernández-Cuesta, who was appointed Spanish ambassador to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Alongside this, Fernández-Cuesta's reputation was damaged by his abject failure in the Agriculture portfolio, with Spain facing famine in the 1940s as a consequence of his mismanagement.
Fernández-Cuesta was effectively absent from the frontline of Spanish politics until 1945 when he was appointed Minister of Justice. As part of his remit he oversaw a liberalisation of Spain's treatment of dissidents designed to win the regime support from NATO, including announcing in December 1949 plans to release 13,000 political prisoners (although in fact only 3,000 were ultimately released under the scheme). He was moved in 1951 to the post of General Secretary of the Movement, and in this movement oversaw a return to much more draconian ways as unrest over rising unemployment repression under Fernández-Cuesta's direction. He lost this position in early 1956 after Franco came under pressure by leading figures in the Army to remove him following a riot at the University of Madrid
University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a public university in Madrid, Spain, and one of the oldest universities in the world.The University of Madrid may also refer to:* The Autonomous University of Madrid, a public university founded in 1968...
in which it was said that the Falangists the Frente de Juventudes had acted too heavy handedly in battling students seeking to organise their own syndicate outside of the official government body. His position was however filled by his ally José Luis de Arrese
José Luis de Arrese
José Luis de Arrese y Marga was a leading Spanish politician with both the Falange and its successor movement the Spanish Traditionalist Phalanx of the Assemblies of National-Syndicalist Offensive.-Early career and Nazism:...
as Franco continued to seek a balance between the different wings of his movement within the cabinet. Effectively sidelined, Fernández-Cuesta became loosely associated with extreme rightists such as General Iniesta Cano 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...
.
After Franco's death he re-founded the Falange Española de las JONS, a nostalgic group that failed to make any headway in democratic Spain.