Paul Preston discusses how paranoia and conspiracy theories roused General Franco and his supporters into a military rebellion against the Spanish Republic
What are the consequences when conspiracy theories, lies, and paranoia are combined with military might? Speaking with Danny Bird, Paul Preston discusses how General Franco and six other men staged an uprising in July 1936, inspired by hatred for the Spanish Republic’s social and economic reforms, and a delusional belief that a sweeping conspiracy threatened to destroy Spain’s Catholic identity.
Paul Preston is the author of Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco’s Spain (HarperCollins, 2023)