De faro de la hispanidad a Centinela de Occidente. La España de Franco en América Latina entre la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la Guerra Fría

Abstract

During World War II Spain Franco dreamed of greening the magnificence of Hispanidad in Latin America and undermine the hegemony of the U.S. taking advantage of the new world order promised by the Axis powers. But when the war turned to worse for Germany and its allies and the Spanish regime was isolated and in danger, Latin America became for Franco a trench where to look for aid and allies to convince the United States to ease the pressure on Spain. Franco therefore set aside the rhetoric of leadership inherent in the Spanish myth of Hispanidad and called for growing defense of Christianity threatened by communism. The Cold War and the birth of an alliance of "Western and Christian" nations that brought together Catholic and Protestant enabled Franco to break the isolation. At a price, however, to separate himself from those, especially Perón, who believed in the possibility of bringing together the Latin and Catholic nations to form a third block independent from the two resulting from the war.