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This thesis examines the unification of the Spanish Right during the Civil War (1936– 1939) and argues that Francisco Franco’s consolidation of power was achieved not only through military decree but also through cultural expression. The Spanish Right was not a single, unified entity at the start of the conflict. It consisted of distinct factions with separate programs and traditions: the military, which viewed itself as the arbiter of national order; the Carlists, who sought to restore monarchy and defend Catholic Spain; and the Falange, which aimed to nationalize the masses through a revolutionary vision of syndicalism and empire. Although these groups were unified by decree on April 19, 1937, their political autonomy was subordinated to Franco’s leadership.
This study emphasizes how cultural mediums, notably art, propaganda, speeches, mottos, and especially music helped bridge the ideological divides among the Nationalist coalition. By elevating factional anthems to the status of state hymns, Franco crafted the appearance of continuity while ensuring loyalty to his new single-party system. The military’s “Marcha Real,” the Carlist “Oriamendi,” the Falangist “Cara al Sol,” and the Legion’s “Canción del legionario” were preserved as symbolic remnants of factional identity, yet their performance within state rituals subordinated them to Franco’s authority. In plazas, churches, and barracks, these anthems reinforced discipline, aestheticized obedience, and transformed sacrifice into an expression of national rebirth.
In this way, Franco mirrored broader authoritarian practices of the twentieth century, where regimes used music and rituals to mobilize the masses and impose ideological unity. But Spain’s case was distinct: instead of replacing competing traditions with a new cultural program, Franco repurposed existing hymns to pacify factional resistance while draining their independent political meaning. This deliberate orchestration of “sonic subordination” reveals how the Nationalist coalition’s fragile diversity was subsumed into Francoism without being entirely erased.
Ultimately, this project argues that the Spanish Right’s unification was not simply the outcome of Franco’s military and political maneuvering but was also made possible through the manipulation of culture. By transforming factional symbols into instruments of obedience, Franco legitimized his rule and constructed the authoritarian state that governed Spain until 1975.