For a moment last week, Franco's steely hand fumbled. In Madrid, civilian crowds battled police, defied the Falange, burned copies of the newspaper Arriba in the streets. It was the biggest mass defiance of Franco's police in the 15 years of his regime.
It all began quietly enough when the Falange organized a "spontaneous" demonstration of Madrid students to protest Queen Elizabeth's planned visit to Gibraltar (TIME, Feb.1). Classes were dismissed, flags passed out, and thousands of students set off happily for the British embassy shouting "Death to Queen Elizabeth," and "Britain, get out of here." On their way, they...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
