Falange, autarquia i crisi. La vaga general de 1951 a Barcelona

The Tram Strike of 1951 was the largest protest held in the city of Barcelona from the Spanish Civil War until 1976. It represented a turning point in the Franco’s regime, so it contributed to a slow change in the forms of domination imposed under the dictatorship. The article examines the causes of the protest, emphasizing the internal rifts in Falange and between Falange and the civil governor, to explain the initial support of related fields to boycott the regime trams. While the first officers of the protest were students and some members of the Falange, the workers became increasingly involved. The infiltration of anti-Franco among them union representatives, but also from some dissident members of the Falange, help to understand the call for general strike on March 12, which had a wide following in the Barcelona area and impact in several Spanish cities. Among the consequences the strike were an extensive repression, relief of many public offices in Barcelona, changes in the relations between civil governor Falange and the questioning of autarkic economic policy, with the introduction of liberalization measures.