Rafael de la Cruz Franco Ojeda (October 22, 1896 – September 16, 1973) was a Paraguayan
military officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
on October 22, 1896, in the ''barrio'' of
Santísima Trinidad Santisima Trinidad (meaning ''Most Holy Trinity'' in Spanish) may refer to:
Places
* Santísima Trinidad (fort), a fortress that once existed on the Bio Bio River in Bio Bío province, Chile
* Santísima Trinidad (Asunción), a barrio (district) ...
.
He was the son of Federico Franco and Marcelina Ojeda. His father was a professor of mathematics at the School of Agronomy, founded by
Moisés Santiago Bertoni
Mosè Giacomo Bertoni (15 June 1857 – 19 September 1929), known in Spanish as Moisés Santiago Bertoni, was an Italian-speaking Swiss naturalist. He emigrated to South America in 1884 and lived in Paraguay from 1887 until he died in 1929.
Be ...
, and in 1940 she was transferred to
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Lorenzo, Santa Fe
* San Lorenzo Department, Chaco
* Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
.
He was married to Deidamia Solalinde and they had six children. After conducting his basic studies, Franco entered the Military College in 1915.
Military career
Franco's first assignment, with the rank of second lieutenant, was to Encarnación in the Department of Itapúa under the command of Colonel Pedro Mendoza. On May 9, 1921, Franco was promoted to first lieutenant in the infantry and, on August 13 of the same year he was appointed commander of the machine gun group, with its seat in
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
.
He was commander of Infantry Regiment No. 5 under General Eduvigis Diaz, based in Bahía Negra. On August 13, 1924, Franco was promoted to captain. On February 10, 1926, he was appointed commander of the company cadets of the Military College. He was assigned important tasks, such as training new cadres of officers or troops. In November 1926, he was appointed commander of Infantry Regiment No. 2, with a seat in Villa Hayes.
Franco was next assigned to the Paraguayan Chaco. In 1928, acting without orders, Major Franco led an attack that seized and destroyed a Bolivian fort in the Chaco that had been constructed inside Paraguayan territory. Franco was later removed from his command for this action. In August 1928, Franco was appointed commander of the Military Aviation School.
Promoted to colonel in 1933, Franco commanded the first division of the Paraguayan Third Corps in the Chaco War. Franco soon developed a tactic of using long-range patrols to explore weaknesses in the enemy lines. After finding gaps in the Bolivian defenses at Alihuatá, Franco launched a surprise attack on July 12, 1933, that quickly penetrated enemy defenses, forcing the Bolivian 4th Division into headlong retreat.
Franco later became the director of Paraguay's Military School At the end of the war, Franco participated in the Victory Parade as commander of the Second Corps, where the Asunción crowd received him in the streets with acclamation. In 1933, he was promoted to the rank of colonel; on his initiative, Fort Mariscal López and Fort Falcón were built. Later, he took the leadership of Infantry Regiment No. 5 under General Diaz, with its seat in Bahía Negra. He suffered a leg injury due to an accident in his last years at the Military College, when he fell from a horse in the basement of the Cabildo. His troops called him by the affectionate nickname of "Leon Carê."
Political career
Franco was a founder and historic leader of
Revolutionary Febrerista Party
The Revolutionary Febrerista Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Febrerista, PRF) is a democratic socialist party of Paraguay. It was established in 1951 by Rafael Franco, President of Paraguay from the February Revolution of 1936 until his over ...
, a full member of the Socialist International. He had come to occupy the command of the Second Corps and conquer Laura important for the Army in defining campaign in part of the Chaco war as Picuiba, Yrendagué and took Carandayty, Charagua and Ingavi.
Presidency
Franco was critical of President Eusebio Ayala during the aftermath of the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ and Colonel Franco returned to Paraguay as interim president. He would serve from February 17, 1936, to August 13, 1937.
Social policy
The Franco government introduced a number of labor reforms. It set the work day at 8 hours per day, made Sunday a mandatory day off, introduced the requirement that wage earners receive holidays, and limited the work week to 48 hours (35 hours for unhealthful workplaces). Wages were required to be paid in cash, rather than in vouchers or 'white money'. Other measures recognized workers' right to unionize and strike, as well as the rights of women workers. The government carried out Paraguay's first
agrarian reform Agrarian reform can refer either, narrowly, to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of agricultural land (see land reform) or, broadly, to an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which often includes land ...
(5 May 1936), distributing over 200,000 ha of land to 10,000 peasant families, and introduced a one-year freeze on the prices of rents and leases.
Certain measures increased the state's involvement in the economy. On 24 February 1936, the government created the Central Bank of the Republic of Paraguay, which took over the role of the Stock Exchange and also became the sole conduit for foreign trade. Rafael Franco proposed that the state should be involved in any oil exploration. His government also set a base price for certain key commodities such as cotton. In addition, the state merchant fleet was reorganized.
The Franco government provided access to Paraguay's first Japanese settlers, and also facilitated the return of Paraguayan prisoners of war from Bolivia.
Military policy
Franco undertook to restructure and modernize Paraguay's armed forces and sell weapons that had become worn-out or obsolete.
His government sought to acquire 60 Italian military aircraft in readiness for any threats from Paraguay's neighbours (including Bolivia) and in light of the serious developments then transpiring in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. Orders for these aircraft were later rejected by the liberal government that succeeded Rafael Franco's. As a result, only a small number of aircraft arrived. The original contract included:
* 20 FIAT C.R.32 c (only 5 were purchased)
* 4 FIAT C.R.30B (2 were purchased)
* 4 Breda Ba.25 (3 were purchased)
* 3-Bred Ba.25Idro for the Naval Aviation (only 1 was purchased)
* 21 Caproni AP-1 (7 were purchased)
* 5 Caproni AP-1Idro-for-Naval Aviation (none were purchased)
* 3 Caproni Ghibli (2 were purchased)
In addition, the government provided pensions to veterans and the war wounded, and delivered decorations and salaries to the regular army.
Maintained an adamant stance of not ceding any territory conquered by the Paraguayan army in the Chaco War.
Changes to national symbolism
Franco claimed the ideals of the Revolution Communards and the Independence Revolution.
Franco's government halted construction of the Oratory of Our Lady of the Assumption and established as the National Pantheon of Heroes. The government rehabilitated the 19th-century dictator
Francisco Solano López
Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor.
...
, overturning the decrees that had him an outlaw and declaring him instead an unexampled National Hero. An expedition was sent to recover López' remains from his unmarked grave in Cerro Corá, which were reinterred in the new Pantheon. The government also declared Adolfo Rojas Silva a National Hero; he was the first officer to fall in the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõpublic holiday
A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...
.
Reorganization of state institutions
The Franco government repealed the 1870 Constitution and parliament, and called for a National Constituent Assembly to draft a new and updated Great Charter.
The Franco government created two new ministries for Public Health and Agriculture, respectively. It also oversaw the creation of several other new agencies and bodies, including the National Association of the Indigenous, the National Labour Department, the national labour union federation (CNT), the National Women's Union, the Development and Labour Commission, the Civilian Mobilization Committee, the National Association of Ex-Combatants (UPV current Chaco) of which Franco was appointed as the first president, and the National Revolutionary Union.
The government issued a new series of banknotes of 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 heavy weights, and established a philatelic Section within the Directorate General of Post and Telegraph.
Improvements to the country's infrastructure included the first civilian airport, work on ports, and the foundation of several hospitals in the country's interior.
Rafael Franco created two political formations to support his agenda, the ''Liga Nacional Independiente'' (Independent National League) and the ''Unión Nacional Revolucionaria'' (Revolutionary National Union). Conversely, the right-wing
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
was forced underground.
Education policy
The Franco government abolished entrance exams for National Schools and repealed fees on primary- and secondary-school studies. It also established a School of Dentistry, Faculties of Economics and of Agricultural Sciences, and the School of Arts and Trades. It opened hundreds of schools and colleges, including rural schools and opportunities for adult education.
Cabinet
* Foreign Minister: Dr. Juan Stefanich
* Minister of the Interior: Dr. Freire Gomez Esteves and Germán Soler
* Minister of War and Navy: Juan Stefanich and Col. Arístides Rivas Ortellado
* Minister of Finance: Dr. Luis Freire Esteves, Alfredo J. Jacquet, Emilio Gardel
* Minister of Justice, Worship and Public Instruction: Anselmo Jover Peralta, Emilio Gardel, Crescencio Lezcano, Dr. Damian Bruyn
* Minister of Agriculture: Dr. Bernardino Caballero (grandson of Gen.
Bernardino Caballero
Juan Bernardino Caballero de Añasco y Melgarejo (20 May 1839, Ybycuí, Paraguay – 26 February 1912, Asunción) was a Paraguayan War veteran, the President of Paraguay from 1880 until 1886 and founder of the Colorado Party. He was the lea ...
), Guillermo Tell Bertoni
* Minister of Public Health: Dr. Pedro Duarte Ortellado
* Mayor of the City of Asunción: Dr. Felipe Molas López (February 2 to October 1936), Dr. Damian Bruyn (October 1936 to June 1937)
Overthrow and exile
In response to Franco's withdrawing Paraguayan troops from their advanced positions in the Chaco, right-wing sympathizers in the army staged a coup on 13 August 1937 which resulted in Franco's overthrow and led the LiberalFélix Paiva to assume the presidency. Franco fled to Uruguay. He would spend more than 20 years outside the country, only returning briefly to Paraguay in 1946 under an amnesty before fleeing again amidst accusations of conspiracy. From Uruguay, Franco supported a 1947 uprising against Morínigo but denied involvement in a 1956 plot against
Alfredo Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989.
Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with t ...
.
Later life
When he returned to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
, he performed various jobs to survive. At one point, he was a real-estate broker. He continued his moderate opposition to
Alfredo Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989.
Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with t ...
's government through the
Revolutionary Febrerista Party
The Revolutionary Febrerista Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Febrerista, PRF) is a democratic socialist party of Paraguay. It was established in 1951 by Rafael Franco, President of Paraguay from the February Revolution of 1936 until his over ...
, which was legalized in 1964.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An exp ...
(2005), ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p416.
His health had been deteriorating in his late 70s. In the last years of his life, he lived in a small room that was originally a garage located in the streets of Herrera. From there, he sometimes walked to a cafe that was located on the Avenue. There he met with old friends and comrades with whom he talked of politics and on military and social issues.
In September 1973, Franco entered the Hospital Americano because of his serious condition and did not come out alive. He was visited by Colonel Arturo Bray, with whom he maintained an enmity over 30 years. Colonel Rafael Franco died on September 16, 1973. One of the largest flower wreaths were sent by Arturo Bray. The inscription read: "To a great patriot."