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The 1st Marquess of Arias Navarro | |
|---|---|
 Arias Navarro in 1975 | |
| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 31 December 1973 – 1 July 1976 | |
| Monarch | Juan Carlos I (from 22 November 1975) |
| Leader | Francisco Franco (1973–1975) |
| Deputy | José García Hernández (acting) Fernando de Santiago y Díaz (1975–1976) |
| Preceded by | Torcuato Fernández-Miranda |
| Succeeded by | Adolfo Suárez |
| Minister of Governance of Spain | |
| In office 12 June 1973 – 31 December 1973 | |
| Prime Minister | Luis Carrero Blanco Torcuato Fernández-Miranda (acting) |
| Preceded by | Tomás Garicano Goñi |
| Succeeded by | José García Hernández |
| Mayor of Madrid | |
| In office 5 February 1965 – 12 June 1973 | |
| Preceded by | José Finat y Escrivá de Romaní |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Ángel García-Lomas |
| Director General of State Security | |
| In office 25 June 1957 – 5 February 1965 | |
| President | Francisco Franco |
| Preceded by | Rafael Hierro Martínez |
| Succeeded by | Mariano Tortosa Sobejano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carlos Arias Navarro (1908-12-11)11 December 1908 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 27 November 1989(1989-11-27) (aged 80) Madrid, Spain |
| Resting place | Mingorrubio Cemetery |
| Political party | FET y de las JONS (1936–1977) Popular Alliance (1977–1989) People's Party (1989) |
| Spouse | María de la Luz del Valle y Menéndez |
| Signature |  |
Carlos Arias Navarro, 1st Marquess of Arias Navarro (11 December 1908 – 27 November 1989), was thePrime Minister of Spain during the final years of theFrancoist dictatorship and the beginning of theSpanish transition to democracy.[1]
Arias Navarro was a hardline politician and was involved in theWhite Terror, having signed thousands of death warrants during the dismantling of theSpanish Republic. Later, he was a more moderate leader during his premiership.[2]
Arias Navarro was born inMadrid on 11 December 1908. He served in the Ministry of Justice since 1929 asattorney inMálaga andMadrid.
Arias was close to the right-wing sectors and joined the Francoist side during theSpanish Civil War. He was public prosecutor in the trials set up by the Francoists in Málaga[3] after theconquest of the city. There, he earned the nickname the "Butcher of Málaga" (Carnicero de Málaga)[4] for his role in the imposition of capital punishment to true or perceived sympathizers of the Republicans,[5] In one of the harshest repressions following the Francoist victory, an estimated total of 17,000 people were summarily executed.[6][7][8]
He married María de la Luz del Valle y Menéndez, without issue.[9]
After serving in various positions, includingMayor of Madrid from 1965 to June 1973, Arias became Minister of Government (Minister of the Interior) in June 1973. After the assassination of Prime Minister (Presidente del Gobierno)Luis Carrero Blanco he was appointed his successor on 31 December 1973, a position he continued to hold after the death of Franco. Arias Navarro had the support of the Franco family, most notablyCarmen Polo, and retained the post during thetransition to democracy. However, thegarroting of theCatalan anarchistSalvador Puig Antich in March 1974 had already shown his aversion to political liberalization, while other events, including the executions in September 1974, the organization of theGreen March in November 1975 byKing Hassan II of Morocco, and the illness and death of Franco (which Arias announced on television), displayed his weaknesses and further eroded his authority.
Franco's successor as head of state,King Juan Carlos I, continued his appointment, so that it was his government (which includedManuel Fraga Iribarne andJosé María de Areilza) that instituted the first reforms, however unwillingly. He tried to continue Franco's late policies, opposing any change. After a lengthy power struggle, Juan Carlos forced his resignation on 1 July 1976.
The next day, the King granted him the hereditary title ofMarqués de Arias Navarro (English: Marquess of Arias Navarro), together with the dignityGrande de España (English: Grandee of Spain). On his death, the title of Marquess was inherited by his nephew Miguel Ángel Arias-Navarro.
Arias was succeeded byAdolfo Suárez, named general secretary of the Francoist official partyMovimiento Nacional in December 1975. In June 1977, during the first freegeneral elections held since 1936, Arias joined theAlianza Popular, a right-wing party created by Manuel Fraga. He then led theBúnker group of hard-liners opposed to any reforms, along with the leader of the Francoist partyFuerza Nueva,Blas Piñar. Arias, however, never again occupied a relevant position in the later Spanish government.
Both left and extreme right attacked him, calling him by the nickname "The OldPusillanimous".
In his first democratic election his party joined thePopular Alliance (AP), led byManuel Fraga, running as a senate candidate forMadrid, but he was not elected. The 1st Marquess of Arias Navarro died on 27 November 1989 at 80 years of age from aninfarction,[10] and was buried atMingorrubio Cemetery inEl Pardo.[11] His wife died in 1997.
According to the Spanish dailyEl País,[12] files released by the USNational Archives and Records Administration show that, following the left-wingCarnation Revolution inPortugal on 25 April 1974, Arias met with theUnited States Deputy Secretary of StateRobert S. Ingersoll in March 1975 and offered to invade Portugal in order to stop the spread ofcommunism. The report Ingersoll forwarded to the then-Secretary of State,Henry Kissinger, on 18 March, stated that "appropriate steps" were being taken to ensure that "the events in Portugal did not cross the border into Spain."
Ingersoll went on to add that Spain wanted Washington to support Spain in the event of war, precisely at a time when the US was renegotiating the status of its military bases, and Arias wanted Washington to support Spain's future membership ofNATO.
Media related toCarlos Arias Navarro at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Madrid 1965–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Government 1973–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Torcuato Fernández-Miranda (acting) | Prime Minister of Spain 1973–1976 | Succeeded by Fernando de Santiago y Díaz (acting) |
| Spanish nobility | ||
| New title | Marquess of Arias Navarro 1976–1989 | Miguel Ángel Arias-Navarro y Villegas |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
