José Luis Arrese | |
|---|---|
 Arrese circa 1939 | |
| Born | José Luis Arrese y Marga 15 April 1905 |
| Died | 6 April 1986 (1986-04-07) (aged 80) |
| Education | Doctorate in architecture |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Known for | Politician |
| Notable work | La Revolucion Social del Nacional Sindicalismo (1940) |
| Political party | FET y de las JONS |
José Luis Arrese y Marga (15 April 1905 – 6 April 1986) was a leadingSpanish politician with both theFalange and its successor movement theFET y de las JONS.
Arrese was born inBilbao to aBasque family which was noted for its support ofCarlism.[1] He went toMadrid in order to train as an architect, obtaining his doctorate in architecture in 1932.[1] As a student he was a member of the conservativeAsociación de Estudiantes Catolicos and was also a founder of theFederacion Espanola de Trabajadores, a workers organisation that focused onanti-communism.[1]
It is unclear when Arrese first joined the Falange as sources disagree.Philip Rees states that Arrese was a founder member of the group in 1933[1] but Wayne H. Bowen states that he did not become a member until 1936.[2] Either way however Arrese associated himself with thecamisa vieja tendency, a hardline faction made up of early members of the movement.[2]
At the outbreak of theSpanish Civil War Arrese found himself in the Republican zone and took refuge in the Embassy ofNorway before escaping to theNationalist section in 1937.[1] A close associate ofManuel Hedilla, he backed his ally in his quarrel withFrancisco Franco and as a consequence was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Francoist military tribunal. However his release was promptly arranged by GeneralGonzalo Queipo de Llano, a Francoist who nonetheless had a good relationship with Arrese.[1] He returned to some influence asjefe provincial ofMálaga in December 1937 and helped to ensure the development of low cost housing and efficient fuel provision in the region.[1] He was a strong supporter of thenational syndicalism that formed part of original Falangist ideology and published a book in 1940 entitledLa Revolucion Social del Nacional Sindicalismo.[1]
An enthusiastic supporter ofNazism, Arrese was one of the first to propose the creation of theBlue Division to support the Nazi war effort.[3] On 20 May 1941 in an attempt to appeal toAdolf Hitler, who was still enjoying much success inWorld War II at the time, Arrese was one of three extremists appointed to the cabinet byFrancisco Franco, in this case to the position of General Secretary of the Movement.[4] The appointment was a shrewd one by Franco as, although Arrese was identified with the Old Shirt tendency, he also had a strong personal loyalty toEl Caudillo.[2] Arrese retained his strong interest in Nazism and in January 1943 he made a visit toNazi Germany where he met withAdolf Hitler andJoachim von Ribbentrop and inspectedGerman aircraft and building projects. This was to be the last formal contact between Spain and Germany before the fall of Hitler.[5] Despite his enthusiasm for the Nazis Arrese did intimate to Hitler that he felt there was a wide gap between the two ideologically as Arrese was a lifelong devout member of theRoman Catholic Church.[1] On 20 July 1945 Arrese was removed from his position, his appointment no longer politically expedient, and indeed the role was left symbolically vacant in an attempt to disassociateFrancoist Spain fromfascism.[6]
He enjoyed a return of sorts in 1956 when Franco dismissedRaimundo Fernández-Cuesta as the leader of the paramilitaryBlue Shirts, although in truth the role had lost much of its importance as both the Army and the Monarchists had grown in power at the expense of the traditional Falangists.[7] In attempt to regain control for the Falangists he approached Franco the following year with a new draft constitution that would enshrinetotalitarianism in Spain and threatened to resign if it was denied. Franco however rejected the move, endorsing a much more pro-monarchy document and, in a cabinet reshuffle, handing Arrese the humiliation of the very minor portfolio ofMinister of Housing.[8]His aim was to create a class ofhome owners, leaving renting and delayed owning as an exception.[9]By 1960 Arrese had disappeared from any governmental role.[10]
Disillusioned by the development of post-war Spain he made a speech in 1958 on the anniversary of the death ofJosé Antonio Primo de Rivera in which he stated "you [Primo de Rivera] cannot be satisfied with this mediocre, sensual life".[1] He left his role as Minister of Housing in 1960 after being refused an increase in departmental social housing budget.[1] He retired from public life, eventually settling inCorella where he died in 1986.[1]
No queremos, y lo consideramos un mal, aunque a veces sea un mal necesario, que la construcción derive de un modo colectivo hacia el arrendamiento, ni siquiera hacia el acceso a la propiedad, cuando los plazos son tan lejanos que destruyan el aliciente. El arrendamiento urbano o el acceso a muy largo plazo puede ser una fórmula obligada a determinadas situaciones de tránsito o de indigencia; y, como tal, una fórmula que ha de seguir practicando el Ministerio; pero la fórmula ideal, la cristiana, la revolucionaria desde el punto de vista de nuestra propia revolución, es la fórmula estable y armoniosa de la propiedad,
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the Movement 1941-1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the Movement 1956-1957 | Succeeded by |
