There were atrocities on both sides and to be sure Franco's forces, particularly those colonial units from Morocco, did not always behave gallantly, however one must remember that what was being opposed here was nothing less than a Stalinist dictatorship and a republican victory could very well have reversed the entire outcome of the war against communist expansion in Europe. If Stalin had been able to gain an ally next door to France, soon to be devastated by World War II, it is not impossible to believe that all of Europe might have eventually fallen to the Soviet dictator. It was Franco who stopped this nightmare from becoming a reality. When the war ended on April 1, 1939 Franco was the undisputed master of Spain, an event many liberals cried about, but which probably saved all of the West from a disaster perhaps beyond imagination.
Due to the horrors his nation had suffered, Franco remained neutral throughout World War II though he did allow the formation of the Spanish "Blue Division" which fought alongside the Germans on the Russian front during World War II as a way to both aid in the war against communism (which he totally believed in) and to pay back Hitler for the aid he had provided to Spain. It was a position not unlike that of Finland whose leader, Marshal Mannerheim, was certainly not a bad man but who was forced to side with Hitler against Soviet aggression due to the indifference of the western democracies. Germany was, as the Finns said, "the only ally left to us". However, it is important to point out that Franco did not get along with Hitler at all and absolutely hated having to deal with the man. He refused Hitler's demand that he attack Gibraltar and later on in the war gave some vital aid to the Allied powers. It was only after the war that the West finally recognized the looming threat of Stalinism and began to see the truth in what Franco had been talking about for so long. The United States began to give economic aid to Franco, seeing that Spain would be a vital defense against Soviet expansion.
Within Spain itself, Franco instituted a policy of putting things back together. He restored to the Church all that the republic had taken from her, including her traditional position of honor in Spanish society. Franco championed traditional values, a strong military and a revival of Spanish pride. He was often called the strongest Spanish ruler since King Philip II, a comparison Franco no doubt would have appreciated. He was a dictator it cannot be denied, however he was not a revolutionary totalitarian like Hitler or Stalin who wanted to be the founding father of a new world order. Franco championed the great and powerful Spain of history and made it clear that his regime was simply an essential bridge to the future and not the future itself. The "State of Spain" would end with Franco and he took the steps of declaring himself "regent" of Spain, choosing the Bourbon Prince Juan Carlos as his heir and ensuring that after his death Spain would return once again to being a monarchy. I do think however, it is safe to say he did not envision Spain becoming the sort of monarchy it is today, but nevertheless he should be given credit for not trying to establish the sort of ego-driven "thousand year" regime that Hitler dreamed of leaving behind. As Franco saw it, Spain had fallen into catastrophe under the republic and his dictatorship was only to serve as the means of putting things back in order so that the traditional monarchy could be successfully restored. Ultimately, this is what happened, as after his death in 1975 Juan Carlos was sworn in as King of Spain.
If General Franco could see Spain today, I cannot help but think he would be disappointed at both how the country has developed as a constitutional monarchy and at the total lack of appreciation for what his regime spared the people. He was, in some ways, an unsavory character, but he was a military man, not a politician, who believed in destroying the enemy, in victory rather than compromise and duty before all else. Spain today may not be quite what he intended, but one need only look as far as the condition of Russia and the nations of Eastern Europe to see that Spain was extremely fortunate to have a man like Franco come to power when he did. If we look at what could have happened without him, Spain and the rest of the world would be extremely grateful to Francisco Franco and give him the proper credit he deserves as a true crusader against the forces of Soviet Communism.