who was the dictator who ruled spain for 40 years
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde[note 1] (/ˈfræŋkoʊ/;[2] Spanish: [fɾanˈθisko ˈfɾaŋko βa.aˈmonde];[note 2] 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who ruled over Spain as a military dictator[3] from 1939, after the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War, until his death in 1975.[4] This period in Spanish history is commonly known as Francoist Spain.