Utilizing hundreds of confidential documents from authorities in the Franco government, Fear and Progress: Ordinary Lives in Franco's Spain, 1939-1975 recounts the experiences of Spanish citizens who lived during the 40-year Franco dictatorship.

Rejects traditional explanations of the length of Franco's power and the dictator's legacy
Utilizes hundreds of confidential documents from authorities in the Franco government
Provides insights into life during the Franco era: how political violence and repression were experienced; how the dictatorship exploited illusions of peace and prosperity for its own benefit; and how the regime's legacy was manipulated
Reveals the Franco government's social callousness and manipulation of events