[From "I am José María Gárate Córdoba, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Captain of the Spanish FFAA, military historian, and author, AMA." - Córdoba used the handle "Tiwazdom"]

@Terex80

@Tiwazdom

@Terex80

Well I suppose I'll start with something rather simple. Did you enjoy your time in the civil war fighting?

(Chuckle) Perhaps enjoy is not the right word, it was a very bloody war. I enjoyed it in that I was fighting for a worthy cause and I enjoyed the feeling of brotherhood, of unity, of victory. Still, I saw many good people give their lives in the war, and I myself had my share of struggle, both of which of course are not pleasant. It's the struggle that has to be made though. I am grateful for it, because it turned me into a man, in a sense.

Thanks for the answer! What do you think of spain becoming a democracy on the death of Franco?

From Tiwazdom:

I don't like it at all, I consider myself opposed to the Liberal concept of democracy, especially the aspect of political parties. People should participate in their government, but that participation should not come in the form of casting votes and taking on internal identities rather than a singular Spanish identity.

[Later]

@Nordicist1

What's your opinion of National Socialism and the third reich?

From Tiwazdom:

I sympathize with National Socialism quite a bit, especially their record of support for the Nationalists. One thing I am opposed to is that I think Hitler pushed too hard when it came to World War II, he bit off more than he could chew and he made it too easy to provoke the Allies to war. I also think he buried himself into a hole, he drove the national debt sky high. He should have opted for a somewhat slower, but more effective economic recovery.

[Later]

@ICameHereToRead

I considered myself to be a falangist before I fully accepted fascism. Isn't falangism just a type of fascism? Yes it is, but I considered it to be a more conservative form of fascism, as something that could really conserve traditional value instead of just slowing down liberalism (which is what conservatism usually does) and which would be more effective, but which would be less revolutionary and more cautious than fascism. I saw this as pretty much what the ideology of Spain under Franco and of similar movements like the Kataeb party was. Back then I was of course often confronted with the other kind of falangists who insisted that I should call myself something else, that Franco only stole the name when he united all the nationalists in a single front, and that the real falangism is that of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the earlier accounts of the ideology which are a lot more closer to that of fascist Italy. It is not unexpected to see this argument pop up whenever somebody asks what falangism is. The division even exists with the political parties, there is the Falange Española de las JONS and then there is the Authentic Falange.

What do you think of this division within the falangist movement? How much do you admire Franco and what could you criticize him for? And I know falangists have bigger problems to worry about and should unite, but who do you think is right? Is falangism a more conservative form of fascism adapted to fit the Spanish people, or is it a form of fascism originating in Spain period?

From Tiwazdom:

I think that is a distinction that should be made between Falangism and Francoism. The latter is what the Falange was diluted into after the war. I admire Franco for his attempts to unite Spain under one banner and prevent any infighting, but I would have much preferred undiluted Falangism. Franco rejected National Syndicalism and support Capitalism which I think is the biggest criticism I have.

[Later]

@rammingparu3

Hello Señor Córdoba.

What are your thoughts on General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet and his physical removal of communist scum?

Thanks

From Tiwazdom:

I very much admire Pinochet for how he protected Chile from Marxism and kept Chile stable and united. I would have preferred if he was a National Syndicalist, but I think he did a good thing for Chile and prevented it from falling to Communism. From what I hear, Communism is becoming a threat in Chile in these times.

[Later]

@TheForgottenKaiser

It's know that war crimes were commited particularly by the Nationalist army. What would your opinion be on those actions and did you witness anything personally?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Spain)?wprov=sfsi1

Also what would you do about regional languages such as Catalan and Basque.

From Tiwazdom:

Yes, there were certainly mass killings committed by the Nationalists. There were also many such war crimes committed by the Republicans. I feel that it is a very sad, but necessary part of war. Spain could not continue along the path it was taking, there had to be something better.

I think that regional languages should be discouraged, I advocate for a united Spain, as much as possible.

[Later]

@[deleted]

Did you kill any men, or did you only kill communists?

From TiwazdomC:

(Laugh) I only killed Communists.