Una unidad militar en los orígenes del fascismo en España: la Legión

Abstract

This article reflects on the convergence of interests between the officers of a new military unit, the Legion, and political and economic interest groups, in the context of the military defeat at Annual in the summer of 1921. The particular characteristics of this infantry assault unit (combat methods and legionary mystique) moved a sector of the authoritarian right (maurismo), dazzled by the conquest of power by Fascism and the way in which it had crushed the left-wing organizations in Italy, to idealize the Legion and its commanders, Millan Astray and Franco. This unit was represented as the necessary means to bring the Moroccan campaign to a successful conclusion and to proceed with the economic exploitation of the territory. The Legion was also proffered as a model (a battle-hardened, death-worshiping unit) for the civil militias, with which they aimed to gain control of the streets and to force the government, given the passivity of the army, to become more authoritarian.