Spanish overseas territories to this day

What would happen if in the Franco era Spain decided to maintain its colonies in Africa, giving them the status of an overseas province, similar to that of French Guiana and New Caledonia. Their inhabitants would become full-fledged citizens of Spain. Would they accept the political status of their countries? How would the economy of Spanish Guinea or Rio de Oro look today?
 
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What would happen if in the Franco era Spain decided to maintain its colonies in Africa, giving them the status of an overseas province, similar to that of French Guiana and New Caledonia. Their inhabitants would become full-fledged citizens of Spain. Would they accept the political status of their countries? How would the economy of Spanish Guinea or Rio de Oro look today?

Decolonization was the order of the day during the mid and late Franco period, so they'd have a massive uphill battle selling this to the international community. This is especially true on mainland Africa, where you have native majorities. How they get past that vastly affects how the territories turn out
 
Decolonization was the order of the day during the mid and late Franco period, so they'd have a massive uphill battle selling this to the international community.
If they give them citizenship. They won't have a problem with the international community.

This is especially true on mainland Africa, where you have native majorities. How they get past that vastly affects how the territories turn out
The population for Spain's African holdings was small
 
If they give them citizenship. They won't have a problem with the international community.


The population for Spain's African holdings was small

And how many want citizenship in Franco's dictatorship? Very few, I would hazard to say, and they'd make their sentiments known. The populations of the region aren't exactly clamouring to stay part of Spain, and both the US and USSR are going to be more sympathetic to them than Franco handing them an unwanted gift.

Anyways, I CAN say the Western Sahara is still a giant sandbox for all intents and purposes. Very marginal terrain, not alot of natural resources; Spain is hardly going to be dumping money or men into it, and you'd see a similar (if not much greater) level of Sahwari insurgency as you do IOTL. If anything, the lack of investment means even less development and great nomadization of the population.
 
Anyways, I CAN say the Western Sahara is still a giant sandbox for all intents and purposes. Very marginal terrain, not alot of natural resources; Spain is hardly going to be dumping money or men into it, and you'd see a similar (if not much greater) level of Sahwari insurgency as you do IOTL. If anything, the lack of investment means even less development and great nomadization of the population.
That might be the case for Western Sahara but for Equatorial Guinea, The population was passive following campaigns in the 1920s. Come the finding of oil means any developmental differences with the Spain proper is greatly reduced.
 
Based on my understanding of what happened to Equatorial Guinea after independence, being part of Spain with full citizenship would have been a lot better.

"On 7 May 1971, Macías Nguema issued Decree 415, which repealed parts of the 1968 Constitution and granted him "all direct powers of Government and Institutions", including powers formerly held by the legislative and judiciary branches, as well as the cabinet of ministers. On 18 October 1971, Law 1 imposed the death penalty as punishment for threatening the President or the government. Insulting or offending the President or his cabinet was punishable by 30 years in prison. On 14 July 1972, a presidential decree merged all existing political parties into the United National Party (later the United National Workers' Party), with Macías Nguema as President for Life of both nation and party. In a plebiscite held on 29 July 1973, the 1968 Constitution was replaced with a new document that gave Macías Nguema absolute power and formally made his party the only one legally permitted.

Macías Nguema declared private education subversive, and banned it entirely with Decree 6 on 18 March 1975.[4]

During his presidency, his country was nicknamed "the Dachau of Africa".[5] He was known to order entire families and villages executed.

Three important pillars of his rule were the United National Workers' Party, the Juventud en Marcha con Macías militia/youth group, and the Esangui clan of Río Muni. The country's instruments of repression (military, presidential bodyguard) were entirely controlled by Macías Nguema's relatives and clan members. The president's paranoid actions included mandating the death of those who wore spectacles,[6] banning use of the word "intellectual" and destroying boats to stop his people fleeing from his rule[2] (fishing was banned).[7] The only road out of the country on the mainland was also mined.[8] He Africanised his name to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong in 1976 after demanding that the rest of the Equatoguinean population replace their Hispanic names with African names. He also banned Western medicines, stating that they were un-African.[8]"
 
Based on my understanding of what happened to Equatorial Guinea after independence, being part of Spain with full citizenship would have been a lot better.

"On 7 May 1971, Macías Nguema issued Decree 415, which repealed parts of the 1968 Constitution and granted him "all direct powers of Government and Institutions", including powers formerly held by the legislative and judiciary branches, as well as the cabinet of ministers. On 18 October 1971, Law 1 imposed the death penalty as punishment for threatening the President or the government. Insulting or offending the President or his cabinet was punishable by 30 years in prison. On 14 July 1972, a presidential decree merged all existing political parties into the United National Party (later the United National Workers' Party), with Macías Nguema as President for Life of both nation and party. In a plebiscite held on 29 July 1973, the 1968 Constitution was replaced with a new document that gave Macías Nguema absolute power and formally made his party the only one legally permitted.

Macías Nguema declared private education subversive, and banned it entirely with Decree 6 on 18 March 1975.[4]

During his presidency, his country was nicknamed "the Dachau of Africa".[5] He was known to order entire families and villages executed.

Three important pillars of his rule were the United National Workers' Party, the Juventud en Marcha con Macías militia/youth group, and the Esangui clan of Río Muni. The country's instruments of repression (military, presidential bodyguard) were entirely controlled by Macías Nguema's relatives and clan members. The president's paranoid actions included mandating the death of those who wore spectacles,[6] banning use of the word "intellectual" and destroying boats to stop his people fleeing from his rule[2] (fishing was banned).[7] The only road out of the country on the mainland was also mined.[8] He Africanised his name to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong in 1976 after demanding that the rest of the Equatoguinean population replace their Hispanic names with African names. He also banned Western medicines, stating that they were un-African.[8]"

Well he sounds like a Georgia peacho_Oo_O
 
And how many want citizenship in Franco's dictatorship? Very few, I would hazard to say, and they'd make their sentiments known. The populations of the region aren't exactly clamouring to stay part of Spain, and both the US and USSR are going to be more sympathetic to them than Franco handing them an unwanted gift.

Anyways, I CAN say the Western Sahara is still a giant sandbox for all intents and purposes. Very marginal terrain, not alot of natural resources; Spain is hardly going to be dumping money or men into it, and you'd see a similar (if not much greater) level of Sahwari insurgency as you do IOTL. If anything, the lack of investment means even less development and great nomadization of the population.
US Soviets might actually agree on this one. Both nations are still hungover from their anti-Fascist victory in World War II to support any Fascist government continuing to colonize Africa.
 
And how many want citizenship in Franco's dictatorship? Very few, I would hazard to say, and they'd make their sentiments known.
I think that the vast majority of colonies would like to have Spanish citizenship. Spain in the late years of Franco's rule developed rapidly and the level of life there was many times higher than in Guinea and the Sahara. With Spanish citizenship, the inhabitants of Guinea and Sahara could freely settle in Spain and work there.
The populations of the region aren't exactly clamouring to stay part of Spain, and both the US and USSR are going to be more sympathetic to them than Franco handing them an unwanted gift.
The US and the USSR can not force Spain to do anything. Portugal maintained its colonies until the Carnation Revolution, even though anti-colonial rebellions continued there.
Based on my understanding of what happened to Equatorial Guinea after independence, being part of Spain with full citizenship would have been a lot better.
For Africa, after decolonization, a fairly typical phenomenon was the rule of cleptocratic or mad dictators. Equatorial Guinea is today the richest country in Africa, according to the GDP per capita index:

Africa-Per-Capita-GDP-map-768x694.png


However, almost all income from oil deposits is captured by the current president and his family. Most of the population lives on similar poverty as the inhabitants of other countries in the region.
 
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