Utilizing hundreds of confidential documents from authorities in the Franco government, <i>Fear and Progress: Ordinary Lives in Franco's Spain, 1939-1975</i> recounts the experiences of Spanish citizens who lived during the 40-year Franco dictatorship. <ul type="disc"><li>Rejects traditional explanations of the length of Franco's power and the dictator's legacy<li>Utilizes hundreds of confidential documents from authorities in the Franco government<li>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<li>Reveals the Franco government's social callousness and manipulation of events</ul>