Word: bunkerisms
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Spanish governing elite is deeply divided between the party of the "bunker" and the party of the "aperture", opponents and proponents of liberal change. The men of the bunker, so named by analogy to Hitler's die-hard supporters in 1945, oppose any reform and hope to preserve the Franco state intact as long as possible, including its secret police and political arrests. These men represent Franco's family, civil war generals, high state officials, and a host of para-military groups like the Falange and the Guerillas of Christ the King. The bunker deeply distrusts Juan Carlos...
...party of the aperture, monarchists who want Juan Carlos to enact democratic reforms, minimize the influence of the bunker despite its demonstrated ability to accelerate repression in recent months. These "moderates" are members of the Cortes and the National Movement, Spain's only legal political party, as well as high bureaucrats, corporate executives, and former ministers and ambassadors. They have organized political groups like the FEDISA (Federation of Independent Study Groups) and Tacito, which publish manifestos in the Catholic press and hope to direct post-Franco Spain...
...extreme repression, an opening of the political system to all parties except the Communists, and the replacement of the current government with "new men." The "moderates" hope to install politicians like the former Francoist ministers of information Manuel Fraga Iribarne and Pio Cabanillas, who are too liberal for the bunker but are "gut fascists" nevertheless. The "moderates" want to integrate Spain into western Europe, stripping the nation of the political forms which provoke internal rebellion and keep Spain out of the Common Market, but not allowing any social change...
...SENSE, the "moderates" want the same thing as the bunker: both groups seek to insure a stable Spain after Franco by different means. The two factions are caught on opposite sides of a double-bind. The bunker wants to maintain discipline through immediate repression, but risks arousing opposition strong enough to topple the Franco state. The aperture prefers opening the system to certain political groups, while excluding others. In this way, they hope to limit democratic impulses, but may precipitate a powerful shift leftwards once any opposition is legalized. Each faction sees the dangers in the other's plans...
...both bigger and better looking, but though O'Brien speaks and moves smoothly, he doesn't have the physical presence to do justice to the part. In contrast, Tony Horowitz as Norman and Diane Sherlock as Shelley are marvelously convincing caricatures. Ethan Dmitrovsky plays Willis the landlord Archie Bunker-style; his dream monologue is the most haunting moment of the play...