# Autarky and isolation (1939–1959)

URL: https://allhistories.com/spain/timeline/1940-autarky-and-isolation
Themes: main-event

The early Franco regime pursued economic self-sufficiency (autarky) amid international isolation, poverty and repression, the 'years of hunger'. Spain stayed formally out of the Second World War but was ostracised afterwards. Agreements with the United States and the Vatican in 1953 gradually eased its isolation. Within the broader Francoist period, Franco ruled as dictator, moving from repression, isolation and autarky to rapid economic growth and cautious opening while denying political freedoms. This event is placed at 1939–1959 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it.

## Why it matters
Spain joined the United Nations in 1955, but economic stagnation continued until the end of the decade.

Who Was in Power: [Francisco Franco](https://allhistories.com/spain/rulers/francisco-franco)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Francoist Spain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francoist_Spain)
- [Wikipedia — Autarky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autarky)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Autarky and isolation](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Autarky+and+isolation)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Spanish history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Spanish_history)