Franco and Hitler: relations between two dictators in 1936-1943

The article deals with personal and political relations of Franco and Hitler during the Spanish Civil War and the World War II. Based on the analysis of German and Spanish diplomatic documents the author considers geopolitical, propagandistic, military, and economic motives of Germany's intervention in the Spanish conflict. The paper analyzes the dynamics of the relations’ development between the two dictators in 1936-1943. The author proves certain independence of Franco’s foreign policy, which allowed Spain to avoid being drawn in the World War II following Germany.