page_title: Manuel Fal Conde
section_title: Resurgence and demise
hierarchical_section_title: Manuel Fal Conde / Resurgence and demise
caption_attribution_description: Català: Portada de El Requete de Cataluña, no. 11 (jul. 1959)
context_page_description: Manuel Fal Conde, 1st Duke of Quintillo was a Spanish Catholic activist and a Carlist politician. He is recognized as a leading figure in the history of Carlism, serving as its political leader for over 20 years and heading the movement during one of its most turbulent periods. Initially he led the belligerent faction pressing anti-Republican insurgency; during the Spanish Civil War he joined the Nationalists; later on he championed anti-Francoist strategy.
context_section_description: In December 1945 Valencia and Pamplona were rocked by Carlist riots; some speculate that they were pre-planned as a revolt against Franco. Fal's presence is unsure; 3 weeks later he met Don Javier in San Sebastián; he also wrote to Don Juan, inviting him to recognize the regency. Soon Fal commenced visiting provincial party structures; the exercise climaxed in monthly tour across the North in September 1946. Considering re-organization complete, in 1947 he assembled 48 local jefes in Madrid, the first such meeting since Insua. The gathering re-established Carlist executive, Consejo Nacional. La única solución, a document released afterwards, confirmed non-collaborative stance versus Francoism, Juanismo and Carloctavismo. Addressing a massively attended Montserrat aplec of 1947 seemed to demonstrate that Carlism was getting back in shape.
  Leadership of Fal was coming under fire from two groups. The Sivattistas suspected that by supporting overdue regency Fal intended to ensure the crown for Borbón-Parmas by appeasing Franco. They were enraged by Fal's recommendation to support Ley de Sucesión in referendum, considering it unacceptable backing of the regime, and demanded that a new Carlist king is declared. On the other hand, the possibilists were getting tired of what they perceived as ineffective intransigency and lack of legal outposts, recommending more flexible attitude. Though in 1948 Consejo de la Tradicion confirmed non-collaborationist strategy, in 1949 some voices called for a more active stance, especially following news of Franco's negotiations with Don Juan.
  Fal's reaction was multifold. On the one hand, he fought back militant dissenters like Sivatte. On the other, he tried to address questions raised. Intending to broaden the party's room for maneuvering, he permitted individual Carlists to run in local elections, especially that in some provinces the movement effectively competed for power with Falange. In 1951 he launched a campaign to buy a national daily, Informaciones; the title later served as an unofficial Carlist tribune. Student and worker groupings, AET and MOT, recorded increased activity. Though in 1951 Fal tried to keep low profile of Don Javier's tour across Levante, all this changed in 1952: during Eucharistic Congress in Barcelona Don Javier claimed his rights as a king before having been promptly expulsed from Spain.
  As Don Javier soon backtracked on the so-called Acto de Barcelona and Franco's regime showed no signs of cracking, the non-collaborative policy of the Falcondistas was increasingly looking like a dead end street. The so-called "duros" advocated a decisive anti-Francoist course, the so-called "unionistas" opted for rapprochement towards the regime and possibly a dynastical accord with Alfonsinos, some in the party called for a "tercera vía" and many complained about Fal's "estilo autoritario". Fal himself has run out of steam; in his July 1955 letter to Franco he seemed settled for the perspective of mere survival of Carlism. Though he remained in perfect understanding with Don Javier and until that moment the terms "Falcondistas" and "Javieristas" were used interchangeably, also the Carlist king felt that Carlism needed a new leader. In August 1955 Fal resigned as Jefe Delegado.
caption: Don Javier as king on the cover of a Carlist periodical, 1950s
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