Primo de Rivera y Saenz de Heredia, José Antonio (1903–1936)

Spanish fascist. He was the founder and leader of the Falange party in 1933. A distinctive blend of poetry and thuggery characterized his speeches, with the latter quality more in evidence amongst his followers on the streets. No slavish follower of German or Italian nationalist models, he sought Spanish solutions for the problems facing Spain during the Second Republic. Jose Antonio (as he was universally known) was shot at Alicante in November 1936, having been found guilty of complicity in the rising against the Republic five months earlier.

He was born in Madrid, Spain, and was the son of Miguel Primo de Rivera, the dictator of Spain during the 1920s. His party, named after the Macedonian unit of battle responsible for the destruction of Greek democracy in the 4th century BC, remained numerically insignificant in comparison with the major parties. In 1959 his remains were transferred to the Valle de los Caídos, the memorial to the dead of the Civil War which had been completed in that year.