Symbols of Francoism right and extreme left, often degenerating into violence. On the right, the traditionalist Carlist movement revived. In 1933, the aristocratic José Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of the former dictator, founded the far-right Falange movement, similar to the Italian Fascists. In February 1934 the Falange merged with the "Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista" (J.O.N.S), another right-wing group. Left-wing trade unions staged industry-wide or citywide strikes, and in Catalonia Marxist and Anarchist groups competed for power. Landless laborers seized land, occupied estates and burned churches. At a time of political crisis, on 17 July 1936, General Francisco Franco led the Spanish colonial
Fernando Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja Melilla, commanding the 2nd Taxdirt hunters squadron. He received a commendation for the Cross of Military Merit for his actions in battle. In the same year, after taking the village of Ulad Garen, he was promoted to Commander and awarded the Cross of María Cristina. Like his brother Miguel, Fernando criticised the Spanish intervention in Morocco. In 1920, by then lieutenant colonel, he was sent to the Cavalry Hunter Regiment of Alcántara nº14 as second commander. It was then that the so-called Disaster of Annual occurred. On 22 July 1921, Primo de Rivera had deployed the regiment’s four sabre squadrons