In December 1934, O'Duffy attended the Montreux Fascist conference in Switzerland. He then founded the National Corporate Party, and later raised an Irish Brigade that took General Francisco Franco's side in the Spanish Civil War, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Fine Gael was brought back under the leadership of WT Cosgrove who had previously lead Cumann na nGaedhael. Now acting as Deputy Leader was James Dillon, formerly of the National Centre Party, who helped reinforce pro-democratic views into the party. Dillion was a staunch defender of liberal democracy who in later years denounced Nazism as ""the devil himself with twentieth-century efficiency"". He resigned from Fine Gael in 1942 due to his belief that Ireland should break neutrality and join the Allies to fight against Hitler. He later rejoined the party and became its leader after Richard Mulcahy.