Straperlo facts for kids
Straperlo was a scheme which originated in the Netherlands in the 1930s and was then introduced in Spain. In essence it was a fraudulent roulette which could be controlled electrically with the push of a button. The ensuing scandal was one of the several causes of the fall of the Republican government and the polarization of the parliament, which finally led to the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).
Contents
Name
The name had its origin in the names of the Dutch partners, one of whom was Daniel Strauss, but sources differ on the exact name or names of the others. Some sources say that there was just one other, called Jules Perel. Others state that there was a third female partner, Lowann, the wife of Strauss, but Paul Preston holds Perlowitz as the second partner. According to other sources, the name was in reference to the roulette machines (extra pearl).
Consequences
The reaction of the parties in the opposition caused the fall of Lerroux and his Radical Republican Party government. The new elections were won by the Popular Front and supported by the Communist Party of Spain, amid great instability, while the Radical Republicans collapsed. TheIelection t ultimately resulted in the coup d'état promulgated by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists in July 1936.
Usage
After the scandal, especially after the Spanish Civil War, the word was incorporated as "estraperlo" into the Spanish language with the meaning of any scheme which is illegal or corrupt, particularly the black market.
See also
In Spanish: Estraperlo para niños
- History of Spain
- Stavisky Affair, a 1934 scandal centered in Bayonne that shook the French republic.
Sources
- José Carlos García Rodríguez El Caso Strauss. El escándalo que precipitó el final de la II República Editorial Akrón, Astorga (León), 2008 ISBN: 978-84-936725-0-8.
- Marc Fontbona, El estraperlo, una ruleta política, "La Aventura de la historia" (Madrid), núm. 120 (Octubre 2008), 36-40.
