Government-in-exile of José Giral

The Government-in-exile of José Giral—also known by its supporters as el gobierno de la esperanza— was an executive branch created on 21 August 1945 by the institutions of the Second Spanish Republic in exile and headed by José Giral, the former prime minister during the first months of the Civil War. It tried to put up a united front before the United Nations and the international community with the aim of isolating General Francisco Franco's regime, as well as obtaining international recognition as the only legitimate government of Spain in order to reestablish the Republic.

It was regarded with hostility right from the beginning, from both the negrinista sector—supporters of Juan Negrín—and the one headed by Indalecio Prieto, although for different reasons. It also diverged clearly from the National Alliance of Democratic Forces (ANFD), which was made up of a major part of the underground opposition within Spain. While it was recognized by several states and managed to get the United Nations General Assembly to approve Resolution 39 (1) condemning Franco's government, it did not achieve broad support from the international community nor got the UN Security Council to approve a resolution to implement measures against Franco. Pressure from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) forced Giral to resign in January 1947.