 During the start of the Cold War, Franco lifted Spain out of its mid-19th century economic depression through technocratic and economically liberal policies, presiding over a period of rampant growth known as the "Spanish miracle".At the same time, his regime transitioned from being totalitarian to authoritarian with limited pluralism and became a leader in the anti-Communist movement, garnering support from the West, particularly the United States.The dictatorship softened and Luis Carrero Blanco became Franco's "éminence grise", whose role expanded after Franco struggled with Parkinson's disease in the 1960s.