Why has the memory of the Spanish Civil War been so contentious?

A ‘why’ question at History AS or A-Level requires students to analyse the different short and long-term factors contributing to a certain historical event. First, it is important to identify three or four main factors which provide the basis for the essay. It is necessary to outline and explain each of these factors individually before coming to a conclusion as to which factor should be deemed most important, with evidence to back up the argument.

As for this specific essay question, I would approach the answer in the following way:

Introduction: succinct outline of the Spanish Civil War and identification of main factors:

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 saw the bloodshed between the Republican faction loyal to the democratic Second Spanish Republic and the conservative Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco. After the Nationalist victory in 1939 Franco became dictator of Spain until his death in 1975.

Factor 1:

1939-197: the triumph of Franco’s repression ensured the ideal context for Spaniards to agree to ‘forget’ the past – ‘pact of silence’:

Following the Nationalist victory in 1939, the Francoist dictatorship ruled over Spain for the next thirty-six years. The regime was therefore able to control and shape Spanish memory of the war in a way that best suited the regime. The voices of the victims were therefore denied.

Factor 2:

Denial of the past continued after Franco’s death in 1975:

This denial continued even after the end of Franco’s rule in 1975. Fearful of reviving memories of the past the Spanish people entered into what has been called the ‘Pact of Silence’ or ‘Pact of Forgetting’. This meant that the horrors of the war remained hidden and denied because of a national consensus that this was the best way for Spain to progress and move on from the conflict.

Factor 3:

Post-1975 democratic transition – outpouring of stories:

1975 was an opportunity to revive Republican memory of the conflict. However fear and prioritization of peace meant victims of the regime remained largely silenced. [Limitation of this factor]

Factor 4:

Political use of digging up the past – not just truth telling:

Since its formation in 2000, the ARMH (Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory) has played an important role in bringing about the re-evaluation of memory of the war. – Unearthing of mass graves and new questions about the past.

Conclusion:

To conclude, the years of repression under the Francoist regime between 1939 and 1975 ensured that a one-sided version of the Spanish Civil War was forged into Spanish memory. Time elapsed between the events and the outpouring of truth after Franco’s death in 1975 is the overarching factor which helps to explain why memory of the Spanish Civil War has been so contentious.