El Debate de la Memoria
"En España un muerto está más vivo que cualquier otro sitio en el mundo: hiere su perfil como el filo de una navaja barbera"- Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)
Lesson 1: A Controversial Law
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On December 27, 2007, the Spanish government approved the Historical Memory Law. Spaniards, especially victims from the defeated side, had been waiting for this law for many years to finally get justice. However, the high expectations that they had for this law were brought down because the government did not recognize and accept the shady past of the Civil War and Francoism. Despite the fact that the law did expand the victims' rights, the disappointment was so evident that it captured the media's attention and some people even thought that this law was created to be forgotten. The law was criticized and rejected by academia, as well as by society itself. In this lesson we will have the opportunity to analyze how the contradictions and the absence of justice in this law made it so controversial.
Thinking Ahead Questions: How did the Amnesty Law, approved in 1977, have a direct effect on the creation of the Historical Memory Law and the recovery of Spain's collective memory? How important is the reconciliation rhetoric employed in this legal document? Is there something positive latent in this law? What is it? |
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Lesson 2: El Valle de los CaídosThe Valley of the Fallen is a mausoleum that is located in the town of Sierra Guardarrama, near Madrid. After the first military parade on April 1st, 1940, Franco shared his desire to build a place to honor the fallen of the Civil War. The monument was finally completed 19 years later in 1959. Political prisoners worked on the construction of The Valley of the Fallen as a way to obtain political forgiveness. Many of them were able to obtain the promised "freedom", but many others died due to the inhumane conditions they had endured as a workforce. The debate about the monument began as with the other historical issues, with Franco's death. As information started to emerge, a question arose about whether Franco's intention to create this place was an honest and conciliatory one, or was, in fact, "legacy" one. The question got even more complicated due to the fact that Franco, along with Primo de Rivera (another fascist leader), was buried in the mausoleum. As a result, the debate has focused on what Spaniards should do with the Valley of the Fallen and what they should do with the remains of Franco's body. In this lesson, you will be able to hear opinions from both sides. In addition you will be also analyzing a video about the Valley of the Fallen.
Thinking Ahead Questions: How is this place a representation of Spain's collective memory? To what extent does Franco deserve a space in the Valley of the Fallen? What symbolic effects would the removal of Franco’s body from the Valley of the Fallen have? |
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Lesson 3: Breaking the Silence
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The results of the Historical Memory Law came quickly after its approval on December 2007. Because of the expansion of the rights that it offered to the victims, it allowed the Spanish society, especially those families from the victims' side, to finally see an opportunity to express themselves and to fight for their assassinated family members' rights, as well as to fight for their own right to recover their past and, as a result, their peace of mind. The testimonies expressed by victims and their families not only revealed details of the war crimes committed, but they also helped in the discovery of a significant number of mass graves throughout the country. Organizations dedicated to the support of victims and their families have played an important role in the efforts for recovering the historical memory. Also the press has been the best ally of the victims’ families, through the overwhelming information that it has consistently published about this issue. Nevertheless, even though the victims have clearly shown their willingness to confront the past; the government has seemed not willing to. At least, not completely.
Thinking Ahead Questions What is it the importance of the documentation of testimonies provided by the victims and their families? How did the approval of the Amnesty Law in 1977 impede the full recognition of the Francoism victims? The majority of the testimonies that are shared today are ones that have been passed down from older generations; How do you think this could affect the process of recovering the historical memory of Spain? |
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Lesson 4: Baltasar Garzón
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The Magistrate, Baltasar Garzón, has been the only judge who has declared himself competent to investigate the Francoism crimes. He uncovered enough evidence to try several military leaders from Francoist military leaders, including Franco himself. Because of his efforts to find the truth, political leaders from the opposing side, as well as other functionaries, accused Garzón of a perversion of justice, based on the assertion that his attempts to judge the Francoism crimes were unconstitutional. This accusation against the Magistrate created a profound disappointment among the victims and their families, since the Judge was their greatest hope to finally get closure and turn the page on what had happened. Even though Garzón was dismissed from the supreme tribunal, he still supports the victims from outside the court room. In this lesson, you will learn details about his professional career, as well as the details of the case that finished with the suspension of the Judge.
Thinking Ahead Questions What were the claims that the opposition used in their favor to judge Garzón? How do you think the victims felt after this resolution? What does this resolution mean to a country that established a democracy not very long ago? |
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