Fascism, Traditionalism, and the Reconquista in Franco-era Educational Materials
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2020
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of History
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en
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Abstract
The authoritarian nationalist government of Francisco Franco aggressively
pushed the idea that Spain was a unified nation and culture. However, Spanish culture
has always been varied, and possesses a great deal of influence from peoples
considered to be deeply and fundamentally different – in particular, North African, Arab,
and Muslim cultures. This influence has a long history, though Spanish nationalists in
particular were inclined to present it as a brief foreign incursion that was ended by the
Reconquista, which restored Spain back to its natural state.
Similarly, the nationalist government itself possessed a significant variety of
political thought, with a large degree of tension between fascists and Carlist
traditionalists. Through two educational texts written by representatives of these major
groups (Ernesto Giménez Caballero representing the fascist current, José María Pemán
y Pemartín the Carlist,) one can see differences in the historical narrative of the
Reconquista that reflect these different viewpoints. Giménez Caballero centers Spain in
his narrative, with little consideration for the nation as having a place in a broader
historical context, while Pemán ties his historical narrative into a larger idea of the
Christian West in constant conflict with the East.