In the name of the martyrs: memory and retribution in Francoist Southern Spain, 1936-1945

This article explores how the Francoist victors of the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 remembered their dead. Eschewing a simple top down approach it also looks at the reception and production of memory from below. In this way, the article shows how many of the Francoist bereaved both came to identify with and gained solace from the regime’s message that it was involved in a sacred struggle against centre and left political groups. Moreover, many ordinary Francoists came to believe that taking part in the repression of those from the defeated side could offer a way of honouring their dead.