KOSTENKO Yu.V. Civil War Memory Policy in the Documents of Contemporary Spanish Parties (2007–2021)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2022.4.21

Yulia V. Kostenko

Candidate of Sciences (Politics), Associate Professor,

Department of Political Science and Political Management, Kuban State University,

Stavropolskaya St, 149, 350040 Krasnodar, Russian Federation

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9298-9650


Abstract. Introduction. The topic of the article is relevant, since the memory of the Civil War of 1936–1939 is an important factor of political processes in modern Spain, including the positioning and discourse of political parties.

Methods and materials. The purpose of the article is to determine the semantic dominants of the construction of the memory policy by the political parties of Spain in 2007–2021. The research is carried out on the basis of social constructivism, the concepts of historical memory of P. Nora and A. Assman, and discourse analysis. A secondary analysis of the results of sociological surveys was conducted.

Analysis and results. The article reveals the political orientation of the “Act on Historical Memory” of 2007 and the proposals of political parties on its reform. It is proved that the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is interested in reviewing the policy of memory, deepening its anti-Francoist content. The left-wing parties – “Unidas Podemos” and “Mas Pais”, as well as the Catalan parties, most radically advocate the adoption of a new law on historical memory, honoring the victims of the war. The centerright forces-the People’s Party and “Ciudadanos” (“Citizens”) to limit the effect of the 2007 Act, portraying the parties to the conflict – Republicans and nationalists – as equally responsible for the violence. The right-wing radical party “Vox” openly considers itself the successor of Francoism and its unitarian program, placing all the blame on the Republicans. The activity of parties of Catalonia and the Basque Country in the field of constructing historical memory is evaluated, the trends of contrasting the memory of the Civil War in public opinion throughout Spain, as well as Catalonia and the Basque Country are shown. Conclusion. In general, the policy of remembering the Civil War for 2018–2021 has become much more important for public opinion, which is explained by the current political competition.

Key words: contemporarypolitical parties, memory policy, the Civil War of 1936–1939, Spain in 2007–2021.

Citation. Kostenko Yu.V. Civil War Memory Policy in the Documents of Contemporary Spanish Parties (2007–2021). Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2022, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 239-250. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2022.4.21.

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Civil War Memory Policy in the Documents of Contemporary Spanish Parties (2007–2021) by Kostenko Yu.V. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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