Description
LADIES OF SPAIN: VICTIMS OF THE POPULAR FRONT IN THE CIVIL WAR
Book Summary
This pioneering essay by Alicia Ramos Mesonero rescues the memory of a group of women forgotten by historiography: those who, due to their social, religious, or family status, were indiscriminately detained by revolutionary militias during the Spanish Civil War. The work offers a rigorous and documented investigation into the repression exercised against aristocrats, bourgeois women, relatives of rebel military officers, and religious women, shedding light on a silenced facet of political persecution in the Republican rearguard.
What is it about?
The book addresses the history of the "ladies of Spain" who suffered the violence of the Popular Front during the Civil War, a diverse group united by their social profile and Catholic faith. The author documents how these women were imprisoned, humiliated, and, in many cases, executed without trial, simply for belonging to the aristocracy or the upper bourgeoisie, being related to military personnel who supported the Uprising, or for being practicing religious women. Through meticulous research, their personal stories, conditions of confinement, and the political context that turned them into victims of systematic persecution are reconstructed. The work not only makes their suffering visible but also analyzes the ideological motivations behind these repressive acts, offering a necessary perspective to understand the complexity of the conflict.
Main Topics
- Political repression and ideological persecution during the Spanish Civil War.
- Gender-based violence in contexts of armed conflict and social revolution.
- Historical memory of the victims of the Republican side from a female and class perspective.
- The role of the Catholic religion as a factor of discrimination and a target of revolutionary hatred.
- Analysis of the Republican rearguard and the functioning of the revolutionary militia.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in the contemporary history of Spain, especially the Civil War and political repression. It will be of great value to historians, social science students, and anyone seeking a documented and little-explored vision of female persecution during the conflict. It is also recommended for those who wish to delve into historical memory from a gender and class perspective, as well as for those who want to know testimonies silenced by traditional historiography.
What this book contributes
- A pioneering investigation that makes visible a group of victims usually ignored in studies on the Civil War.
- Rigorous documentation based on historical sources that allows for an understanding of the scale of repression against women of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie.
- An analytical perspective that connects political persecution with factors of class, gender, and religion.
- A human account that rescues the personal stories of the victims, restoring their dignity and their place in collective memory.
- A necessary contribution to the debate on historical memory and reconciliation, from an objective and documented approach.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Alicia Ramos Mesonero
- Publisher: Huerga y Fierro Editores
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Literary essays, political oppression and persecution
- Collection: Essay
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: January 2024
- Number of pages: 432
- Weight: 636 g
Editorial Assessment
This is a work of historical research that addresses a sensitive and little-discussed topic with a rigorous and documented approach. The author manages to balance academic analysis with human narrative, offering the reader a complete view of the repression suffered by these women. It is essential reading for those seeking to expand their knowledge of the Spanish Civil War beyond conventional narratives, and it provides a necessary perspective to understand the complexity of political persecution in the Republican rearguard.