Blue Victors &amp; Red Loser. Returned Spaniards from the Soviet Union

Immaculada Colomina Limonero

doi:10.5209/hics.59830

Blue Victors & Red Loser. Returned Spaniards from the Soviet Union

Immaculada Colomina Limonero

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5209/hics.59830

Copy DOI

Abstract

The topic of Spanish Civil War refugees in the Soviet Union has been dealt with at length in scholarly literature. Previously published studies include eye-witness memoirs, oral testimonies, and essays, but to date nothing has been published on the media approach to those refugees. In the framework of a crucial historical moment that marked the end of the country’s isolation under Franco, news treatment of those refugees’ repatriation played a key role in the shaping of public opinion, their narrative abiding by the socia l platitudes and stereotypes of those years. Based on Spanish and international press reporting on this historical episode, this article constitutes the first piece of research analysing the language and the visuals in various newspapers of the 1950s, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Using the length of the news coverage as an objective indicator, we have measured the degree of relevance the event was given. Through this analysis we have confirmed that the informative treatment was not adequate; the return of the anti- Communist ex-combatants in the Division Azul was exalted, while other returning expeditions of refugees were clearly discriminated.

Highlights

A consequence of the Civil War was a rupture of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, due to their deep ideological differences. This hostility and the general post-World War II scenario initially made it impossible for any Spaniard in the Soviet Union to return, eliminating any hopes for a prompt homecoming. It was only in the 1950s that repatriation began to be considered, due to the conjunction of several historical circumstances: first, Stalin’s death in 1953, which caused a thaw in diplomatic relations between the two countries, followed by an amnesty from the new government that allowed World War II prisoners to return to their homelands
In the 1950s the country was under the thumb of the strongly repressive and autocratic Franco government, the Catholic Church and the Army still played a prominent role being Communism the major threat that had to be avoided at all costs
Our analysis shows that the consequences of repatriation of refugees differed, and that media treatment was not adequate

Summary

Introduction

During the Spanish Civil War, and especially in its aftermath, many left-wing sympathizers and committed supporters of the Second Republic went into exile. A consequence of the Civil War was a rupture of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, due to their deep ideological differences This hostility and the general post-World War II scenario initially made it impossible for any Spaniard in the Soviet Union to return, eliminating any hopes for a prompt homecoming. It was only in the 1950s that repatriation began to be considered, due to the conjunction of several historical circumstances: first, Stalin’s death in 1953, which caused a thaw in diplomatic relations between the two countries, followed by an amnesty from the new government that allowed World War II prisoners to return to their homelands. The “red” Spaniards, on the other hand, were regarded poorly: they were left-wing sympathizers, most of whom were opposed to Franco’s regime

The return of the Blue Victors

The Return of the Red Losers

The final years

Findings

Conclusion