Fascism in Spain

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Fascism as a political movement and ideology emerged in Europe in the 1920s and reached the peak of its power in the 1930s before its "official" institutional collapse in 1945. In Spain, its legacy survived longer than in any other European country as one of the foundations of General Franco's prolonged dictatorship (1936-1975/78). This course will explore the history of fascism in Spain, from its roots in Spanish and European political developments in the 1920s and 30s to its rise to power under General Francisco Franco. It will also consider the mutations of fascism during the recent decades. We will try to define fascism in general and map its Spanish iterations as manifested in art, literature, photography, history, philosophy and film. The guiding questions of this class include but will not be limited to: what is fascism? what were the core ideas of the movement? What were its roots and who formed its social basis? How was an ideal society envisioned by Spanish fascists? What is the role of violence and power in fascist ideology? How did it reach the government? How did Franco's dictatorship transform society? What does fascism mean today? What are the remnants and/or mutations of Spain's fascism today? Taught in Spanish.