90 years after the Civil War: memory, democracy and future

Today marks 90 years since the start of the Spanish Civil War, one of the most tragic and dark episodes of our contemporary history, which ended with the victory of the dictator Francisco Franco. The military coup of July 1936 against the legitimate government of the Second Republic triggered a conflict that lasted almost three years and left hundreds of thousands of victims, as well as deep social and political wounds that marked several generations and are still present in our current reality. It could be said that this year is one of the most important to vindicate the legacy of those who fought to conquer the democracy we enjoy today. Even more so in a context marked by the rise of the far-right in Spain and by attempts to question, distort, or minimize the democratic values that were so hard-won.

The Civil War was not just a military confrontation. It represented the breakdown of democratic coexistence and the failure of political dialogue at a time of great polarization. After the Francoist victory in 1939, Spain lived almost four decades of dictatorship, with the suppression of fundamental freedoms, the persecution of dissent, and the absence of democratic rights.

Ninety years later, remembering those events should not be understood as an exercise in confrontation, but as a commitment to historical memory and to the values that sustain a free society. Knowing the past allows us to understand the human and social cost of losing democratic institutions and the replacement of debate with violence.

On this anniversary, the best vindication is to reaffirm the commitment to democracy, coexistence, and the memory of those who suffered the consequences of the war and the dictatorship. Because remembering is not about being anchored in the past, but about learning from it to build a future in which freedom and mutual respect prevail over division and confrontation. Political plurality, freedom of expression, and the rule of law are achievements that require constant defense.