General Archive of the Spanish Civil War facts for kids
The General Archive of the Spanish Civil War (in Spanish: Archivo General de la Guerra Civil Española) is a special collection of documents. It holds many important papers about the Spanish Civil War. This archive is part of Spain's larger National Historical Archive. You can find it in the city of Salamanca, Spain.
Contents
Why the Archive Was Created
The idea for this archive started in the 1930s. During the Spanish Civil War, the government led by Francisco Franco made a rule. On September 13, 1936, they decided that all documents and property from groups that opposed them would belong to the state. This included political parties and other organizations.
The government considered many groups as opponents. For example, the archive has documents about freemasonry. Freemasons were people who belonged to a secret society. Franco's government did not trust them and collected their records. This archive became a way for the government to keep track of its opponents.
Changes After Democracy
After Spain became a democracy, the archive's purpose changed. In 2007, it became part of a new center. This is called the Historical Memory Documentary Centre (in Spanish: Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica). It was created by a law called the Historical Memory Law.
"Historical memory" means how Spain remembers its past. This includes the Civil War and the time when Francisco Franco was in charge. The center now collects documents from the 1930s to the 1970s. It helps people understand this important period in Spanish history.
Visiting and Online Access
The archive has a permanent exhibition. This means you can visit it and see some of the documents. It is open to the public. The archive also has a website. This online portal is called "Portal de Víctimas de la Guerra Civil y Represaliados del Franquismo."
This website shares information about people who suffered during the Civil War. It also includes those who faced problems under Franco's government. Some of these people were refugees. The website uses documents from Spain and other countries. It even has information about Spanish people held in Nazi concentration camps.
Moving Documents Between Archives
The Salamanca Papers
The "Salamanca Papers" are a group of documents. These papers were taken from the Catalan government. They were kept in the archive in Salamanca for many years. In 2005, these documents were returned to Catalonia.
Documents from Alcalá de Henares
The Historical Memory Documentary Centre plans to add more documents to the Salamanca archive. They will move important items from another archive. This is the Archivo General de la Administración, located in Alcalá de Henares.
See also
In Spanish: Archivo General de la Guerra Civil Española para niños
- National Archives of Spain
