Spain in the Depths of Russia 1941-1944

Volume 45 Issue 1

Author(s):

Larry E. Holmes - University of South Alabama

Recommended Citation:

Holmes, Larry E. (2020) “Spain in the Depths of Russia 1941-1944,” Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies: Vol. 55 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.

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Abstract:

This article focuses on the history from 1941 to 1944 of one of the orphanages created for three thousand young Spaniards evacuated in 1937 and 1938 from war-torn Spain to the USSR. It examines the relationship between Spaniards at the orphanage, both children and adults, with their Soviet counterparts at that facility and in the surrounding community. It also measures the extent of a Soviet commitment to the well-being of its young guests and the revolutionary cause abroad. Finally, this article’s close observation of a Spanish institution compels, if ironically, an assessment of the loci and practice of political power at the USSR’s center and periphery. This work is based on memoirs, interviews, and abundant archival records produced by and about the orphanage.

Tags: children (Spanish), communism, corporal punishment (in schools), education, ethnic prejudice, evacuation, governance (USSR), Kirov (region), orphanages, privilege, schooling, sovietization (assimilation), Spain, Spanish Civil War, USSR, World War II