80 Anniversary of the Republican Exile

#80AniversarioExilioRepublicano | In 2019 it will be 80 years since the Spanish Civil War ended and Spanish Republicans fled to France, northern Africa and the Americas. The Retreat was a mass diaspora – some 480,000 people, it is reckoned – that was also long-lasting and plural, as it included people from all social, political and economic backgrounds, from employees and housewives to a large number of intellectuals, about 5,000.

Both they and subsequent generations of exiles feel that they have been forgotten by Spanish democracy. The anniversary is a magnificent opportunity for Spain to recognise its exiles and make known their contributions to the progress, development and modernisation of the host countries – to which tribute is due –  as well as to the return to democracy in Spain.