Cultural Propaganda
During the Spanish Civil War, the spread of cultural measures introduced by the government and various bodies in the Republican territory impacted the general population's access to culture.
Protecting artistic treasures
The Board for the Seizure and Protection of Artistic Treasures (Junta de Incautación y Protección del Tesoro Artístico) was created at the start of the civil war, along with the other delegated provincial boards established in the Republican territory. It was made up of officials and volunteers.
Aid for the conservation... (Circa 1937) by UnknownPablo Iglesias Foundation
Their role was to seize and protect movable and immovable works of historic, artistic, and bibliographic interest that were at risk of being lost or destroyed as a result of the war.
Promoting libraries
New libraries were constantly being built in the Second Spanish Republic, with over 5,000 libraries constructed by 1935. This was connected to the drive for literacy, which was a pillar of the Republic's educational policy.
Read... (Circa 1937) by WILAPablo Iglesias Foundation
They continued the work started in 1931 by the Pedagogical Missions (Misiones Pedagógicas), which brought culture to the general public. This included rural areas, for example through traveling libraries (Bibliotecas Circulantes).
Read... (Circa 1937) by WILAPablo Iglesias Foundation
Copies of artworks and numerous books reached people who had previously been forgotten by cultural policy.
Culture is one more weapon to fight fascism (Circa 1936) by BabianoPablo Iglesias Foundation
Exhibitions
Cultural exhibitions were another means of disseminating socially progressive policies and democratic freedoms during the Republic.
The Catalan combatants... (Circa 1937) by MentorPablo Iglesias Foundation
The Catalan Fighters
The Home of the Catalan Fighters (Llar del Combatent Català) was opened in Madrid in January 1938 and served as a meeting point for Catalan soldiers defending the city. A month-long exhibition was opened in July that same year, highlighting the unique characteristics of Catalan culture.
National public works exhibition (1937) by Contreas and CabanaPablo Iglesias Foundation
National Exhibition of Public Works, 1937
A national exhibition of public works was considered the ideal way to promote the government of the Republic's policy in that area. It was promoted by Julio Just Gimeno after he took office as Minister of Public Works in September 1936.
National public works exhibition (1937) by GirónPablo Iglesias Foundation
The exhibition was held in the trading hall known as the Hall of Columns at the Silk Exchange (Llotja de la Seda) in Valencia. It was opened by the Minister of Public Works at the time, Bernardo Giner de los Ríos, with former minister Just Gimeno attending as a guest.
National public works exhibition (1937) by J. BrionesPablo Iglesias Foundation
The exposition opened on June 11, 1937. Its planned start date of April 14, which was featured on the promotional posters, coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, but was delayed for various reasons.
Over the five days of the exhibition, visitors could admire numerous scale models, photographs, and plans for works carried out during the Republic—in particular, the National Waterworks Plan (Plan Nacional de Obras Hidráulicas), which was approved in 1933.
National public works exhibition (1937) by J. BrionesPablo Iglesias Foundation
This 1933 plan aimed to give the national general interest precedence over any private concerns. It involved creating irrigated land that would be fed by new waterworks, such as reservoir dams. However, the plan was not seen through, because the Spanish Parliament (the Cortes Republicanas) was dissolved in October 1933.
Youth will dominate space... (1937) by Nicomedes GómezPablo Iglesias Foundation
Exhibition in homage to aviation, 1938
With a delayed opening in March 1938 in the Gran Peña building in Madrid, the exhibition featured scale models, airplane parts, bombs, and even an aerodrome made to scale. It was organized by the Commission for the Education of Soldiers of the Unified Socialist Youth (Comisión de Educación del Soldado de la Juventud Socialista Unificada).
Political and trade union organisations... (Circa 1937) by CantosPablo Iglesias Foundation
Wall newspapers
As well as being a form of propaganda, wall newspapers were a fundamental tool for cultural education. This type of press was easy to produce, and could reach a large part of the population when displayed in different locations that were easily accessible.
The national organization Popular Culture (Cultura Popular) was created following the February 1936 elections, and encompassed all of the cultural associations that emerged at the request of left-wing parties, syndicates, and artistic organizations.
Trenches of the Republic (Circa 1938) by F. GarcíaPablo Iglesias Foundation
There were dedicated exhibitions to showcase wall newspapers, and they competed not just for a financial reward, but to promote the work of the groups that produced them.
Each group's cartoonists and writers had free rein over their creations and thereby made an artistic contribution to the ideological struggle of the civil war.
Comrades... (Circa 1937) by CantosPablo Iglesias Foundation
Wall poster competitions grew more and more elaborate, with both individuals and political and cultural organizations participating.
Theater
Movements such as the Culture Militias (Milicias de la Cultura) and the Theater Guerrillas (Guerrillas del Teatro) put on shows at festivals and events that were organized to raise funds for the upkeep of troops.
The Optimistic Tragedy (1937) by OntañónPablo Iglesias Foundation
Theaters were dominated by the concept of revolutionary theater, influenced by the playwrights Bertolt Brecht and György Lukács. In addition to spreading a message, it sought to make the audience think about it and discuss it.
The Theater of Art and Propaganda (Teatro de Arte y Propaganda) was an organization created on September 10, 1937 by writer María Teresa León and poet Rafael Alberti Merello, at Madrid's Zarzuela Theater (Teatro de la Zarzuela).
An Optimistic Tragedy (La Tragedia Optimista) was a play in three acts that León directed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It was written in 1933 by Vsevolod Vishnevsky and took place on a Soviet Navy ship in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg) and nearby Kronstadt.
