La búsqueda de desaparecidos. De las políticas públicas de localización de los gobiernos de la República al abandono de la dictadura franquista

Abstract

This article provides an initial overview of public policies related to the disappeared from the civil war, whether civilian or military, that were carried out during the Republic and later during Franco’s dictatorship. The first part deals with how the governments of the Republic, both the central government and the Generalitat de Catalunya, as well as non-governmental organisations, carried out various actions to respond to the relatives of those missing in action and the victims of the repression of the first months of the conflict. With the arrival of Franco’s dictatorship, public policies to locate the war disappeared only focused on responding to one part of society, the victors. The families of the defeated received no support from the state. Despite this abandonment, many families did not cease their efforts to search through different channels for information about their missing loved ones.