El mito de la “guerra lenta”. Revisitando un axioma historiográfico

Abstract

This article questions one of the main axioms of the Spanish Civil War, that Franco deliberately waged a slow war with two aims: implementing a meticulous repression to better cleanse the anti-Spain; and consolidating his power. Several key historians of the Spanish Civil War stand by this idea, which has been reproduced in numerous works. Our aim is to question this interpretation through the analysis of military documentation from the Rebel Army. This will allow us to develop a warlike approach that hasn’t been hitherto considered, at least not extensively nor systematically. Thereby, we seek to connect the military with the political, the social and the symbolic, viewing all these dimensions as equally relevant to understand how Francoism was built. Finally, we also look to underscore the importance that the renewal of war studies has had in updating the historiography of the Spanish Civil War.