Written by Isabelle Shaw
Archives are a collection of invaluable primary evidence that aid historians in their investigation of the past. In particular, the Spanish Communist Party’s – Partido Comunista de España (PCE) – Historical Archive in Madrid helps historians understand how the Spanish Communist Party operated and its transformation over the course of the twentieth century.
These archives are particularly important since Franco censored political parties and the press. Evidence like personal items and pamphlets allows historians to understand the nature of the PCE’s politics despite the lack of public evidence.
The evolution of the PCE’s materials is evidence of Franco’s use of repression and censorship to maintain his authority and power through the political demobilisation of the Spanish nation. Additionally, the archives offer evidence of the clandestine communist activities that continued during the dictatorship, including the continued existence of the political party. Thus, we can presume that Franco did not fully achieve a demobilisation of Spanish politics.
Firstly, these archives allow us to analyse how the PCE party evolved after the Civil War. The archive holds an abundance of PCE documents, including congress transcripts and documents from the Comité Central, Buró Político, and Secretaría General, all of which are trade-union, political and territorial organisation. All of these documents are essential in allowing us to observe how the communists adapted during Franco’s regime. Furthermore, they give us direct knowledge of the communists’ opinions regarding the dictatorship.
Moreover, the cultural archives, which include, for example, cinema and reports about culture during Franco’s era, allow us to examine how the party changed, as the PCE used more subtle propaganda. For example, this seen within the audiovisual archives, which hold a copy of the popular film En Pie la Juventud (1937). Also, their reports and articles about the dictatorship, such as the Church, sports, shows, Franco, and his institutions, can demonstrate the attitudes of different groups toward the Dictatorship. This documentation enables us to analyse the different ways in which the Dictatorship led to changes in the operation and propaganda of the PCE. Additionally, by investigating these archives, we can gain a better understanding of the attitude of communists regarding Francoist society. Therefore, the archives allow us to analyse how the Dictatorship changed Spanish politics.
Due to the documentation of the transformation of the PCE during the Dictatorship, we can analyse how Franco limited the power of other political parties through censorship and brutal repression. For example, the archive holds audio recordings of congresses and plenary sessions of the Comité Central of Spanish communists in exile. Also, the documentation of numerous emigrations of members of the PCE proves to us that there was repression of communism during the Dictatorship. Ergo, we can develop an analysis of the political repression during the Dictatorship, during which Franco tried to achieve his objective of political demobilisation.
In the same vein, evidence of clandestine contemporary newspaper Mundo Obrero, allows us to understand that Franco utilised centralisation and control of the press to limit the influence of communists. Also, the photographic archives of the imprisonment and shootings of communists between 1936 and 1975 highlight the cruel and violent repression during the Dictatorship. By analysing this evidence, we can suggest that Franco used violence and torture to control political parties and eradicate the opposition to Franco’s authority. Therefore, the archival documents allow for the examination of political repression as a tool used by Franco to develop his autocracy.
On the other hand, the archive holds documentation of the PCE’s resistance to these repressive measures during the Dictatorship, including false documents, such as Domingo Malagón’s passport, and the documentation of the guerrilla movement, such as Colonel Eulogia Limia’s 1957 report on robbery, or el bandolerismo. Despite the party being illegal, this offers proof of the continued activity of its members, such as Rosalía Sender, Tomás García, Alberto Casal Broullón, and Juan José Castill. Evidently, the archival documentation about the maintenance of illegal communist activities in Spain allows us to develop an analysis of Franco’s failure to implement total power over the communists and the failed eradication of their threat to his leadership.
We must mention the documentation of the PCE’s support from international communist organisations, which enables us to understand that Franco was not able to fully control the party, and that international factors limited his authority. Therefore, the Historical Archives reveal that historians should consider the communist threat as constant and powerful during the Dictatorship.
In conclusion, the Historical Archive’s documentation is insightful into the PCE’s activities during Franco’s dictatorship. These sources show that Franco tried to censor political parties and used severe measures to try to repress them. However, the PCE continued to organise during this era, which suggests that the Dictatorship did not achieve its objective of political demobilisation.
Bibliography
Archivo Audiovisual del Archive Histórico del PCE, 1937. Archivo Histórico del PCE, Madrid. https://www.archivohistoricopce.org/historia-del-archivo/ (accessed 09/10/2025).
Biblitoteca Virtual de Prensa Histórica. Archivo Histórico del PCE, Madrid. https://prensahistorica.mcu.es/clandestina/es/micrositios/inicio.do (accessed 09/10/2025).
Memorias del AHPCE, 2005-2024. Archivo Histórico del PCE, Madrid. https://www.archivohistoricopce.org/memorias-del-ahpce/, (accessed 09/10/2025).
Featured Image Credit: Iskraelectrica (jldc) – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31531430
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