Finally, the Royal Academy of Spanish History recognizes … – Etc.

The Real Academia de la Historia (RAH ) of Spain defined as dictator Franco in his Spanish Biographical Dictionary , said the director of the agency, Carmen Iglesias. The decision comes after years of discussion took regarding historical and scientific inaccuracies that work.

In 2011, the RAH published a compendium of biographies of various characters who lived between 1824 and 1931 and were of great significance in the history of Spain . The project was supervised by the then Minister of Education, Ángel Gabilondo, and was supported with 6.4 million euros.

The Spanish Biographical Dictionary features 50 volumes in print and has information on more than 40,000, mostly soldiers, politicians and clerics Spanish historical characters. Carmen Iglesias intended that part of this work is available for free online.

After the launch of this dictionary, which was drafted by carefully selected historians, some scholars began several controversies surrounding scientific and historical accuracy of some of the lives of the characters collected.

One of the most controversial discussions was that revolved around the figure of Francisco Franco, for Luis Suarez, author of the biography and expert in Medieval History recipient of the Francisco Franco Foundation, classified the Franco dictatorship as “an authoritarian regime, but not totalitarian, since the political forces that supported him were unified in a movement and submitted to the State “.

The debate came to the Spanish Congress who ordered in 2011 to suspend funding the project RAH until a committee that will review the biographies contained in the dictionary is not integrated.

Gabilondo organized the commission consisted of four scholars who were responsible for the review of 500 controversial biographies. Among the members were Ayán Carmen Sanz, Vicente Pérez Moreda, Faustino Menéndez Pidal and the current director of the RAH.

Following consideration to Spanish Biographical Dictionary , the commission concluded that the 500 studies reviewed, 14 were completely examined, 16 “have it touched up” four were “debatable content” and should be excluded.

Separately, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Zaragoza, José Luis Ledesma, conducted a study focused on the 50 characters of the twentieth century most cited in historical essays listed in the dictionary and ruled that 20% of the biographies studied lacked historical certainty.

After coming to power of the Popular Party, Congress restored funding for the project from the RAH and current Education Minister José Ignacio Wert, announced that 30 corrections would be made in Congress that could be included in the final digital version.

Meanwhile, Carmen Iglesias to be named director of the RAH after the death of his predecessor, Gonzalo Anes, in March 2014, said the Franco regime itself was a dictatorship and recalled that upon entering college “te la played as if you were getting into politics.”

“With what Franco, I think it was a moment of tension exaggerated, but it is a dictatorship there is no doubt, is an authoritarian dictatorship, but must always distinguish between dictatorship and totalitarianism, “said Monday in announcing the changes and claims of Spanish Biographical Dictionary in an interview with the SER.

(With information from El País )

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