Women and Spanish Fascism by Richmond Kathleen J. L.;

Author:Richmond, Kathleen J. L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-03-31T00:00:00+00:00

While it awaited the outcome of the Arrese proposals, SF made plans for its own reform, accepting Ruiz Giménez’s principle that the regime needed further legitimization than the memory of the Civil War. But there was no question of changing the elements of SF which were causing the real problems–namely the salary arrangements for its specialist staff, the overall rigidity of its hierarchy nor its determination to impose beliefs on the female population. The only proposals were a dilution of some of the political teaching to the unaffiliated and the removal of the more public signs of militarization. In the reformed textbooks, the Civil War would be mentioned less and current issues would be emphasized. José Antonio’s ideas would be a seamless whole with the policies of the regime, and references to Empire would be no more than affirmations of spiritual solidarity with Latin America. The regime at La Mota would remain unchanged but the Falange salute and the regular wearing of uniform would go.

Arrese’s proposals did not find approval with government and at first SF did not react, at least not publicly. In the memory of a mando close to Pilar, the subject was talked about but not discussed officially. SF had already made up its mind to go ahead with reforms, regardless of what was going on around it.33 This independent line may also have been prompted by the knowledge that larger political moves were on the horizon. Major changes to the economy were about to be set in motion following the appointment of economic reformers to the Cabinet in 1957. The prospect of a free market economy was unwelcome to SF mandos because it would, they argued, promote materialistic values, making the sacrifices and spiritual values of joseantoniano doctrine ever more remote. These apprehensions were increased when Franco, reacting to the unpopularity of the Arrese proposals, removed key Falangists from the Cabinet. Arrese had been replaced as Secretary-General by José Solís Ruiz and one of SF’s greatest allies, José Antonio Girón de Velasco, was dropped from his post of Minister of Labour.

The Cabinet changes provoked an immediate response within SF and a second set of proposals for reform. In December, all the national specialists (regidoras centrales) met to discuss how to respond to the new circumstances. One suggestion was to detach SF from the National Movement, making it a non-political association. A second was to remove all political content from its programmes, turning it into a purely professional and educational body. But the third proposal won most favour–change from within, involving a rationalization and modernization of all its departments.34 The changes begun two years previously at the 1956 national conference were now continued at the national conference of 1958, held at La Mota. The statement of Pilar that ‘a new political age is beginning to dawn’35 and her affirmations of support for SF’s internal reforms were optimistic in the extreme:

We need to restate our position, giving it a broad enough base so that we do not end

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