From migrants to exiles: the Spanish Civil War and the Spanish immigrant communities in the United States
This article combines two aspects of the Spanish diasporic experience in the Americas often treated separately: migration and exile. Studies of the Republican exile have concentrated primarily on members of political and cultural elites forced to leave Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's victory in 1939. Here, I look instead at how events in Spain affected the lives of Spaniards living abroad when civil war broke out in 1936. I analyze the activities in support of the Republic organized by Spaniards in the United States, and argue that the war in Spain and the Popular Front culture forged in America in the 1930s transformed these communities deeply. Not only did they become more visible, but, perhaps more important, they participated in events that fostered collaboration across generations, ethnicities, races, creeds, and social classes. The article highlights the important role played by women and children in these communities, and examines how the war shaped the identity of Spanish-American youth. These activities helped pave the way for the integration of Spanish immigrants into American society. This Americanization, often reluctant, was linked to Franco's victory, an outcome that, for many, closed the door to a possible return to Spain, transforming migrants into exiles. As such, they continued to struggle for the restoration of democracy in Spain during the four decades of the dictatorship. ; Este artículo combina dos aspectos de la experiencia de la diáspora española en América que suelen tratarse por separado: emigración y exilio. Los estudios del exilio republicano se han concentrado generalmente en miembros de las élites políticas y culturales forzados a abandonar España a consecuencia de la guerra civil y la victoria franquista en 1939. Aquí examino cómo los sucesos en España afectaron las vidas de españoles residentes en el extranjero cuando estalló la guerra en 1936. Analizando las actividades de ayuda a la República organizadas por españoles en los Estados Unidos, arguyo ...