Francoist primary education: The schoolbook as an instrument of child indoctrination

Abstract

The Francoist rule, mainly in its first decades, exerted a strong control upon education, which was left in the hands of the Catholic nationalist. Innumerous childrens schoolbooks were published driven by strong patriotic and religious bias. The authors aimed to shape the childrens minds based on the premises that supported the regimen: authority, hierarchy, order, abeyance, fear and devotion to God and the leader Francisco Franco. This paper analyzes the content of the elementary education books and shows how they were important instruments of child indoctrination marked by intolerance. The content and the images of the books contributed to construct an excluding national identity based on a heightened Catholic patriotism, stimulated heroism, martyrdom, child sacrifice, and hatred for the enemies of the religion and of "mother Spain". © 2009 ANPUH.