Consequences of Franco’s regime for democratic Spain: Legislation, exhumation of graves and memory

Abstract

Memory, legislation, research and exhumation of mass graves are variables that should be evaluate together with the aim to answer the social demands that are still waiting in Spain. These areas, as a whole, have tried to respond the claims of the relatives of the victims of the Civil War and the Dictatorship and the memorial associations, in the defense of Human Rights. These contents have drawn the attention of governments and institutions, that have implemented national and regional laws and normative, to answer the claims of their citizens. A decision that have generated controversial debates in the society. In this paper we analyze these contents with the aim to provide an overview of the legal initiatives, developed from the death of the dictator Francisco Franco onwards, and evaluate their consequences and impact in the society.