ABSTRACT
Peter Anderson completes the handbook with reflections on historical memory. This is deeply contested, with the left focussing on the symbolism of fascism (and anti-fascism), as well as broader issue of human rights. For the contemporary Spanish right, alternative language is used, from an apparently neutral rendering of reconciliation to the explicitly partisan concept of Crusade. The first expression of remembrance after 1939 was instituted within the regime and focussed on its fallen alone. The concept of reconciliation began to be adopted by conservative ex-regime loyalists and, as a central commitment by the Spanish communists. These changes sought an authentic reconciliatory encounter between the two Spains. Yet the regime held fast to its Crusade conception whilst post-Franco, the compromises of the transition meant aspects of Spain's past were conveniently overlooked. However, the greater awareness of the international human rights movements from the 1980s gradually impacted in Spanish society, contributing to activism around remembrance. Memory narratives became partisan and politicised, a pattern which continues.
