ABSTRACT
The relative youth of the veterans from Russia, compared to Civil War veterans, made their presence less notable at first in the municipal administrations. Russian peasants were remembered as the double victims of the Bolshevik terror and the rigours of German occupation, which the Spanish war veterans tried to keep at a distance in their minds. Veterans from the Eastern Front could pursue their commemorating activities on a lower profile until the mid-1950s. Eastern Front veterans were more numerous at the second level of state administration. Eastern Front veterans also cultivated their own commemorative liturgy, which has continued to the semi-public gatherings. The suggestion floundered due to lack of interest on the part of the Franco regime. Being recognized as an ex-combatant carried additional advantages when it came to accessing civil service posts in Spain. During the Transition years, Blue Division veterans were plentiful among the military top brass, who mainly identified with the maintenance of Francoist values.
