ABSTRACT
In order to understand the distinct socio-economic profile and the nature of community life that formed within shantytowns in Francoist Spain it is essential to examine first the processes of internal migration that led to their formation. This chapter examines the profile of internal migration from small towns and rural communities to the periphery of Madrid. It focuses specifically on the concept of mobility and look at the ways in which movement was represented. An examination of Francoist rhetoric reveals that in the case of external migration references to mobility were often positive ones and linked to debates about labor and foreign affairs policies. The chapter examines the social networks that enabled individuals and families to carry through the act migration and the conditions that enabled them to translate the movement across space into social mobility. The complexity of everyday life, the socio-political status of most migrants and the spatial practices of the regime frustrated the hope for improvement.
