Nursing during the Spanish Civil War and its post-war period (1936-1949): forgetting and disabling

Abstract

Revista de Enfermagem Referência 2020, Série V, no2: e20019 DOI: 10.12707/RV20019 Abstract Background: The health model during the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939) and the care practices developed by the nursing staff transformed the health conditions of the country. During the Civil War (1936-1939), social and health care was unequal. Objective: Analyze the influence of health care during and after the Spanish Civil War. Methodology: Historical-descriptive research related to health care during the Civil War. Information collected from nursing documents, newspapers, books, laws. Interpretative analysis by dates and events of the period under study. Results: Between 1939 and 1949, the laws enacted revised the work carried out by health professionals, leading to the repression and elimination of the health professionals who were alien to the prevailing political ideas, which meant a process of purification. Conclusion: The government of the Second Republic attributed importance to sanitary and household hygiene. After the Civil War, Spain suffered from a lack of healthcare at both civil and military levels. During the post-war, the identity of part of the nursing profession was forgotten.