“Memory is not a duty but a civil right that must be protected” stated the historian Richard Vinyes on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War. The fundamental right to be able to access an objective historical narrative about one's nation is a concept that challenges Spain in the post-Franco era. Some Spaniards see the Franco era as a time of economic prosperity and nationalist pride, while others (particularly the people of Catalonia) see the Franco era as a period representing the suppression of autonomy and culture. Unlike other historical atrocities such as the Holocaust, which in most cases created a truthful historical narrative allowing for a subsequent mourning process (through historical memory), Spain has been unable to achieve this. This inadequate approach to historical memory has manifested itself in social and political problems that prevent the nation from making any progress in creating a more cohesive and progressive society. In particular, the historical memory surrounding the Spanish Civil War has made the region of Catalonia feel “un” Spanish, due to the emotional wounds still present as the grieving process has yet to be achieved. This contributed to the push for Catalan independence, despite irrational economic results. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Spanish approach to remembering its history can be summarized in the National Day of Catalonia (La Diada). While the national holiday has no particular significance to the Spanish Civil War, it summarizes the dysfunctional relationship between history and celebration, explaining the disconnect between Spain and Catalonia. National day “talks about how a country operates” and the national images associated with that day “influence attitudes and behaviors”, so national day is crucial in shaping this “image building” that people have towards their nation. Foreign correspondent Raphael Minder describes Catalonia's National Day as the day he "celebrates a defeat." It marks the day Barcelona fell to the Bourbon King Philip V in 1714. In revenge King Philip suppressed the Catalan people, removing their parliament and language. Philip V's repression of the Catalan people set a benchmark for prejudice against Catalonia. This prejudice culminated over many years in explaining the rise of various "radical" leftist ideologies throughout Catalonia and the cause of the Spanish Civil War. To a certain extent this prejudice against Catalonia still exists today. Catalan citizen Antonio Vancells says that “everything we are fighting for now revolves around the times of 1714.” A national day for any country has a special meaning. It represents a day of pride and patriotism for one's country, however for the Catalan people this pride cannot be expressed to its full potential due to the origins and fundamental meaning of the day. This then influences the national image that Catalans have towards Spain. The meaning of the day was instead recovered by the Catalan people and transformed into a day "part carnival, part demonstration, part protest". Hundreds of thousands of people gather to contribute to this protest. The theme of Diada 2017 was referendum and independence. The National Day of Catalonia ultimately summarizes Spain's imperfect process of historical memory, yet the reconquest ofday allows us to reverse this imperfect system into a movement that pushes for change. The division between Spain and Catalonia is no better represented than in La Diada, where the Catalan people unanimously march for independence. Basically, public history can be defined as “any history applied to the real world”. It aims, as Woodrow Wilson believed, to “engage, inform, and improve public life.” By involving the public in their story, it creates a more aware society, where the past can be used to address the challenges of the present. Hayden White also suggests that the story should present a more practical purpose, aiming to be didactic, rather than simply constructing a meaningless narrative. Therefore, public history (whether statues, museums, etc.) represents an organization or government's view of the past and the morals that should apply to today. In Spain there is an ambiguous historical narrative surrounding the publicly depicted Spanish Civil War. Statues and museums (particularly in Barcelona) are mostly privately funded, and those funded by the municipality or federal government represent a twisted narrative of Spanish history, manifesting and valorizing the theme of the "memory of wounds" that impedes social cohesion throughout contemporary Spain. of public history to commemorate the Spanish Civil War can be seen prominently across the Valley of the Fallen. The legacy of conflict surrounding this site promotes nostalgia for the Franco era and nationalist forces, creating extreme and polarized social divisions within contemporary Spain. Labeled by the Independent UK as "Spain's most controversial tourist site", the Valley of the Fallen is a mausoleum built under Franco (using republican prisoners) with the aim of commemorating those who fought in the Spanish Civil War. Approximately 34,000 war victims are buried within the mausoleum, with only two graves visible to the general public; Antonio Primo De Rivera, founder of the Falange Española de las JONS, a far-right party sympathetic to fascism. In front of him is the grave of Francisco Franco. For the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) the site represents a place of glorification of the Catholic, traditionalist and far-right culture in Spain, promoting nostalgia towards the oppressive far-right leaders seen in the 20th century and therefore contradicts its objective of achieving a true reconciliation. The site represents the social dynamics of today's Spain where "there are still many Spaniards who would pay good money to spit on Franco's grave, and there are others who would gladly spend the 9 euros entrance fee to come and lay flowers on the the stone that bears his name." The lack of persistence on the part of modern political parties (until very recently) in changing the nature of the site reflects that historical memory at the political level promotes right-wing nostalgia that corrupts Spain with a progressive historical narrative. The Valley of the Fallen is an outdated site that has created a polarized divide between left and right, with minimal space to accommodate a socially cohesive middle ground. A fundamental issue affecting contemporary Spain arising from historical memory is the Catalan push for independence. Throughout modern history, Catalonia was culturally suppressed by Spain under the premise of creating a unified nation, free from diverse regionalistic cultures. The suppression by King Philip V in 1714 set a precedent for suppression by future leaders. The Spanish Civil War marks the height of brutality and division in Spain, yet the failure to commemorate adequatelythese events offering a process of authentic reconciliation in the public history of Catalonia culminated in a deep emotional attachment to the past. Catalans, especially those who are descendants or direct victims of the war, have not yet received a reconciliation process and the public history in the territory around them reflects this. Catalonia's failure to achieve a legitimate historical memory through public history can be attributed to two reasons. The first is the general reluctance on the part of those in power to commemorate the past. It is much easier for those in power to avoid the past since the emotional attachment that especially Catalans still have could put the political position of parliamentarians at risk if this emotion is tampered with. Instead, any attempt to use public history to promote historical memory is surprisingly absent at the government level, with most being achieved through private organizations; some of which were organizations linked to fighting in the Spanish Civil War for the Republicans. Second, today there still exists an unclear historical narrative that once again leaves the nation divided. Exactly what and how should the war be commemorated? Below we will examine case studies that summarize the historical memory of Catalonia through public history. An example of public history influencing contemporary Spain is Montjuic Castle, the castle has seen the commemoration of the history of the far right justifying the emotional wounds seen in contemporary Spain, particularly Catalonia. Used as a political prison and execution site for Catalan president Lluis Companys during the Civil War, the castle holds a prominent position in Catalonia's use of public history. The castle literally dominates the city and has sparked controversy in commemoration of the Civil War. A plaque inside the castle recognizes the "heroes and martyrs of the glorious nationalist movement", as well as a statue of Franco, removed only in 2008. Historical memory currently highlights conservative and nationalist ideologies that did not foresee any process of reconciliation and mourning for war victims, contributing to emotional attachment to the past. Furthermore, Barcelona's commemoration of their unique history in the Civil War created an ambiguous narrative. The lack of direct attempts to carry out authentic investigations into truth and reconciliation has contributed to an emotional wound that has prevented social progress. During the civil war, enemy air raids caused over 2000 deaths in Barcelona. 42 of these occurred in Plaça De Sant Felip Nari, a church located in the Gothic Quarter. Here, next to each other, there are 2 plaques. The first plaque installed by the Municipality of Barcelona commemorates the victims of the bombings, attributing them to the "Franco forces". The second plaque is barely legible and hidden from view, but surprisingly adds more specificity to the nature of the bombing. This time attributing the bombing to the "Italian Forces". The reason for the change was due to the fact that mentioning the Italian forces was initially considered too provocative towards any Italian tourists visiting the site. The significance of this illustrates Spain's general position in remembering its history. An unclear historical narrative leads to an inadequate grieving process. The truth is not clear and therefore reconciliation is increasingly difficult. Without the truth, contemporary Spain simply cannot progress. The lack of representation of historical memory in museums has been detrimental to defending and remembering the past. Secondthe organization of European National Museums (Eunamus), the aim of museums is to “focus on understanding the conditions for using the past in negotiations that recreate citizenship and on understanding the layers that create territorial belonging”. Research conducted by the organization has also highlighted the theoretical relationship between museums, particularly nationally funded museums, in the creation/formation of a national identity. According to Lois Silverman, museums assist in the process of learning "affiliation and belonging" to a particular identity. Similarly, UNESCO states that museums “play an essential role in promoting social cohesion and a sense of collective memory,” as well as a way for society to learn the “fundamental principles of dignity, tolerance and respect for history ”. Spain's use of museums has paradoxically distorted the national historical narrative. There is no nationally funded museum in Spain that directly attempts to commemorate the Spanish Civil War. And, on an even broader level, there is no national museum dedicated to Spanish national history in Spain. Most museums, particularly those that aim to commemorate the Civil War, are privately funded and located in Catalonia. There are no Civil War museums in Madrid. The lack of national museums has led to inconsistencies in the Spanish historical narrative, thus distorting Spanish history making it increasingly regionalized and subjective. The regions of Spain have their own historical narratives that ultimately impede social cohesion. A typical example of this can be seen through the Museum d'historia de Catalunya, a museum funded by the Catalan autonomous government which aims to create a national identity for the region of Catalonia. Throughout the museum there is an underlying theme that aims to create a separation between Spain and Catalonia. The idea of ​​doing so not only established a separation between Catalonia and the rest of Spain, but also built a tension between the people of Catalonia and that of Spain that justified unprecedented movements for social change such as the Catalan Debate for independence. By implementing national museums on a more intensive scale, direct attempts to create a historical narrative agreed upon by all parties and regions could help the country move forward on a wide range of issues and social tensions. Spain's legal obligations to historical memory have put contemporary Spain to the test, seeing it manifest in diplomatic, political and social tensions. The UN has described Spain's contributions to the commitment to historical memory at a legal/political level as "timid". In 1977, a unanimous but unwritten motion on the “Pact of Oblivion” was adopted. An amnesty law was also adopted guaranteeing that “there will be no responsibility for the thousands of people who died during the civil war.” For Spain to overcome the past, paradoxically, the nation had to “la desmemoria” (which means to forget). Although it seems rational at the moment, the grieving process has not been achieved. The wounds were covered but not healed. Issues relating to the remembrance of the past have only been postponed and will always continue to persist unless they are adequately highlighted and addressed. 80 years have now passed since the Civil War and the Spanish people have still not obtained legal justice and are still asking for answers. The Socialist Workers Party in 2007 implemented the Law on Historical Memory, which aimed to condemn the Francoist state in many forms, as well as the investigation of much-needed historical archives and the creation of a truth commission. Nature.