José "Pepe" Hormigo González was born in 1932 in Sevilla. Pepe recounts fleeing with his mother and siblings toward Malaga during the Civil War. His father defended the Republic and was jailed at the end of the war. Pepe emphasizes the contradiction in the justification of the imprisonment of Republicans for "rebellion" when it was the Francoists who had rebelled. He describes the poor work conditions of the prisoners whom Franco forced to construct the Bajo Guadalquivir Canal. Pepe relates joining the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in 1956, working clandestinely, and co-founding the union Comisiones Obreras (Labor Commissions) in Sevilla. He was imprisoned in 1963 and 1971. Pepe narrates his participation in the political organization of the prisoners in Burgos. He details life under the dictatorship and explains how the situation changed with Franco's death, noting the psychological effects it had on his daughters. Pepe discusses Colonel Tejero's 1981 coup d'état, the transition to democracy, the legalization of the PCE, and the Law of Historical Memory. He tells of the founding of the association Memoria, Libertad y Cultura Democrática (Democratic Memory, Liberty, and Culture). Pepe reiterates the need for an institutional recognition of the Francoist repression and the importance of generating historical consciousness in the youth. Pepe and Paula, his wife, comment on the three homages he has received for his enduring anti-Francoist militancy

José “Pepe” Hormigo González nació en 1932 en Sevilla. Pepe recuenta que huyó con su madre y sus hermanos hacia Málaga durante la Guerra Civil. Su padre defendió a la República y al finalizar la guerra fue encarcelado. Pepe destaca la contradicción en la justificación del encarcelamiento de los Republicanos por “rebelión” cuando quienes se rebelaron fueron los Franquistas. Recuerda las pésimas condiciones de trabajo de los presos que Franco forzó a construir el Canal del Bajo Guadalquivir. Pepe relata que ingresó al Partido Comunista de España (PCE) en 1956, trabajó en la clandestinidad, y co-fundó el sindicato Comisiones Obreras en Sevilla. Estuvo encarcelado en 1963 y 1971. Pepe narra su participación en la organización política de los presos en Burgos. Detalla la vida bajo la dictadura y explica cómo cambió la situación cuando murió Franco, notando los efectos psicológicos que tuvo sobre sus hijas. Pepe comenta sobre el golpe de estado del Coronel Tejero en 1981, la transición a la democracia, la legalización del PCE, y la Ley de Memoria Histórica. Describe la formación de la asociación Memoria, Libertad y Cultura Democrática. Pepe reitera la necesidad de que haya un reconocimiento institucional de la represión Franquista y la importancia de crear conciencia histórica en la juventud. Pepe y Paula, su esposa, hablan sobre los tres homenajes que ha recibido por su perdurable militancia antifranquista.

• July 2-3, 2008

• Hormigo González, José

• Eisenberg, Jodi
• MacManus, Viviana

• Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos
• Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica
• Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria

• University of California, San Diego

8 video files : digital, sound, color

Interviews in Spanish

José Hormigo González's testimony was recorded in Sevilla. In the interview, he refers to his book, Tiempos difíciles : memoria de un trabajador

Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship

• Burgos (Spain)
• Seville (Spain)
• Spain

• Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras
• Partido Comunista de España

• Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939)
• Communism
• Coup d'état (Spain : 1981)
• History
• Interviews
• Nonfiction films
• Oral history
• Personal narratives-Spanish
• Political prisoners

• video

• Spanish; Castilian

Mms: 991005748469706535

Online exhibit

• Spanish Civil War Memory Project

Sevilla, Spain :, Spanish Civil War Memory Project, 2008

• Hormigo González, José

Hormigo González, José. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2008

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2023-10-26