Spanish Civil War Memory Project

Summary

Joaquim "Quim" Boix was born in 1945 in Barcelona. Quim relates that his parents were teachers during the Second Republic and the dictatorship. He describes his experiences in public school and at the Lycée Français de Barcelone. Quim emphasizes that, unlike in Spanish secondary schools, at the Lycée Français he and his classmates were encouraged to think critically. He notes his brother's involvement in the Communist movement during the dictatorship. Quim explains that he also joined the Communist movement, despite his parents' objection to his participation in the anti-Francoist struggle. He recounts studying at the University of Barcelona and helping create the Sindicato Democrático de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Barcelona (Democratic Students' Union of the University of Barcelona, SDEUB) in 1966. Quim narrates his experience during the Caputxinada, the three days when he, fellow students, professors, and intellectuals were locked in the convent of Sarrià following their attempt to draft the SDEUB's constitution. He details the strong repression that ensued. Quim recalls being sent to the Sahara in 1968 to complete his military service, as a result of his political militancy. Quim discusses the internal tensions that marked the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) during the Transition, his expulsion from the PCE, and his participation in the creation of the Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España (Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain)