Figure 1.--Here we see the boys at a patriotic flag lowering ceremony. These ceremonies were a standard part of the program at a Falange centro familiar. |
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The organization that took the responsibility for the care of the stree children left in the wake of the Civil war was the the Auxilio Social. This was the women's auxiliary of the Falange Party. The Auxilio opened an orphanage at Valladolid very early in the Civil War (1936). More such faciities were opened as the War progressed and the Nationalists expnded their control of the country. The Auxilio called these facilities centros familiares or family centers. These were government operated boarding schools with different programs for boys and girls. The girls program heavily stressed domestic duties. The boys had a more athletically oriented program. The program promoted membership in the Falange Youth movement. The younger children would not have been aware of ideology. We are not sure how effective the program was with the older children who would have been aware of their parents hated of the Fascists and Franco. Many of the officials administering the program had been to Germany and observed the methods and operations of the Hitler Youth. The program was not an exact replica of NAZI methods. There was a stronge dose of Catholcism in the Falange program. The HJ program in contrast strove to cut children off fron the Church. I would assume that some of the individuals involved have published accounts of their childhood experience. Unfortunately we are not familiar with this literature. Hopefully our Spanish readrs will be able to provide us some information.
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