Spanish Civil War Memory Project

Summary

Leopoldo Iglesias Macarro was born in Nerva and moved with his family to Sevilla at a young age. Leopoldo recounts being nine years old when the Civil War began and describes his experiences during the Francoist regime. He tells that his family worked in a brewery until his teenage years, when his father moved them to the mountains for safety. There Leopoldo witnessed his uncle's murder and burial in a mass grave, as well as the imprisonment of several family members. He began secretly helping the Communist Party by taking them necessary supplies such as food, medicine, clothing, and guns. Leopoldo explains that because of these actions, he was incarcerated throughout most of his twenties. He relates his detention, highlighting the difficulties endured in jail. After being released, Leopoldo started a family and worked in several different businesses. He continued to run secret missions for anti-Francoist groups and formed new organizations of his own, such as the Asociación Hispano Soviética (Hispanic Soviet Association). Leopoldo discusses his experiences during the transition out of the Francoist regime and into democracy, commenting on the government's problems