ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Language politics in Spain under Franco

Hello there! So let's talk about language politics in Spain under Franco.

First, let's talk about what language politics means. It's all about how language is used in a particular place or country, and who gets to decide which languages are spoken and how they're used.

Now, during Franco's time in power in Spain, which lasted from the late 1930s until his death in 1975, there was a lot of controversy around what languages people could speak.

Spain is a country with many different regions, each with its own unique language or dialect. For example, some regions use Basque, some use Catalan, and some use Galician. However, Franco believed that Spain should have only one official language: Spanish, also called Castilian.

So, Franco and his government took steps to ensure that Spanish was the only language used in official government documents, schools, and other public spaces. This meant that people in regions with different languages or dialects were often discouraged or even punished for speaking their own language instead of Spanish.

For example, students in Basque-speaking regions were forced to learn Spanish in school instead of their own language, and teachers who taught in Basque or other languages were often fired or punished. This was a way for Franco to try and make everyone in Spain speak the same language, which he believed would help unify the country.

However, many people in the regions with different languages or dialects did not want to give up their own languages and cultures. They felt that they were being oppressed and pushed to the side by the Spanish government. Some even formed political groups and launched protests to fight against Franco's language policies.

So, in summary, language politics in Spain under Franco was all about whether people should be allowed to speak the language of their own region, or if everyone should be forced to speak Spanish. It was a complicated and controversial issue, and one that is still being debated in Spain today.