Cuando el humo se alza. La violencia iconoclasta y anticlerical en Vallecas durante la guerra civil (1936-1939)

Abstract

Anti-religious violence occupied a central role in revolutionary justice. The religious were the first victim, in general, and, in some cases, the only one in the towns of the Republican rear. The churches were seized by the various committees and micro-powers that took effective control of the streets. They put them at the service of the needs of the town, turning them into community spaces. This article will analyse the main anti-religious actions in the Municipality of Vallecas and the reason for this violence and its supporters or detractors. A novel aspect offered by the text is the possibility of comparing republican and Francoist sources on this violence and assessing the differences in judicial investigations.