When American schoolchildren are educated about Europe between the years 1936 through 1975, they are taught about the aftereffects of World
War I and about World War II. Europe, in high school history classes, ceases to exist after 1945 and the close of World War II unless, of course, one is learning about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall may be mentioned. They do not learn, however, that World War II era Spain—because Spain was neither an ally or a foe during the war—went through enormous conflict of its own. The three-year Spanish Civil War and the fascist dictatorship that followed are largely kept out of the American history books. Yet, the world is privy to much of its legacy through literature, art, film, and personal memory. Spain certainly remembers three hellish years of war and thirty six years of repression under Generalisimo Fransisco Franco, but how is General Franco remembered by the rest of the world? What legacy did he leave internationally? 2 It is a confused and varied one: to those closest to him he was a husband, father, and statesman; to Hitler, he was an obstacle on the road to world domination; to the Jews who fled from Hitler he was a hero; but to the many Spanish minorities and to his opponents in the Spanish Civil War he was a monster. 3
The answers to the questions posed are addressed in a variety of sources. One of these sources is the book Hitler Stopped by Franco, by Jane and Burt Boyar, who write a relatively straightforward book that explores many positive sides of Franco’s character. An alternative, contemporary view of the dictator, Franco: A Concise Biography written by Gabrielle Hodges focuses on the negative legacy of General Franco. This side of Franco rears its head in many other sources, including Hitler and Spain: The Nazi Role in the Spanish Civil War 936-939, a monograph by Robert H. Whealey. In it he focuses, as the title suggests, on Franco and Hitler’s relationship during the Spanish Civil War. In contrast, Tremlett Giles in his Ghosts of Spain addresses the issue of the tangible legacy Franco left to Spain in El valle de los caídos—The Valley of the Fallen—a memorial monument, and the Spanish peoples’ reaction to it. 4, 5
Not all aspects of a person’s legacy can be found in the sphere of academia, however. Art, film, and literature also reflect the events in the historical record, and from this material one may discover new and fresh angles to pursue. 6 For example, Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece painting titled “Guernica” presents just such an opportunity—it provides a window through which one can bear witness to Franco’s darker side. Another source that stresses the violence and horror of the Civil War and the oppression under Franco’s regime, but is symbolic rather than straightforward, is Guillermo del Toro’s El laberinto del fauno, released in the English-speaking sphere as Pan’s Labyrinth. This film draws parallels to Franco’s world through the eyes of Ofelia, the young
: The introduction sets up the context for an overall question of focus and addresses why the topic is new and important.
2: The writer poses an intersting and engaging set of research questions.
3: The paper is “thesis-driven;” this is a good, clean thesis statement that suggests an answer and sets up the argument that follows.
4: The writer introduces sources with a range of historical voices.
5: The writer provides historiographic context – what researchers have already shown.
Note: The author could provide dates for when sources appeared.
6: This paragraph effectively explains why the writer uses a wide range of sources and how adding new sources to the mix is beneficial.
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History: Sample Research Paper  female protagonist who