For a long time, Spain’s Transition was considered exemplary. However, in recent years, it has been widely questioned as demands for truth and justice regarding the atrocities committed by Franco’s forces during the war and postwar period have gained strength.

The dominant narrative of the Transition urged Spaniards to leave the past behind as the only possible path to a peaceful democracy, built on the idea that all sides were equally guilty of the barbarity of the conflict. This fundamental pillar of the Transition is beginning to crack as the exhumations of executed Republicans disturb the long-standing silence surrounding Franco’s victims, and the confessions of perpetrators expose uncomfortable truths about the past. This excellent, clear, and concise essay analyzes how this transformation has unfolded.