Keywords
Masculinity, Francoism, Chastity, Militarization, Conscription, Regeneration, Spain
Abstract
Using the military as a case study, this essay seeks to understand how chastity became a symbol of complete regeneration for Spanish society, both in terms of a physical revival of a soldier’s health but also a moral and spiritual reawakening of the Catholic soul. In analyzing military magazines, instructional pamphlets, and the memoirs of soldiers, this paper unpacks the relationship between enforced male chastity and Francoist military masculinity, demonstrating how ideas of manhood were deliberately altered to fit a nationalist project of regeneration. Finally, I place this conception of the “New Spanish Man” within the broader context of militarized masculinities in 20th century Europe, drawing parallels between Spain and similar countries such as Germany and Italy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Golde, Ava M. (2026) "'A Hundred Times a Man': Chastity, Martial Culture and Manhood in Franco's Spain," Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal: 7 (2), 55-90. https://works.swarthmore.edu/suhj/vol7/iss2/2
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