The historical records of the Spanish Civil War were distorted to a certain extent by political bias, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects: ### The one-sidedness of the propaganda of the warring parties 1. **Fascist forces** - The nationalist camp led by Franco was supported by Nazi Germany and Italian fascism. Their propaganda focused on emphasizing that they were restoring Spain's "order" and "traditional values", portraying the Republican government as chaotic, corrupt and controlled by extreme forces. - For example, they claimed that there were a large number of anarchists and communists in the Republican Army, who wantonly destroyed social order in Spain and attacked traditional religion and family values. This propaganda was intended to find a legitimate reason for its military actions and discredit the Republican government. 2. **Republican government** - The Republican Army was an alliance of many political factions, including the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, and anarchists. Its propaganda emphasized that it was a defender of democracy and progress and was resisting the dictatorial attempts of fascist forces. - They portrayed the nationalist camp as a tool of fascist aggression, highlighted the military assistance of Nazi Germany and Italy to Franco, and emphasized Franco's collusion with dictatorial forces. However, there were complex contradictions and differences among the various factions within the Republican Army, and the Republican government may have downplayed these internal problems in its propaganda in order to present an image of unity against foreign enemies. ### Bias of international public opinion 1. **The attitude of Western democratic countries** - Some Western democratic countries, such as Britain and France, adopted a non-interference policy in the early stages of the Spanish Civil War. This policy actually favored Franco's nationalist camp, because the Republican government needed more external material assistance to fight against the well-equipped fascist army. - This attitude of Western democratic countries was partly due to the fear of communism. They were worried that after the victory of the Republican government, communism would further expand in Spain and affect the political landscape of Europe. This political bias made them intentionally or unintentionally ignore the plight of the Republican government when reporting and treating the Spanish Civil War, and pay insufficient attention to the movements of the nationalist camp. 2. **The propaganda orientation of the Soviet Union** - The Soviet Union firmly supported the Republican government and provided it with military assistance, weapons and equipment, and military advisers. Soviet propaganda naturally tended to the side of the Republican government, focusing on the heroic deeds of the Republican army in resisting fascism and the brutality of fascism. - The Soviet Union regarded the Spanish Civil War as part of the international anti-fascist struggle, and its propaganda purpose was to strengthen the awareness of the international anti-fascist united front and to show the positive role of the Soviet Union in the anti-fascist struggle. However, this propaganda is also somewhat one-sided. For example, it may have exaggerated the role of Soviet aid in the victory of the Republican Army, while relatively ignoring the comprehensive impact of the internal problems of the Republican Army and the international situation on the direction of the war. ### Record deviation under the long-term political influence after the war 1. **Franco's dictatorship** - Franco established a dictatorship in Spain for decades. During this period, Spain's historical records were shaped according to his political will. Historical events and figures that contradicted Franco's position were distorted or concealed, and the history related to the Republican government was belittled. - School education, cultural propaganda and other fields are full of content that conforms to the ideology of the Franco regime, which has caused the Spanish people to have a deviation in their understanding of the history of the civil war for a long time, the contribution of the Republican government was ignored, and the behavior of the nationalist camp was glorified. 2. **Re-examination after democratic transition** - After Spain achieved democratic transition, the research and record of the civil war history gradually became objective. However, the influence of long-term political bias has caused certain distortions in historical records. Many archival materials were tampered with or destroyed during the Franco dictatorship, and the memories of some eyewitnesses were also affected by the political environment at the time and became biased. - Although scholars continue to work hard to dig out and restore the historical truth, there are still many difficulties in completely eliminating the distortion of records caused by past political bias, and groups with different political positions still have differences in their interpretation of the history of the civil war.