Podcast Summary: "Cualquier tiempo pasado fue anterior | Magnicidios en la España contemporánea"

Podcast: Todo Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Host: Nieves Concostrina
Date: January 27, 2025

Overview

This episode of "Cualquier tiempo pasado fue anterior" dives into the turbulent history of political assassinations (magnicidios) in contemporary Spain. Using her sharp wit and storytelling flair, Nieves Concostrina explores the murders of Spanish prime ministers from the late 19th to the 20th century, with special attention to the often-overlooked details, motives, and broader political implications. The episode also connects these acts of violence to cultural memory, art, and the preservation of historical legacies, featuring interviews and musical interludes that illustrate Spain’s complex relationship with political upheaval and historical truth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Assassination of Carrero Blanco (1973)

• [00:30] Nieves opens with the events leading up to the assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco, President of the Government during Franco’s dictatorship, and references Henry Kissinger’s sarcastic reaction to the bombing.

  • Memorable quote:
    • Nieves: “Aseguraros de que cuando yo explote, vaya más arriba de cinco pisos. No tenemos que dejar este récord a los españoles.” [01:18], referencing Kissinger’s dark humor after hearing about Carrero Blanco’s car being blasted several stories into the air.

• The confusion among Spaniards at the time revealed political illiteracy fostered by the dictatorship.

  • Nieves: “Cuando se dijo han matado al presidente del gobierno. ¿Han matado a Franco? Preguntaban algunos. No, Franco no, a Carrero Blanco… Franco es un militar gallego que puede hacer lo que le salga del bolo porque es un dictador.” [02:49]

2. Chronological Review of Spanish Magnicidios

a. Juan Prim (1870)

• [04:32] The first on the list, Prim was executed after attempting to install a new monarch (Amadeo de Saboya) instead of a Bourbon.
  • The assassination remains officially unsolved, with many suspects ranging from political rivals to anarchists, but suspicion falls on the infamous Duke of Montpensier.
  • Nieves: “Demasiado sospechosos para un solo muerto. Acabaríamos antes si hiciéramos recuento de los que no querían matar a Prim.” [06:29]

b. Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (1897)

• [11:05] Architect of the Bourbon Restoration, he was killed at a spa by the Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo, who acted in revenge for brutal repression after anarchist attacks in Spain.
  • Notable moment: Details of the inhumane torture used against suspected anarchists during the Montjuïc trials.
  • Nieves: “Hasta cortarles los testículos con cuerdas de guitarra. Fue una respuesta desmesurada.” [14:20]

c. Eduardo Dato (1921)

• [15:23] Dato, described as highly conservative and repressive, was shot by CNT syndicalists for his support of draconian anti-worker laws.

  • The lack of security and the failure of police to protect him draws sharp criticism.
  • Nieves: “El fracaso de la policía es evidente y comprobado en todas las ocasiones... Es vergonzoso el personal subalterno ha mejorado mucho, pero en las alturas no hay un solo cerebro para dirigirlo...” (quoting Wenceslao Fernández Flórez) [17:57]

• The attack led to the first real reforms in police coordination for VIP protection in Spain.

d. José Canalejas (1912)

• [44:43] Canalejas was a progressive reformer, murdered while window-shopping. Despite warnings and knowledge of threats against him, security failures led to his death.

  • He had attempted to modernize Spain, pushing for secular education and reducing Church influence—a project halted by his death.

  • Nieves: “Canalejas era un buen católico con oratorio en su casa… pero era más anticlerical que católico. Consideraba la Iglesia el principal obstáculo para la modernización de España.” [48:25]

  • Tragic family connection: His nephew died on the Titanic, adding to the family’s ill fate. [50:12]

3. Cultural and Artistic Memory of Magnicidios

• Soundtrack of Assassinations

  • [20:40] Emma Vallespinós remarks on how the Kennedy assassination inspired numerous songs, including Bob Dylan’s "Murder Most Foul," showcasing the global cultural resonance of political murders.

• Art Segment: The Death of Viriato

  • [23:24] Ana Baltierra, art historian, discusses José de Madrazo’s painting "La muerte de Viriato," and why stories of assassination are central to Spanish heritage.
    • Memorable anecdote: The phrase “Roma no paga a traidores” (Rome doesn’t pay traitors) [28:31] comes from this ancient betrayal, immortalizing themes of treachery and political violence.
    • The painting, although claiming to be Roman, includes “Greeks” for aesthetic and symbolic reasons—a commentary on how history is filtered through artistic interpretation.

4. Preserving and Recovering Political Memory: The Amsterdam Boxes

• [32:35] Interview with Almudena Rubio, researcher and curator at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, about the "cajas de Ámsterdam," a trove of photographs and documents from the Spanish anarcho-syndicalist movement (CNT, FAI).

  • How the archive, containing thousands of original negatives and documents, survived World War II, Francoist repression, and was only recently catalogued and partially exhibited.
  • Almudena Rubio: “Mi relación con el archivo cambió radicalmente… quería responderme por qué con este material original no se ha hecho nada hasta ese momento.” [33:10]

• The difficulty of achieving proper recognition of anarchist legacy in Spanish museums, and the ongoing struggle for historical memory.

  • Almudena Rubio: “En algunos museos la negativa ha venido dada por… ese compromiso político de las dos fotógrafas...” [41:13]
  • Jesús Pozo: “Igual que les da pereza abrir fosas para rescatar personas fusiladas por los fascistas.” [42:17]

• Women in War and Memory

  • Almudena also highlights the overlooked roles of female war photographers.
  • Discussion of her music (notably "Anita la miliciana") as an act of historical recovery and protest.

5. Musical Closure: "Anita la miliciana"

• [51:51] The episode ends with Almudena Rubio’s song honoring Anita Garvín Alonso, a symbol of female resistance during the Spanish Civil War, reaffirming the link between personal memory, art, and history.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Political confusion under dictatorship:
  Nieves Concostrina: “Si Carrero es el presidente, ¿Franco qué es?... Franco es un militar gallego que puede hacer lo que le salga del bolo porque es un dictador.” [03:00]

• On Prim’s assassination suspects:
  Nieves Concostrina: “Demasiado sospechosos para un solo muerto. Acabaríamos antes si hiciéramos recuento de los que no querían matar a Prim.” [06:29]

• Brutality of Montjuïc repression:
  Nieves Concostrina: “Desde ser marcados con hierros candentes como si fueran ganado, hasta cortarles los testículos con cuerdas de guitarra. Fue una respuesta desmesurada.” [14:20]

• On historicizing treachery:
  Ana Baltierra: “Roma no paga a traidores.” [28:31]

• On art and history blending:
  Ana Baltierra: “Que aquí los griegos, Nieves, no tienen nada que ver. Da igual, no importa, son los antiguos. Así que metemos griegos y punto.” [31:23]

• On police failure in Dato’s murder:
  Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (quoted): “El fracaso de la policía es evidente y comprobado en todas las ocasiones... Es vergonzoso…” [17:57]

• On the struggle for recognition:
  Almudena Rubio: “Yo creo que en España debería haber un reconocimiento y de hecho tengo en mente, pero claro, ¿quién va a lograrlo en Madrid…?” [37:13]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |--------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Introduction – Carrero Blanco and contemporary meaning | | 04:32 | Juan Prim: assassination and political intrigue | | 11:05 | Cánovas del Castillo: Restoration and anarchist retribution | | 15:23 | Eduardo Dato: repressive politics and assassination | | 20:40 | Music and culture: Magnicidios in popular music | | 23:24 | Art and memory: "La muerte de Viriato" painting | | 32:35 | The Amsterdam Boxes: Archiving anarchist history | | 44:43 | José Canalejas: progressive reforms, murder, and legacy | | 51:51 | Musical close: “Anita la miliciana” by Almudena Rubio |

Conclusion

This episode masterfully combines dark humor, meticulous historical storytelling, and passionate calls for the recovery and dissemination of Spain’s complex past. From the violent deaths of politicians to the fight over memory in art and archives, Nieves Concostrina and her guests illuminate the persistent shadows of Spain’s history. For listeners, it’s both a lesson in the costs of political violence and a celebration of those striving to keep memory alive—through stories, scholarship, and song.