Photography and Education in Republican Soldier Newspapers in Spain (1936-1939)

Soldier newspapers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War constitute a source of around 500 publications, 228 of which are illustrated. This article is the result of a visual and textual analysis of these 228 publications. Our aim was to discover how photography of cultural and educational events was used in this type of press publication to not only inform but also educate soldiers by building visual discourses that were more striking and effective than the texts. After analyzing the images, we concluded that through these publications visual strategies were developed. The images, by themselves, were capable of transmitting to the soldiers the ideas about culture and education that the Republican side wanted to implement during the war. The photographs convey the idea to soldiers that comprehensive training was required not just to defeat fascism but also to start and achieve social revolution itself. Taking into account that around 80% of those in the People's Republican Army were illiterate, these visual narratives comprised an important tool for cultural promotion amongst combatants.