Resumen de Referencias culturales en la prensa interna de la Academia General Militar durante la Transición (1976-1978)
- español
Las revistas internas publicadas en la Academia General Militar durante la transición en sentido estricto (1976-78) pueden servirnos para verificar algunos de los puntos sobre los que se basa el actual consenso académico en torno al papel de las Fuerzas Armadas y de los militares en el paso del franquismo al nuevo régimen democrático. Según lo publicado en ellas, los alumnos parecen compartir los códigos culturales de su generación y adaptarse a los cambios al igual que lo estaba haciendo el resto de la juventud española. En contra de lo esperado, a partir de las elecciones de 1977 jerarquía y profesores apenas utilizan estas publicaciones para adoctrinar a los alumnos en los valores políticos tradicionales
- English
Over the years, a clear academic consensus has emerged on the role played by the Spanish military during the transition to democracy and later democratic consolidation. Some of the key elements of this consensus are: a) the Spanish military are recruited within a very particular social milieu and do not fully share the general values of society; b) during their education in the military academies they are under pressure to adopt the Armed Forces’ traditional system of values; c) the most ambitious reforms undertaken in the Spanish Armed Forces over the last forty years have been based on profound changes in the system of military education; d) after decades of efforts, the Spanish Armed Forces are now more aware of their role in a democratic society and feel less isolated; e) reforms have mostly been the result of political pressure: the military have normally shown a strong preference for continuity.
The publications produced by the students of the Land Forces’ General Military Academy during the transition to democracy in the late 1970s have never been previously studied by scholars. Its close examination and analysis allow us to cast some doubt on elements on what we have called the “consensus”. In their cultural preferences, the cadets seem to be similar to other segments of their generation, in particular to college students. Otherwise, the political pressure on the cadets by conservative commanders and instructors appears much weaker than expected. Professionalisation and the preservation of internal cohesion, rather than Francoist indoctrination, seem to have been the main priorities.
The examined materials only offer fragmentary evidence of the life in the General Military Academy in the late 1970s and are very insufficient to challenge the existing consensus. However, the information they provide could maybe encourage more detailed and comprehensive studies leading to a more complete and sophisticated understanding of the role of the military in the making and functioning of contemporary Spain.
