Prof. Mariluz Maldonado Rodríguez History 4th Secondary

Read the text and underline new vocabulary.

In the 1930s, 75% of the Spanish population lived in the country and over 35% was illiterate. Education in the rural world was neglected by a ruling class that lived in the city. Teachers were badly paid and unmotivated.

In those days, the country was basically rural and somehow culture had to be brought to the villages. The rural world had to become literate in order to be on a level, at least, with the modern conditions found in other European countries.

In families with lots of children, boys and girls went to school for a few months of the year and some never went to all because when the were 4 or 5, as soon as they could, they were sent by the parents to take food to the workers or to go and look after the cows. Absenteeism was much higher among girls because in the rural world it was thought that girls didn't need an education for their lives. Values were different then.

The poverty in the villages was so terrible that they used to say:

“When you're grown up you'll eat a whole egg”

because in poor families the eggs were divided in two.

Even if they were illiterate, city dwellers had the possibility of getting a broader view of the world thanks to radio, newspapers, advertisements, cinema or store windows. The distance between country and city was vast. While some enjoyed the advances of the 20th century, others were leading an almost medieval existence.

When the Republic was proclaimed in 1931, was concerned about education. One of its aims was to end that backwardness, to give equal opportunities in country and city and to let the peasants know that they too were citizens of the Republic.The government wanted to bridge the gap between those two worlds.

To do this, they created the Educational Missions and Manuel Bartolomé Cossío was the president . The Educational Missions was a traveling school that went from village to village. To the poorest, the remotest, the most abandoned...

Teachers, school inspectors, artists and intellectuals travelled to the most underprivileged areas of the country to build libraries, show movies, reproductions, etc, to bridge the chasm separating urban and rural areas. For many of the inhabitants of these towns, that was the first time they read a book, listened to a musical recording or saw a movie.

Teachers were young, educated, enthusiastic volunteers, willing to travel to the most remote villages to teach Spanish culture and the new Republican policies.The total list of missionaries would probably be more than 500 people.

Notice at the library in a village:

“When you finish your work wash your hands an take the book you've requested.

Find a quiet spot and read. You'll allways remember these moments with pleasure.

Then put the book away carefully until you can continue reading.

Make sure that when you return the book, after reading it, it is as clean as when it was given to you.

People will think well of a village where books are read a lot and kept clean and in good condition!”

The Educational Missions produced a civic awareness among the peasants and, logically, that awareness expose them to a world of more democratic values and that was a problem.

Prof. Mariluz Maldonado Rodríguez History 4th Secondary

Look at the pictures bellow and talk with your partner. What are the similarities and the differences? Complete the chart.

PICTURE A PICTURE B

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES

To which period of Spanish history do they belong to?

Imagine that you are in the Spain of 1930s. How do you imagine your life in those times?

(No more than 200 words)