Refugees in Portugal: frontier and vigilance at the time of Spanish Civil War (1936‑1939)

Abstract

In dictatorship context, officially established in 1933, authoritarian regime and afraid of contact with the outside, the rulers were faced with the massive influx of refugees from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and World War II (1939-1945). With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War on July 18, 1936, thousands of Spanish, civilians and military, republicans and franquistas, tried to leave the country fearing the dangers arising from the conflict. Portugal, because of its geographical proximity, was a country especially sought by Spanish fugitives as a place of refuge. Given the nature of the regime, it was priority to control and monitor the entry of these foreigners into the country. To this end, border surveillance posts were strengthened, especially in the first months of the Spanish conflict, and close collaboration was developed between the various Portuguese police forces. Despite these measures, many Spanish crossed the Portuguese border clandestinely and took refuge in the country, counting on the help of Portuguese and other Spanish residing in Portugal. This article explores the presence of these refugees in Portugal and highlights the border surveillance and police operations carried out in the north of the country in the early months of the Spanish Civil War to control this flow.