Testimony of Rafael González Polonio, interview with Elize Mazadiego and Andrea Davis, July 8, 2009
Contributor
Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria University of California, San Diego González Polonio, Rafael Davis, Andrea Mazadiego, Elize
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González Polonio, Rafael
Description
Rafael González Polonio nació en 1933 en Montilla, Córdoba. Rafael recuenta que su padre fue uno de los fundadores del Partido Comunista de Montilla. Explica que su padre luchó en el Ejército Republicano durante la Guerra Civil y escapó a los campos de refugiados en Francia después de la caída de Barcelona. Rafael habla sobre su correspondencia con su padre durante este tiempo y sobre la noticia de su muerte en el campo de concentración Mauthausen en Austria. Recuerda las dificultades de la vida en Montilla después de la guerra. Rafael cuenta que se trasladó a Barcelona con el fin de buscar trabajo, primero se fue solo y después se mudaron con él su madre y su hermano. Describe su experiencia y condiciones de emigración. Rafael comenta que su madre empezó a recibir una pensión de viudedad del gobierno alemán a partir de 1949 y este dinero les permitió comprar una casa en Barcelona. Detalla su militancia en el Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (Partido Socialista Unificado de Cataluña) y sus experiencias en huelgas y manifestaciones en Barcelona, especialmente en la zona de Baix Llobregat, durante los años 1960 y 1970. Rafael relata su participación en diversas organizaciones para la recuperación de la memoria histórica, su visita reciente al museo del campo de concentración Mauthausen, y sus opiniones sobre la situación política actual. Rafael González Polonio was born in 1933 in Montilla, Córdoba. Rafael recounts that his father was one of the founders of the Communist Party in Montilla. He notes that his father fought in the Republican Army during the Civil War and escaped to the refugee camps in France after the fall of Barcelona. Rafael tells of his correspondence with his father during this time and of being notified of his death in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. He recalls the difficulties of life in Montilla after the war. Rafael moved to Barcelona in search of work, first alone but soon followed by his mother and brother. He describes his experience and the conditions of emigration. Rafael explains that his mother began receiving a widow's pension from the German government starting in 1949 and this money allowed them to buy a house in Barcelona. He discusses his militancy in the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia) and his experiences at strikes and demonstrations in Barcelona, especially in the Baix Llobregat zone, during the 1960s and 1970s. Rafael relates his participation in various organizations for the recuperation of historical memory, his recent visit to the museum of the Mauthausen concentration camp, and his opinions of the current political situation Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca) Interviews in Spanish Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship Rafael González Polonio's testimony was recorded in his apartment in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, outside of Barcelona González Polonio, Rafael. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2009 Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Spain, Spanish Civil War Memory Project
Type
moving image
Format
2 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb4608652j
Language
Spanish
Subject
Communism Interviews Personal narratives-Spanish History Oral history Nonfiction films Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya France Barcelona (Spain) Catalonia (Spain) Spain
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