Exile occurs when a person must leave his or her homeland or place of residence for a forced reason.
Exile is the removal of an individual from the place where he or she resides or from his or her homeland . When this removal is forced and occurs for political reasons, it is called expatriation .
The consequences experienced by a person who is exiled and the place where he or she is found are also called exile. For example: "Repression drove thousands of people into exile" , "I have had insomnia since I was in exile" , "When will the exile end and we can return home without risking our lives?"
Exile throughout history
During the Second World War , when the Nazis and the Communists dominated a large number of nations, exiles took place in many countries. From Jews fleeing persecution to those forced to leave due to their political commitment, millions of people had to settle in regions far from their homelands.
One of the most famous exiles throughout history was the German physicist Albert Einstein ( 1879-1955 ); his destination was the United States . It is worth noting that there are not only individuals in exile, but also governments (such as that of Tibet ) or even nations (as occurred with Armenia between 1078 and 1375 ).
In Argentina , after the coup d'état of 1976 , thousands of individuals were forced into exile to avoid being imprisoned, tortured and/or killed by the military dictatorship . Among those exiled were numerous political and cultural figures.
Exile ends when the causes that forced people to leave their homeland disappear or when laws are modified, allowing the free movement of individuals within the national territory. Generally, once totalitarian regimes have fallen, democratic governments promote programs to facilitate the repatriation (i.e., the return) of those citizens who had to leave the country .
Albert Einstein had to resort to exile.
The situation in Spain during the Civil War
One of the most dramatic periods in Spanish history is the Civil War . It was the result of an attempted coup d'état perpetrated by Francisco Franco and those in favour of an authoritarian and anti-democratic regime.
This first blow did not have favourable results for the military , but from it a strong guerrilla war was unleashed in which many fighters died, both from the Republican side (who defended the legitimacy of the Popular Front government and political activists belonging to Marxism , anarchy and the workers' party ) and from the Francoist side (formed by the high command of national security, the Catholic Church and the bourgeois and conservative right).
This conflict began in 1936 and ended on April 1, 1939 , when General Franco publicly declared his victory and established himself in power, in a dictatorship that would last 36 regrettable years . To avoid being killed or tortured, many people from both sides went into exile during the war ; however, when it ended, the majority of individuals who had to leave their land were republicans or those who had an open mind, since the dictator annulled all political parties and unions and ordered the persecution of not only their leaders, but all those citizens who supported them.
The countries that received the greatest number of Spanish exiles were France , Morocco and Latin American nations such as the Dominican Republic , Cuba , Mexico and Argentina .
One of the most notable consequences of mass exile is the loss of a generation ; in the case of Spain , it was one of the generations considered to be the best educated in history (after the Golden Age ); fabulous poets and storytellers, scientists, politicians and health workers had to leave their land and settle elsewhere in order to save their lives.
Economically, the mass exile brought about a setback, given the numerous casualties and losses experienced during the guerrilla . This in turn caused a lack of scientific and cultural growth, which would not be restored until decades later, during the period of the Spanish Transition .