On the political value of science: The three lives of Spanish Mathematics in early Francoism

Abstract

This contribution offers an overview of the status of Mathematics and mathematicians under Franco's regime between 1940 and 1960. During the first decade, Spain was isolated, first by the war aftermath and World War II, and later by the isolation decreed on Spain by the UNO between 1946 and 1950. From 1950 onwards, after Spain and the USA had signed agreements leading to the installation of American military bases on Spanish territory (1955-1958), the rigid regime structures were somehow relaxed through cooperation programmes in various fields. Under these conditions, some mathematicians managed to generate mathematical results. Three stages or 'lives' can be observed in the years studied, which are well correlated with Spanish international policies and the social and economic health of the regime.