The years 1936-1945 in Spain saw catastrophic civil war followed by fierce repression and economic misery. Families were torn apart and social relations were disrupted by death, exile and defeat. This study attempts to show how the Civil War was understood and absorbed, particularly by those who could claim themselves as "the victors," during and in the immediate aftermath of the conflict, taking as its main focus the repression and violence of the period, and the role of Catholic and Fascist ideology.