Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. During the early and mid-20th century, Spain experienced a period of political upheaval. What were the causes and effects of this political turmoil? What was the political regime, and what was this regime’s impact on Spanish society?

Teaching Suggestion: This question provides historical context to the era in which Lorca lived and wrote his plays. Spain was primarily an agricultural nation before the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). After voting to abolish the monarchy in 1931, Spain became a liberal republic; however, in 1936, Spain again experienced political upheaval as a rebel military group (known as Nationalists) moved to overthrow the Republic. Led by dictator Francisco Franco, the country entered a Civil War that lasted three years until the Republic officially surrendered. During the years of the Civil War, political dissidents were jailed and executed; one of these people was the playwright Lorca, who was murdered by Nationalists in 1936. Franco ruled as an oppressive dictator of Spain until he died in 1975.

• “Francisco Franco” is a History.