I think a big percentage of Spanish people have lost ancestors in civil war. The franco regime just picked union lists and people who was listed as working for workers rights and eliminated them after war. Also single mothers was put in internment camps and their child was taken into good families as being a single mom was considered immoral. Rape of women was accepted as a weapon of war by franco regime. They said "they believe in sexual freedom, we are going to teach them what sexual freedom means". People were converted into subjects to dominate in a corrupt catholic hierarchy. The republic wasn't perfect but the dictatorship was though. Even on my Spanish grandmother's side my ancestors was killed due to being listed in political opposition. If a woman was considered rebellious they gave her some sort of laxative shaved her head and made her go trough the village naked. I don't understand that people can have sympathy for the Franco dictatorship personally.