Playing Cards During the Spanish Civil War

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), people continued to play cards on the front lines, behind the lines and in shelters, although paper shortages and the takeover of factories made playing cards harder to produce. Both sides also used decks as a vehicle for propaganda, replacing the court cards with characters associated with their ideology.

A deck in the backpack

A deck of cards weighs very little, needs no table and helps the hours pass. On the front lines, where there were long waits, card games were one of the few ways to kill time and talk about something other than the war. Many soldiers’ accounts and letters mention them in passing.

Decks with a message

A deck of cards is something everyone handles every day, which makes it perfect for propaganda. In those years, decks were published in which reyes (kings), caballos (knights) and sotas (jacks) were replaced by militia members, soldiers or other political figures. Today, they are collectors’ items, and some are preserved in playing card museums. This is nothing new: cards have been under scrutiny for centuries, as we explain in banned and censored cards.

Factories in difficulty

Paper, ink and labour were all in short supply. Some playing card factories came under the control of committees or the authorities in each area, and production was reduced or adapted. Amid the shortages of the post-war years, people played with heavily worn and patched-up decks.

The post-war years: finding refuge in a card game

With few leisure options available, card games in cafés, village social clubs and around the table after meals became one of the main pastimes of the 1940s and 1950s. We explore this in the cafés of never-ending card games and village social clubs.