In a social context where anti-democratic ideas are spreading with dangerous impunity, taking root among the younger sectors through the trivialization and glorification of Francoism, among other issues, the didactic proposal Queda inaugurado este pantano [This reservoir is hereby inaugurated]: forced labour in Benagéber (Figure 1), elaborated by an interdisciplinary team of teachers and researchers and published with the support of various educational and memorial institutions, is a teaching tool that is as necessary as it is courageous. With historical precision and ethical responsibility, this resource offers a critical look at one of the darkest chapters in contemporary Spanish history: the forced labour of political prisoners under the Franco regime. The project focuses on the paradigmatic case in Valencia of the construction of the Benagéber reservoir through the “redemption of penalties for work” system, a mechanism of repression disguised as a criminal advantage. It exemplifies the systematic use of slave labour as a domination and propaganda technique (García Funes, 2022; Gómez Bravo, 2008).

This proposal is remarkable not only because of the historical importance of the topic it covers, but also due to the transformative approach it encourages for classroom work, directly engaging the historical awareness of younger generations. With the normative support of international documents such as Resolution 2004/72 of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, UNESCO guidelines and State Law 20/2022 on democratic memory, the initiative understands that memory teaching is not only an educational option, but a democratic requirement. In addition, its publication takes on special significance in the current Valencian context, marked by the recent repeal in 2024 of Valencia’s specific legislation on historical memory, which constitutes a grave step backwards in human rights and the symbolic reparation for victims.

The material is structured around three thematic blocks: prisoners and forced labour, life in the town, and the historical and memorial synthesis. Each section combines detailed explanations, historiographic content, archival materials and didactic activities that promote dynamic, analytical and participatory learning, addressing both students and teachers, to provide pedagogical and conceptual resources that promote the development of essential skills such as critical thinking, contextualized understanding of historical processes and civic responsibility.

One of the most relevant aspects of the proposal is the exhaustive use of primary sources, including oral witnesses, photographs, court documents, maps and official records. This makes it possible to accurately reconstruct the repressive operation of the regime and the arbitrariness of the Francoist judicial system. This documentary approach not only guarantees methodological rigor but also provides students with tools for thinking historically and reflecting on values such as justice, dignity and legality (Figure 2). In this way, Francoism is presented as what it was: a regime that used prison labour for political, economic and indoctrinating purposes, in tune with other totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. The resource therefore establishes bridges of comparison for understanding the global dimension of this phenomenon.

In addition, this teaching material provides useful tools for questioning and dismantling the propaganda stories spread by the Franco regime, such as the myth of the supposed progress associated with constructing reservoirs. Far from representing any sign of social or economic progress, these dams were built with the forced labour of prisoners subjected to extremely harsh living conditions involving strenuous working hours, insufficient food and constant suffering. Precisely for this reason, this proposal is essential for making visible the repression and systematic exploitation of those defeated in the Civil War and to counteract the current increase in revisionist and denialist discourses that frequently manipulate or deliberately omit essential information to perpetuate biased stories of the past.

Likewise, although forced labour primarily affected men, this educational material also includes an essential gender perspective, uncovering the frequently overlooked role played by women, both in the town of Benagéber and Franco’s regime as a whole. This approach reveals the dual oppression they endured—as politically persecuted individuals and as women under a patriarchal system—while highlighting and honouring the caregiving and community support work they performed. The resource creates a critical connection to the present day, encouraging us to think about how work is divided according to gender and how gender employment patterns have changed in today’s society. It therefore recovers and celebrates historically neglected experiences that are not usually given enough attention in schools, despite how dangerous this gap in knowledge can be for our students. The resource makes the contributions of women visible and acknowledges their significance in shaping our collective memory (Boix Vicente, 2024; Ibáñez Domingo, 2016).

Another decisive issue is the analysis of the Francoist education system as a means of ideological indoctrination (Figure 3). The teaching material shows how education under the dictatorship was based on the principles of National Catholicism, which became a key instrument for transmitting the regime’s values to the younger generations. This pedagogy, marked by authoritarianism and exclusion, promoted the return to traditional morality, the centrality of the Catholic religion and the exaltation of Francoism. This can be clearly seen in the physical configuration of the town of Benagéber as the school and the church are located next to each other even though they were not built at the same time. This situation strongly expresses the symbiosis between religious and political power, a fundamental characteristic of the dictatorship.

Finally, a key element of the resource is the distinction between history and memory, since it is not limited to the simple transmission of information and facts, but rather aims to promote the construction of a plural, critical and reflective collective memory that acts as a process of reparation, inclusion and social recognition. This translates into activities that directly challenge students, inviting them to interpret, position themselves and formulate proposals. The educational material promotes an active, empathetic and responsible attitude towards the past, thus contributing to the construction of a more just and democratic society.

In conclusion, Queda inaugurado este pantano [This reservoir is hereby inaugurated]: forced labour in Benagéber is a didactic proposal that successfully combines historiographic rigor, ethical commitment and pedagogical innovation. In a political and social context in which democratic memory is once again being called into question, this resource is presented as a key tool for fostering critical, conscious and supportive citizenship. At the same time, it promotes the recognition of the victims and the visibility of the violence exercised by Francoism in all its forms, which are aspects that, unfortunately, continue to be scarcely present in the usual educational materials (Fuertes Muñoz & Banderas Navarro, 2024). Incorporating this resource into high school classrooms is, without doubt, highly recommendable, not only for what it explains about the past, but also for what it helps us understand about our present and the future we want to build.