La depuració franquista dels advocats de Barcelona (1939-1945) : una aproximació a l'Il·lustre Col·legi d'Advocats de Barcelona de la postguerra

The entry of Franco's army into Barcelona marked a rupture in the city's history and, by extension, in Catalan institutions. The conduct of the Il·lustre Col·legi d'Advocats de Barcelona (Barcelona Bar Association, ICAB) during the post-Civil War period is a clear example. The aim of the article is, firstly, to show how the Bar Association was organized after the war, secondly, to analyse who constituted the new power in the institution and, thirdly, to demonstrate how, from the beginning, the new ICAB authorities were firmly committed to purging the association to ensure absolute sociopolitical loyalty of its members. The purge was a lengthy process that started in the spring of the Año de la Victoria (Year of Victory), when, without any ministerial guidelines, the Catalan government authorities encouraged the denunciation of "immoral" professional behaviour. However, it was not until the spring of 1940, through an order from the Ministry of Justice, that the Tribunal Depurador (Purge Tribunal) was created and a fully regulated purge protocol was implemented based on sworn statements and public hearings. This long purge process culminated in early 1945 with the closure of the Tribunal. Six years later, after clearing 1,600 cases, the ICAB was unquestionably on the side of El Caudillo and the New Spain