Alejandra Soler
A Spanish communist and educator whose life was a decades-long odyssey of exile, resistance, and teaching across the battle lines of 20th-century Europe.
1913–2017 (age 104)·Spanish teacher and politician·Birthday: July 8·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Alejandra Soler's story is one of ideological conviction forged in fire. As a young woman in Valencia, she threw herself into leftist politics, joining the Communist Party and fighting for the Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The defeat forced a long exile that shaped her life; she found refuge in the Soviet Union, where she endured the siege of Stalingrad and carved out a new career in education. Soler didn't just teach language; she became a cultural bridge, eventually training Soviet diplomats in Spanish at the prestigious Diplomatic Academy in Moscow. Her return to Spain after Franco's death was not a quiet retirement but a continuation of her activism, as she worked to recover the historical memory of the Republican exiles. Her life spanned continents and conflicts, always centered on her twin pillars of political struggle and pedagogical passion.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alejandra was born in 1913, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alejandra Was Born
The biggest hits of 1913
Alejandra's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1913Born
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Started school
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Became a teenager
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Could drive
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1931Could vote
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Turned 21
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1943Turned 30
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 40
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 50
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 60
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 70
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 80
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2017Died at 104
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Served as a Republican activist and educator during the Spanish Civil War before a decades-long exile in the USSR.
- Worked as a senior teacher of Spanish at the Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet (later Russian) Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Was a prominent figure in historical memory associations in Spain after her return from exile.
Did You Know?
She was one of the first Spanish women to graduate with a degree in Philosophy and Letters from the University of Valencia.
During World War II, she lived through the brutal Siege of Stalingrad while in the Soviet Union.
She published her memoirs, 'Una vida excepcional' (An Exceptional Life), at the age of 96.
“I fought for a Spain where education would liberate the working class.”
