No comments about The Spanish Civil War (Studies in European History).

3 comments about The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions).

1. There's so much material in this little book that I had to read it twice: the first time I was overwhelmed.
   
   There's an 8 page chronology at the back of the book which I suggest reading first, to get an overview of the flow of events.
   
   I had arrived at this book after reading Rudolf Rocker's "The Tragedy of Spain" and Colin Ward's "Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction", both of which discuss the role of the anarcho-syndicalist trade-union CNT in this civil war. The Wikipdea entry "Anarchism in Spain" also presents a significant role for the CNT in the Spanish Civil War. Graham references the CNT in a number of places but in minor ways, so I'm left uncertain as to whether they played as large a role as Rocker and Ward indicate. Graham notes some conflicts between the CNT and socialist groups which interfered with their working together effectively. Without help from England, France, and the United States and with limited help from the Soviet Union, the Left in Spain was at a huge disadvantage, given Italy and Germany's support of Franco. It seemed remarkable that the Left was able to fight for as long as it did.
   
   I don't recall studying anything about this civil war in school, let alone knowing how much was involved. The relevance seems high: a country in which conservatives and liberals were in serious conflict. The conservatives started a war. A sobering lesson: bombing of, imprisonment of and execution of liberals. The conservatives won.
   
   Graham has done her job in this introduction: I'm encouraged to read more about the Spanish Civil War. Graham provides 5 pages of further reading which includes some websites (3 in Spanish 2 in English).



2. This is one of the best books on the Spanish Civil War I have ever had. Not only does it do a great job at explaining the events before and during the war, but it dares to dive into the events afterwards. The major battles, the political parties, and the prisons.
   It also has a huge list of books for further reading and a great time line. I would suggest it for any person interested in Spain or history in general. Helen Graham has done a great job.



3. I just finished reading the book, and it was helpful because it provided a brief overview of not only the conflict, but also the "new Spain" that emerged in the postwar years. Unfortunately, the book was a tough read because it is very poorly written.

3 comments about The Spanish Civil War.

1. Since the war ended in 1939, the Spanish Civil War has been obscured by romantic mythology created by foreign writers like Ernest Hemmingway and subsequent historians, who have tended to portray this conflict as, "the first great, heroic confrontation between fascism and democracy." Frances Lannon, an Oxford history professor, notes that in this traditional interpretation, "the Second Republic remains a great cause that was worth dying for." Lannon eschews this traditional depiction of the conflict in simplistic black and white terms, a fight between fascists and communists for the soul of Spain, and views the war in much more complex terms. Lannon's account is well written and rich in detail; her particular areas of interest are the role of women in both sides of the war and the role of the Catholic Church in the conflict. Overall, Lannon's book is an excellent primer on the war as well as representing a far more balanced and objective account than has come from other quarters.

   The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 begins with short sections on the background to the war. These sections are interesting because they demonstrate that both sides had compelling reasons to resort to violence. While the Republicans (encompassing such diverse groups as urban trade unionists, rural peasants, intellectuals, communists and anarchists) viewed the Church, monarchists and the military as obstacles to the development of more liberalized conditions in Spain, the Nationalists fought to defend the traditional order from what they viewed as the imposition of alien cultural values. Due to the period of violence and disorder that preceded the outbreak of civil war, Lannon notes that, "many ordinary Catholics concluded that the new state would not respect their religion or protect property." Rather than the simplistic political depiction of democracy versus fascist, Lannon shows that the conflict had a strong religious dimension, and thus the conflict also could be depicted as Catholics versus atheists. Indeed, once the civil war started, Lannon notes that, "Catholicism went underground in Republican Spain, as churches burned and religious images were destroyed."

   Lannon's section on the warring sides is a bit short at three pages, but she gets the relative balance of the two forces. Her section on the fighting is 32 pages long and again, gets the main points, but without embellishment. At heart, this is more of a social history of a civil war, rather than a purely military history, and some readers may be disappointed by the short shrift given to topics like the German Condor Legion or the International Brigades. The text is complemented by nine maps: Spain in 1936, the first defense of Madrid, the route of the African army in 1936, fighting around Madrid in 1936-1937, the Battle for Madrid in November 1936, the fall of Malaga, the war in Vizcaya, the Battle of the Ebro, and Spain in July 1938. Lannon clearly likes the colorful propaganda posters produced by both sides during the war and includes eight full-page examples(almost 10% of the volume); a few more actual photos of the war might have been a better choice.

   Some readers may feel that Lannon goes easy on the nature of the Nationalists, given the terror bombing of Basque villages like Guernica and the subsequent repression under Franco's regime. In fact, something of a "Lost Cause" mythology has developed around the Republican cause, ascribing all sorts of democratic and liberal aspirations that were not evident in the policies of the Republicans. Indeed, reading Lannon, most readers will feel more revulsion at reading about the abuses of the Republicans, who murdered over 2,000 people (including 68 monks) in Madrid in November 1936. Lannon notes that, "one side protected religion, the other [the Republicans] attacked it and drove it underground. Churches were destroyed, religious symbols and statutes defaced and smashed." Not only were church marriages outlawed under the Republic but Lannon notes extreme examples where one witness saw, "the exhumed bodies of nuns in their shrouds that the revolutionaries had torn out of their tombs and displayed in the street." Was this a regime worth dying for? Lannon does note the repressive nature of the Franco regime, particularly in its hour of victory, when no effort was made at reconciliation with the defeated Republicans. About 50,000 people lost their lives in post-war executions and tens of thousands spent years languishing in prison. There is no doubt that both sides fought a brutal war of extermination against the other, but Lannon's account offers the possibility of distinguishing between the lesser of two evils. Despite an authoritarian structure, Lannon notes that Franco's Spain "was still a dictatorship, but its economy and society had modernized" by the 1970s. Lannon calls the rapid dismantlement of Franco's regime after his death in 1975, "one of the most successful transitions from dictatorship to democracy of the late 20th Century."

   Another theme that Lannon touches upon is the failure of international diplomacy. The British and French pushed the Non-Intervention Agreement in August 1936, by which signatories promised not to ship arms to Spain. Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union signed the agreement and then promptly violated it. However the failure of the Anglo-French to inhibit German intervention in Spain, coupled with the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, helped to instill more resolve to oppose German aggression in Eastern Europe.




2. This is a good book for who seek a brief introduction to the Spanish Civil War, but don't have time to wade through a 700-page history.
   
   Lannon handles this divisive war evenhandedly. She points out that both sides were somewhat co-opted by the movements of international communism and fascism and by the end of war, some no longer knew for what cause they were fighting.
   
   This book is subtitled, "1936-1939." Still, I wish Lannon had spent more time on the before and after of the war, rather than concentrating so much on the fighting.
   
   The book is well illustrated and designed, with posters, photos and maps on many pages.



3. For a slim volume this book packs a lot of information. The Spanish Civil War is often called a prelude of World War II but in calling it that you really do it a disservice. The Spanish Civil War was a unique conflict in its own right, with many aspects, such as the International Brigades and the Condor Legion, which caused the war to have an impact far outside Spain's borders. This book gives a fairly nonpartisan assessment of the conflict, a treatment which is rare given the gut reactions many have towards the conflict based upon fascist and communist roles there. The photographs which illustrate are excellent as well but not overdoen, which explains how so much info got into such a small book.

5 comments about The Civil War: With the anonymous Alexandrian, African, and Spanish Wars (Oxford World's Classics).

1. As a direct source this book is valuable and needed. To the casual reader of history (like myself) it is a bit of a drag. The book has highlights but the authors are writing it to their contemporaries. It is difficult for the modern reader to grasp exactly what is happening. I think a book with maps and further explanations as to motivations and battle tactics (to a layman like me) would have been of greater interest. One thing I can say, however, is that you get a first hand look at what Caesar must have been like. The book clearly shows his side in the most favorable light (not surprising) but not as much as one would think.



2. It was exactly what I wanted. A good translation of the book.



3. I bought this book as a replacement (lost the original plus many more to Hurricane Katrina). Any fan of the pre-christian world or anyone who would like a work that was written over 2000 years ago by one of history's greatest men, this book is for you!



4. I enjoyed the book on the Gallic War and equally enjoyed this book on the Civil War. The method of indicating and referencing notes was easy to work with. Additonally, both books have an excellent amount of introductory material.



5. As Jane F. Garner states in her excellent introduction, Caesar understood that one could not break the Roman Senate's de facto power in the Roman republic by using the sovereign power of the people. `One needed to secure military command, and with it, wealth, patronage and, not least important, armed power.'
   
   This book is in fact the story of the battles for the consolidation of one sole armed power in the Roman republic under one general, which would, indeed, yield sole power (dictator for life) for him.
   Of course, it reflects only the author's point of view. Julius Caesar's hagiographic autoportrait is one of a magnanimous, not vindictive or rancourous, but integer, just and generous general and politician.
   
   But his chronicle gives also an in depth picture of the war scene in Caesar's time, not only of long and short term tactics, but also of the (in)human side of it.
   The battles were in the first place a fight for water, corn and fodder, before a frontal confrontation could be engaged. The preparations therefore were more a matter of civil engineering than anything else: walls of up to 17 miles, ramparts, dams, river crossings, roadblocks, ditches and fences, towers and ballistic missiles. Animals like elephants, and even scorpions were used.
   The wars resulted in `farm-houses being burned down, fields devastated, flocks plundered and killed, towns and forts razed and abandoned, and the leading citizens slain or kept in chains while their children were carried off and enslaved.'
   Vae victis: `Soldiers won over by personal prestige of the general, persuaded by money and promises of gain, captured but, as their lives had been spared, they had been anxious to demonstrate their gratitude. These were the men whose bodies, remarkable for size and comeliness, now lay hacked and limp all over the plain.'
   
   The book shows also Caesar's psychological insight: `for we believe what we wish were so, and hope that others feel as we do', `rumour goes beyond the facts' or `friends become enemies in adversity'.
   
   Truly stunning is the end of the story: After securing sole military command, Caesar returned to Rome and was murdered six months later.
   
   With its tens of thousands of deaths, this book doesn't sketch a very positive picture of mankind.
   A must read for all historians and lovers of classical texts.

5 comments about Soldados De Salamina/Soldiers of Salamis (Coleccion Andanzas, 433) (Coleccion Andanzas, 433).

1. Un libro inteligentemente escrito, original y sensible : yo digo que un libro perfecto que cuenta una historia no tan perfecta. Me costo leer las ultimas paginas por las lagrimas. Llore por aquella guerra civil espanola que lamentablemente me recuerda el presente, las divisiones en Venezuela, lo absurdo y terrible que son las guerras. Un libro obligatorio por su contenido y para los amantes de la buena literatura, por su forma.



2. In 1937, Sánchez -Mazas a fascist writer and main ideologist of Spanish Falange was living as a refugee in the neutral embassy of Chile at Madrid, as the rebellion has caught him in the capital, ruled by the Republicans. He tempts to escape to France in a truck, but was detected in Barcelona also in the Republican side, and imprisoned. But when troops of Franco won and advanced in 1939, Sánchez- Mazas with some dozens of less important prisoners was driven into a forest to be shot before the arrival of the nationalists. Some prisoners attempted to escape. Almost none got to survive, but Sánchez -Mazas did, because although he was effectively found by a Republican soldier in a hole, it seems that man, feeling that cruel war was over and lost, and tired of killing, refused to shot him and said his mates he hadn't seen nobody. Mazas survived during some weeks hungry and suffering intense cold, aided sometimes by the inhabitants of the rural masías. Later, he joined the Franco's troops and was named a minister, mostly honorary than real.
   This is the skeleton of this novel, and these facts are true, but the narration includes more. At the beginning, the author, a journalist and writer of dubious talent -truly the own Javier Cercas if you want- hears to tell this story to a son of Sánchez - Mazas, also a real figure and excellent writer, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio. Cercas wants to know more about this strange episode, but Ferlosio, an old man something extravagant, eludes to explain more details, divagates with irony, as he has an ideology frontally opposite to his father, and refers to the soldiers of Salamina, the ancient battle when the Greeks defeated Persian fleet, as he thinks soldiers as these are capable to save mankind from disaster. The search of the identity of that mysterious, perhaps dead man that saved a prominent enemy sixty years ago is the full plot of this novel. Effectively, Sánchez- Mazas wrote a diary of these terrible days now almost lost in a library. The difficult searching of these possible soldier of Salamina has to end in France, when an eighty old year Spanish man named Miralles, ex combatant of both Spanish Civil and World War II with the Foreign Legion of general Leclerc survives in Dijon with terrible scars, now under French nationality. The author interviews that old soldier, an exceptional creation of the author and perhaps the best part of the novel, but the reader must decide if he was the man which didn't killed his enemy or not. Cercas does a reflection: "One doesn't find those things he search, but only those than life wants to give him".



3. De lo mejor que se ha publicado en la última década: un trabajo puntilloso y aparte conmovedor. Una maravilla de novela y punto. Que nadie se la pierda.



4. Fue recomendado inicialmente a mi por el Miami Herald y luego por una estudiante de Literatura Creativa en Espana quien conocia el fenomeno que causo una vez que recibio un premio.
   
   A los escritores les dicen: "Escribe sobre lo que conoscas". Asi mismo sentira el lector la historia; viva y personal. La ultima pagina nos deja con un sentimiento de: "Ahora que?"
   
   La pelicula es un homenaje a una gran obra por un escritor que nos ha mostrado lo dramatico que puede ser la historia vista desde adentro.
   
   Quien no quiero haber sido Javier Cercas descrubriendo esta porcion de la vida en Espana? Afortunadamente, el la vivio y nos dejo su legado, un legado de todos para recordar como la historia nos afecta a todos!



5. This has become one of my favorite novels after having read it for a Spanish class during our Spanish Civil War unit. I find the writing style very straightforward and appealing, and the fact that there are autobiographical elements incorporated into the character of the aspiring novelist creates an incredibly interesting, almost meta-novelistic read. The plot line is excellent and almost like a detective case, weaving both present and past in order to uncover the identity of the mysterious soldier in the forest. Great details and poignant moments -- an excellent and recommended read.

5 comments about Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past.

1. A liberal British newspaper reporter's hit and miss attempt at a book explaining Spain (his nearly adopted country) to us outsiders. Some hits (like how modern Spain handles the dark legacy of Franco) are offset by a number of misses.
   
   Historical facts, or guesses as to historical facts, get thrown in as space fillers; events that catch Mr. Tremlett's fancy are highlighted, whether reflective of the whole Spanish society or not; the level of writing is often barely above that of a talented reporter on deadline. The final meandering chapter entitled "Moderns and Ruins", especially, cries out for editing.



2. A British journalist who has lived 20 years in Spain, married and raising his 2 children in Madrid, the author investigates, reveals and muses upon Spanish culture, history and the forces of the "two Spains" as they come together, or rub against each other, in forming the modern Spanish world. A fascinating look at Spain, its subcultures from the Basques to the Catalans to flamenco to the Galicians, to drug culture to tourism and the very difficult and delicate process of choosing to forget the differences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's regime in order to move forward in a country that was once the most powerful on earth.
   I like Spain and its history. This is one of the very best insights into modern Spain. Highly recommended.



3. If you have time to read only one book about Spain, Ghosts of Spain, would be my pick for you. I have been to Spain several times: to Valderama for the Ryder Cup; to the Pyrenees to hike; to Barcelona to see Gaudi's works; to Bilbao to see "Puppy" and the Gehry Guggenheim; and to Guernica because of Picasso's painting of the same name. There is little in Spain that hasn't captured my interest. Ghosts of Spain has pulled together my varied experiences and has made sense of them. Ghosts is rich with history, pre- and post Franco, and with a devoted admirer's unravelling of modern Spain's political, economic, artistic, and social sensibilities. Read Ghosts and you will arrive in Spain to find that Giles Tremlett has given you an amazing gift, a "Rosetta Stone" for Spain. Whether you speak Spanish or not, Tremlett's Ghosts will make the new and the strange feel familiar. If you already know Spain, I suspect that Ghosts is even more of a "must read."



4. I wanted to learn more about Spain and the format of this book seemed ideal but the writer has a dull style that makes it hard to get through the book. It's repetitive; he uses the most hackneyed phrases and it sounds like a "What I did last summer" composition from a pretentious high schooler. It's neither a detailed history nor a good journalistic read.



5. Nice follow up after reading the classic Iberia by James Michener. Brings the reader up to date on life in modern Spain which is still haunted by ghosts of its civil war and the battle between tradition and modernism. La Transicion, or Spain's transition to democracy is something that is occuring both historically, politically, and personally as Spain enters a more globalized, connected world. Tremlett describes this "transicion" from all perspectives, but it is his personal perspective, as an ex-pat Brit raising his family in Spain, which I found particularly enjoyable. His descriptions of day to day life juxtaposed into chapters dealing with deeper historical and political events, such as the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the legacy of Franco, the Basque separatist movement, the pride of Catalans, and the 2004 Islamic bombings, makes this book very readable and pertitent to truly understanding not only the country but its people, and their remarkable history.

5 comments about The Spanish Civil War: Revised Edition (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. If all that you know about the Spanish Civil War comes from the works of Papa Hemingway or Pablo Picasso, this well researched history is for you. Thomas' work is well researched and librally cited throughout. He reviewed the surviving documents for both sides and interviewed many of the surviving players including Germans and Russians involved in a War which was a training ground for the European Dictatorships in preparing for World War II.
   
   Thomas lays out the causes of the war in part one. He gives us a breif history of the various parties of the Left and Right and their grievances which lead to the revolt against the Spanish Republic and Franco's Right Wing Dictatorship which ruled Spain until the 1970's.
   
   His review of the campaigns and international intrigue make for a good review of the events for non Spaniards who may not be familiar with this bloody period of European History where tanks, terror bombing, and blitzkreig were used for the first time.
   
   His discussion of European diplomacy in the book shows all the major players including the Germans and the Russians looking for a way to leave Spain without losing face and without triggering another World War before anyone was ready. In the end World War 2 nearly started a few years early and would probably been a two front war at once.
   
   He looks without judgement at the atrochities committed by both sides Republican and Nationalists which were horrendous enough to make their Nazi and Stalinist Soviet advisors cringe.
   
   A very Good History of the Period Leading to World War 2.



2. As the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War is approaching this writer is reviewing some important works that militants should read in order to draw the lessons of the defeat of the Spanish revolution. The writer has been interested, as a pro-Republican partisan, in the Spanish Civil War since he was a teenager. What initially perked my interest, and remains of interest, is the passionate struggle of the Spanish working class to create its own political organization of society, its leadership of the struggle against Spanish fascism and the romance surrounding the entry of the International Brigades, particularly the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the 15th Brigade, into the struggle.
   
   Underlying my interests has always been a nagging question of how that struggle could have been won by the working class. The Spanish proletariat certainly was capable of both heroic action and the ability to create organizations that reflected its own class interests i.e. the worker militias and factory committees. Of all modern working class revolutions after the Russian revolution Spain showed the most promise of success. Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky noted that the political class-consciousness of the Spanish proletariat was higher than that of the Russian proletariat in 1917. Yet it failed in Spain. Mr. Thomas' history of the period, if only indirectly, gives some answers to the reasons for that failure.
   
   When I say indirectly I mean just that. Mr. Thomas's history is strong on the main events, actions and points of the struggle. Militants, unfamiliar with the events of the Spanish Civil War can profitably use this history as a basic reader. However, if a militant is seeking to draw the lessons of the Spanish Civil War this book is not an adequate source and he or she must look elsewhere. Furthermore, Mr. Thomas makes no pretense to offer such a perspective and this writer would argue that he was hostile to any perspective but the view of high European, especially British, governmental politics. Fair enough. There is still plenty of basic information to be gleaned from this work.
   
   The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 has been the subject of innumerable works from every possible political and military perspective possible. A fair number of such treatises, especially from those responsible for the military and political policies on the Republican side, are merely alibis for the disastrous policies that led to defeat. Mr. Thomas' work analyzes those policies. Unfortunately, he is not sensitive to the base of society that actually fought, endured or fled the war. What Mr. Thomas does find is the furious nature of the struggle in Spanish society between the old agrarian- based economy and the newer capitalist- based economy; the religious tensions caused by the breakup of the old agrarian society and the tensions between believers and church-burners; the struggle between centralizers and federalists which formed the core of the unresolved national questions, especially in Catalonia; the intense political struggles within the broad sections that supported both left and right, especially the role of the Stalinist police apparatus; the international ideological political factors that played a role, if not as erroneously assumed the decisive factor; and, finally, the burning personal antagonisms that in a civil war pit brother against brother, family against family, town against town, etc.. With the caveat mentioned above-read on.



3. Hugh Thomas combines sound judgment with extensive research. The result is a history that tells you what you want to know and what you need to know.



4. Hugh Thomas account of the Spanish Civil War is the most thorough version of the events written to date. His writing style makes the reader believe the entire account could be fiction. It is very easy to read and you hardly feel like you are reading history at all. The Spanish Civil War is one of the most devastating conflicts of the 20th century. It is the precursor to World War II and showcased as well as trained some of Germany, Italy and Russia's top talent. The sheer devastation of tactics involved bullied a civilian population and decimated a country. The rise of Francisco Franco and his victory over the communists was made possible by fascist intervention. The democracies of the world worked hard to try and effect a peace but they were unsuccessful against the determination of the fascists and the communists to prolong the conflict. This is a complicated conflict to understand but Hugh Thomas tries to simplify it as much as he can. This is the best start to understanding the Spanish Civil War and for those who want to understand how World War II began.



5. Hugh Thomas's THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR is probably the best account of this tragic episode in Spain's history, and this revised edition hopefully expands and corrects the original edition, published in 1961. The paperback edition should make this classic readily available at a reasonable price.

2 comments about The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge, Revised and Expanded Edition.

1. Paul Preston is one of the world's foremost historians of Spanish history, so his focus THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR: REACTION, REVOLUTION, AND REVENGE is an essential acquisition for any military history library, appearing in a revised, expanded paperback to recount the major milestones and struggles of the era. It's a classic work and deserves a place not only in specialty military history collections, but in any general lending library strong in Spanish history and culture.



2. I have read several books on the Spanish Civil War. What I enjoy most about this book is that it is engaging and it is more than just a dry recounting of the facts. It gives the background and the causes and shows how the war evolved in a very open objective way, citing some of the problems on both sides that made the confrontation inevitable. I highly recommend this book if you want to understand what this conflict and how it evolved.

5 comments about The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.

1. He achieves an oeverall balanced account, letting us know exactly how it was that in the end the most noble people of all were the ones that really lost everything, on both sides. A story to understand how the Soviet Union came to wield so much world power at one point, and how it came to change (as it almost did for Spain) their destiniy forever.
   
   You won't repent.



2. If you are looking for a book telling you _how_ the Spanish Civil was faought on both sides - mostly as estatic warfare, on the WWI model, in which a marginal technological advantage was decisive, a military advantage the Francoist side happened to posess - this is _the_ book to purchase. If, on the contrary, you're looking for a History of the Spanish Civil War explaining the "whys" of the conflict - the ideological outlook of the contending sides and how it shaped their decisions, specially the decision of the Communist Left to fight a conventional war it would eventually lose - this book suffers from a lack of understanding that will leave the reader to offer an interpretation by her/himself. Nevertheless, a superb piece of military history that is never dull, something which is an outstanding achievement in itself.



3. le for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 by Antony Beevor is a much better book than the first full length book that I read on the Spanish Civil War--The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939 by Gabriel Jackson. Beevor is much more clear in his explanations and much more thorough in his description of the actual war. In defense of Jackson, he spent much of his book examining the pre-war history of the Second Spanish Republic as his title implies.
   
   Beevor starts by setting the stage for the drama to follow. He gives a good thumbnail sketch of the important factions--including the Carlists--followers of a century-old "lost cause" of dynastic struggle for the Spanish throne. Beevor then discusses how bitter partisan battles between the Left and the Right kept spiraling out of control. Most of the parties of the Left--socialist, anarchist, and communist--banded together as The Popular Front to win control of the Cortes (legislature).
   
   The various parties of "the Right" feared that a full blown Marxist revolution was about to occur, a fear that rhetoric from some in the Popular Front didn't calm. The result was a plot by leading generals, along with the Carlists and the Spanish Falange, to mount a coup d'etat. Beevor includes an anecdote about how the Falange ("Phalanx") was formed in a musical comedy theater. Beevor actually contests the idea that the Falange was a fascist party in the same sense as Italian Fascists or Nazis. The German and Italian fascists were populist revolutionaries, but much of the Falange was quite reactionary (in its purest sense). Yet the Falange certainly evolved into something close to its German and Italian counterparts.
   
   In fact, Beevor illustrates how both the Republic and the Nationalists had to manage a coalition of different factions. I don't remember a discussion in Jackson's book about just how Franco managed to outmaneuver other rebel leaders and become the supreme leader for the Nationalist forces and factions. Meanwhile, the anarchists running Catalonia almost started their own civil war with the Republic over the autonomy of Catalonia.
   
   Beevor pulls no punches about the brutality of both sides in the war. He makes the point that the "losers" sort of wrote the story of the Spanish Civil War because Franco's benefactors lost the Second World War. Although the Nationalists certainly engaged in more widespread repression, Beevor does not make any apologies for the Republic--whose secret police were run by the Soviet NKVD. Even more interesting is the fact that the communists maintained their own secret prisons where people freed by the actual courts of the Republic were incarcerated.
   
   So while we're on the subject of the communists, it seems clear to me that, the Republic would have been overthrown by a communist coup had it managed to win the war. Beevor never says it plainly, but the picture he paints leaves no doubts for me. The communists were at the forefront of insisting that the Republic would need a "regular" army rather than just party militias to defend it once the rebellion started. The communists dominated this new "People's Army," especially since they controlled the flow of aid to it. The one Great Power supporting the Republic fully was the Soviet Union. There were numerous anecdotes of unit commanders being forced to join the Communist Party in order to get arms, supplies, and even medical support for their units. And I already mentioned how the NKVD ran the Republic's secret police once the war started.
   
   And this gets us to the subject of foreign aid to the Nationalists. From the start, Italy and Germany were on the side of the Nationalists. The most crucial early aid was in the use of German transport planes to transport the Army of Africa from Morocco into metropolitan Spain. Beevor also brings out facts I never knew before. I have long been fascinated by the Condor Legion, the German military contingent primarily consisted of Luftwaffe personnel. (On both sides of the war, the foreigners ran the air arms.) But who knew that the Germans used their pocket battleships to shell Republican-held coastal towns? And the Italians not only sent three divisions of Fascist Party militia, but they also sent a regular army division.
   
   Speaking of the Army of Africa, it disappears from Jackson's book once the initial drive on Madrid fails to capture the city. So I sort of assumed that it was consumed by the effort, with the survivors going to other units. Wrong. The Army of Africa was reorganized into the Morocco Corps within the elite Army of Maneuver. The Nationalist Army of Maneuver was deployed wherever a major offensive was to be conducted. Jackson's book left out such military details--like why the Madrid offensive failed in 1936. Beevor also discusses the other major decisive battles of the war. He also critiques the generalship of both sides. Although the Nationalists get faint praise, Beevor excoriates the Republican leadership.
   
   One of the amusing and ironic features is how the ultra-Catholic Carlists would fight side by side with the Moorish regulares of the Army of Africa. The regulares were allowed to loot, rape, and pillage on many occasions.
   
   But let us return to the subject of foreign aid. While the Soviet Union supported the Republic, France vacillated. Part of this vacillation was because of British pressure. In Britain and America, the Republic enjoyed popular sympathy. But in the ruling elites, there was suspicion about the far-left nature of the Popular Front government. Franco was also astute enough to "mortgage" Spanish mineral rights and industrial output to secure aid from business interests overseas. Apparently, Franco's logistics were greatly aided by thousands of Ford trucks imported from the U.S.
   
   In a lesson still resonating today, Beevor details some of the tragic farce that was the Non-Intervention Committee. Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union sat upon it. Officially, there was supposed to be no foreign intervention in Spain. Yet even the parading of Italian POW's didn't sway Britain and France from enforcing the arms embargo. But Britain and France were increasingly more concerned with events in Central Europe as Hitler made his moves against the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, etc. In other words, no matter how perfidious the acts of the Axis Powers, the weak and indecisive democracies averted their eyes and refused to act.
   
   Beevor's book finishes with not only a discussion of the ridiculous machinations within the dying Republic, but also how the survivors faired after the collapse of the Republic. Tens of thousands were interned in France. Some key leaders were arrested by the Vichy French Milice or the German Gestapo after the Fall of France--and then turned over to Franco. Some key communists went to the Soviet Union and served there. Apparently, there was a Spanish company in the 2nd Free French Armored Division that led the way in liberating Paris. Beevor also discusses the careful neutrality of Franco in the Second World War. Beevor tries to make the case that Franco wanted to join the Axis, but that his asking price was too high--new Spanish possessions at the expense of the ambitions of Mussolini and vast quantities of military equipment and economic aid. This contradicts other historians who believe that Franco never really wanted to join the Axis but that he coyly strung Hitler along.
   
   All in all, this is a superb work to introduce someone to the Spanish Civil War. It is also excellent for those of us who knew some things, but wanted to learn more. The only real gripe that I have is that all of the maps are up front and not interleaved at the relevant points in the narrative. Otherwise, call this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my book.



4. I like Beevor's writing style because he manages to cover a lot of information in a very direct, engaging, and well constructed way.
   
   This book discusses a good mixture of the political, social, economic, and military events leading up to, during, and after the conflict. Beevor provides great insight here not only into Spain's many internecine factions, but the international policies, economic profiteering, and direct military action (or inaction) of other principal European nations that affected the Spanish Civil War's outcome and set precedent for later events triggering the second world war. While not heavily focused on the military details, this book provides a general overview of developments in military doctrine and technology that emerged or were employed for the first time during this period.



5. Lest I repeat what others have already written so well (and so many times), I will just affirm that this book is mainly up to Beevor's usual standard. Beevor has done us a great service in writing it as well, because the Spanish Civil War is probably one of the more poorly understood wars of the last century. I for one am grateful to have this resource.
   
   My only gripe is that it seems that he inserted a lot of the information recently gleaned from Soviet archives, in a rather piecemeal fashion. There were a number of paragraphs or, more often, sentences, that seemed out of place to me. I cannot be certain that these were not part of the original, but regardless, the flow that I enjoyed in _Paris after the War_ and _Stalingrad_ did seem to be choppier in _The Battle for Spain_.
   
   Because of that, if I were going to buy a Beevor book for narrative enjoyment, rather than to learn about history, I would buy his book on Olga Chekhova. I would not skip this one- I would just save it for a long winter, rather than the beach.

5 comments about Homage to Catalonia.

1. George Orwell must be an excellent writer because, in all honesty, I wasn't overwhelmingly interested in reading about the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, I really, really liked this book.
   
   Understanding the history behind the war isn't a necessity, but I definitely recommend bringing yourself up to speed via wikipedia before starting. That way, Orwell's personal recollections, which are the meat of the book, will be more relevant to you.
   
   Orwell presents a refreshingly honest account of the war and his own evolving take on it. Spain's resulting chaos is a prescient warning for those who take too passionately and seriously partisan politics. Orwell shows that it never takes too long before ideals are thrown out the window to be replaced by the centuries repeated same old quest for power.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War, human nature's struggle for power, or Orwell's insightful, often humorous observations.



2. Maybe the best plea against _any_ type of war. I recommend it strongly to everyone.



3. The Spanish Civil War has long been a myth-like legend of the inherent good in man unifying to fight against the inherent evil. Orwell exposes how the petty impulses of humanity undermined the leftist coalition of communists and anarchists, leading to internecine struggles which brought ideological cousins to take the blood of one another, something that history shows to have led to the defeat of the Spanish resistance to fascism and the rise of Franco's state. It is a lesson that should be learned by today's leftists who neurotically mimic the same stupidity, pitting Trotskyists against Stalinists, and Communists against Anarchists. Historically, the greatest enemy of the far left has been the far left itself. Perhaps if more leftists read this book, they would resist these petty impulses?
   
   Orwell's book is clearly written and conveys with clarity the images of war and human folly. It is a moving story of personal sacrifice and disappointment. It proved to be as prophetic about the future of Europe as 1984 proved to be prophetic about our own time. I would recommend this book for all ages.



4. A European with some sense of history (i.e. the preconditions of our present life) cannot do without reading this book.



5. This is one of the most complete and well-thought-out reports of the Spanish Civil War written in the English language. Considering the importance of international fighters in the war (debatable, but certainly in a political sense, noteworthy), and the effect of the war on socialist myth in the latter half of the 20th century, it is a book not to be missed by anyone interested in either World War II, modern socialism, communism, and/or anarchy, Spain, or George Orwell.
   
   The personal narrative was wonderful and typically vivid Orwell. His complaints about the politics going on behind the scenes, however, were sometimes dull. He admits (repeatedly) that he is biased and perhaps does not know all of what is going on. However, after reading _The Battle for Spain_, I got the sense that his complaining was actually very revealing from an historical perspective.
   
   I read _Homage to Catalonia_ and then _The Battle for Spain_ to get a basic idea about the Spanish Civil War, which I had previously known mainly through punk-rock songs and revolutionary anthem anthologies. I wish I had read them the other way around, though. Although I think this book is indispensable for English-speaking people to understand the Spanish Civil War, it is also a narrow view and very biased (as most works on the subject are). If it were anyone else, my expectations would be lower and I would probably have given it five stars. But compared to other Orwell works (including _Down and Out_) I would give it four.