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 Too biased towards the republican side November 17, 2008
I didn't like this book as although no one would pretend that Franco wasn't a deeply unpleasant man let alone the German and Italian leaders who sent him assistance, the author doesn't seem to explain properly the following facts:
1 The republic government only had a small majority of seats and the opposition had a majority of votes. Although technically the republic government was the legal government a sensible govenment with a small majority of seats and a minority of votes would have tried to adopt moderate policies. The republican government managed to upset too many important groups at once with foolish policies some of which may have been right and some of which were definitely wrong but all of which were foolish for a government with only a small majority to introduce. They alienated the Church, the armed forces, the peasantry in some areas of the country, the landowners and even the moderate middle class. There were huge areas of the country where they were deeply unpopular.
2 During the Spanish Civil War there was infighting between communist and anarchist groups. Read Orwell's "Homagee to Catalonia" for details.
3 Both sides carried out gratuitous atrocities and the republicans murdered thousands of low ranking priests, monks and nuns many of whom had never had any involvement with politics and had spent their entire lives teaching or nursing the poor.
4 The republic govenment was supported by the USSR and the attitude of the republic government towards religion and private property made it difficult for many other countries e.g. the United States and Great Britian to give it any moral support.
 Really useful Introduction June 26, 2008
I was a total beginner in terms of knowing about the Spanish Civil War and came across this little book in the local branch of Blackwells. As an introductory text, it is superb, the layout of each chapter indicating the main themes which may further be explored.
The author first gives an overview of the origins of the war: the dying colonialism of Spain's Imperial past, the consequent loss of status and role for the officer clas, the rise of a new industrial class, the increasing influence of the professions, all of which came to challenge the traditonal grip of the church and the big estate owners.
The author then situates these political and economic changes within the context of the wider European struggles following the first World War, particulary the establishment of the Soviet Union and the consequent fears that Spain would also become socialist. Because of these, the support for Franco by the governments of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, which together with 'non-aligned' policies of Britain and the UK were in effect, guaranteed to lead to the defeat of the second Spanish Republic.
The author also discusses the internal splits between the socialists, communists,and the anarchists, its iconic significance for the international community of artists and intellectuls who moved by the Republican's idealism and effective military, political and economic isolation within Europe wrote, fought, painted and fought for the cause. She also en passim reflects upon the impact upon women, many of whom became political activists or fighters. She concludes that its signicance is crucial to any understanding of the subsequent development of European history.
 A Very Substantial Introduction October 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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)
Great overview of the political and social impact, less so for military aspects and causes April 18, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Before you buy this book, you need to ask yourself what aspects of the Spanish Civil war are you most curious about. If you are interested in the military history, then this is not the book for you, as little attention is devoted to the military developments of the war. Also, if you are interested in the origins of the war (i.e. what started it) then this book will only provide a general overview of the antecedents rather than a complex examination of them. However, if you have a general curiosity about the Civil War, especially the social and political aspects of it whilst it was going on, then this is a superb book.
The author has done three things particularly well. Firstly, the author been able to explain the political motivations of the outside powers Italy and Germany, whose involvement had more to do with cynical financial gains than it did with any ideological commonality with Franco. Secondly, the book beautifully examines and explains the strategies and motivations for the faction leaders. I found this to be amongst the most interesting aspects, and it was very informative to learn why Mussolini, Hitler, Franco and Negrin were involved in the war, and what strategies they had in place to get the best favourable outcome for their side. Finally, the author also elegantly weaves the international frictions of the time into the conflict into the story.
Another interesting and enjoyable part of the book is its examination of what happened to the losing side. We discover that many fighters fled to France and became active in the French resistance, some even making it via the leftist underground to the USSR. Indeed, many of these men would one day fight the Spanish nationalists for a second time, as they clashed with Spanish Blue Shirt volunteers in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front.
The book does have one or two weaknesses. One weakness is the aforementioned scant treatment of the origins of the war and its military developments, although to be fair the author does warn us that these aspects will not be covered in any depth. Perhaps more serious is the slight bias the author has for the Republican side in the conflict. Indeed, her accounts of the Republic border at times on a letter to a fan club, or even a hagiography.
All in all however, the book provides an excellent overview of the Spanish Civil War, and for the price is simply the best introduction there is.
A great starting point June 27, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is a great introduction to the topic. There is all the information you require to get an overall picture of the war and give you ideas for areas to further research.
My one complaint would be that I found it sprang back and forth a bit in terms of time lines, but referring to the breakdown of the war by date at the back of the book helped keep it in order.
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