The Spanish Civil War, and associated Revolution, is often approached as the prelude to the Second World War - a testing ground for the weapons and tactics that would be employed three years later - or, with so many factions involved, each with their own political and social agenda, as something of a crusade - whether against Fascism, Communism, Conservatism, or Anarchism. And while this certainly holds an element of truth, it presents a far too simplified picture of the war, and perpetuates the continued misunderstanding of its underpinnings in popular memory and political debate.
For this AMA, we have brought a diverse panel of specialists to cover all aspects of the war. We all have our particular focuses, but look forward to questions on any and all parts!
/u/domini_canes has studied the Spanish Civil War with a particular focus on violence against noncombatants--specifically anticlerical violence. He also examines the difference in approach for the Vatican and the Catholic Church in Spain, as well as the overall ideological underpinnings of the conflict.
/u/Georgy_K_Zhukov has a primary focus on the role of the American “Abe Lincolns” of the International Brigade. The Spanish Civil War is one of his first ‘historical loves’ and a topic that he always returns to from time to time in his studies. (Side note: I won't be citing sources in my posts, but rather providing a full bibliography here, as it is simpler that way).
/u/k1990 studied history at the University of Edinburgh, and wrote his undergraduate dissertation on the role of Anglo-American war correspondents in framing contemporary and later historical narratives about the Spanish Civil War. He has a particular interest in international engagement with Spain, and the civil war as a flashpoint for competing revolutionary ideologies.
/u/tobbinator was initially drawn to the war by the intrigue and politics. He is mostly interested in the anarchist role during the war, which has become a main area of study.
So bring on your questions!
How revolutionary was the general populace in areas controlled by the anarchists? Did they actually believe in the anarchist ideals? To what extent were those ideals actually carried out?
How did one go about actually joining the 'Abe Lincolns'? I'm imagining something between an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine and some of the bright eyed folks I knew in college who 'joined' the Zapatistas. In any case, something very individual and not en masse. But they wound up in larger organized groups, somehow...
Was the anarchist social revolution in Barcelona as successful as George Orwell portrayed, and was it really defeated by Stalinist communist forces? What was post-anarchist Barcelona like? I only seem to see Orwell quoted on the subject, and I don't know if that's because he is just our most convenient primary source (because he's already in English) or if it's because he was exaggerating the degree to which social change actually occurred (he was only in the city for relatively brief periods of time). Again, not asking about military or political history, but very much social history, daily experiences of the common people "from the bottom up".
For convenience for those not familiar with it, here are Orwell's famous passage on that period time:
The Anarchists were still in virtual control of Catalonia and the revolution was still in full swing. To anyone who had been there since the beginning it probably seemed even in December [1936?] or January that the revolutionary period was ending; but when one came straight from England the aspect of Barcelona was something startling and overwhelming. It was the first time that I had ever been in a town where the working class was in the saddle. Practically every building of any size had been seized by the workers and was draped with red flags or with the red and black flag of the Anarchists; every wall was scrawled with the hammer and sickle and with the initials of the revolutionary parties; almost every church had been gutted and its images burnt. Churches here and there were being systematically demolished by gangs of workman. Every shop and cafe had an inscription saying that it had been collectivised; even the bootblacks had been collectivized and their boxes painted red and black. Waiters and shop-walkers looked you in the face and treated you as an equal. Servile and even ceremonial forms of speech had temporarily disappeared. Nobody said 'Sen~or' or 'Don' ort even 'Usted'; everyone called everyone else 'Comrade' or 'Thou', and said 'Salud!' instead of 'Buenos dias'. Tipping had been forbidden by law since the time of Primo de Rivera; almost my first experience was receiving a lecture from a hotel manager for trying to tip a lift-boy. There were no private motor-cars, they had all been commandeered, and the trams and taxis and much of the other transport were painted red and black. The revolutionary posters were everywhere, flaming from the walls in clean reds and blues that made the few remaining advertisements look like daubs of mud. Down the Ramblas, the wide central artery of the town where crowds of people streamed constantly to and fro, the loud-speakers were bellowing revolutionary songs all day and far into the night. And it was the aspect of the crowds that was the queerest thing of all. In outward appearance it was a town in which the wealthy classes had practically ceased to exist. Except for a small number of women and foreigners there were no 'well-dressed' people at all. Practically everyone wore rough working-class clothes, or blue overalls or some variant of militia uniform. All this was queer and moving. There was much in this that I did not understand, in some ways I did not not even like it, but I recognized it immediately as a state of affairs worth fighting for. Also, I believed that things were as they appeared, that this was really a workers' State and that the entire bourgeoisie had either fled, been killed or voluntarily come over to the workers' side; I did not realise that great numbers of well-to-do bourgeois were simply lying low and disguising themselves as proletarians for the time being.
Together with all this there was something of the evil atmosphere of war. The town had a gaunt untidy look, roads and buildings were in poor repair, the streets at night were dimly lit for fear of air-raids, the shops were mostly shabby and half-empty. Meat was scarce and milk practically unobtainable, there was a shortage of coal, sugar and petrol, and a really serious shortage of bread. Even at this period the bread-queues were often hundreds of yards long. Yet so far as one could judge the people were contented and hopeful. There was no unemployment, and the price of living was still extremely low; you saw very few conspicuously destitute people, and no beggars except the gypsies. #Above all, there was a belief in the revolution and the future, a feeling of having suddenly emerged into an era of equality and freedom. Human beings were trying to behave as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine. In the barbers' shops were Anarchist notices (the barbers were mostly Anarchists) solemnly explaining that barbers were no longer slaves. In the streets were coloured posters appealing to prostitutes to stop being prostitutes. To anyone from the hard-boiled, sneering civilization of the English-speaking races there was something rather pathetic in the literalness with which these idealistic Spaniards took the hackneyed phrase of revolution. At that time revolutionary ballads of the naivest kind, all about the proletarian brotherhood and the wickedness of Mussolini, were being sold on the streets for a few centimes each. I have often seen an illiterate militiaman buy one of these ballads, laboriously spell out the words, and then, when he had got the hang of it, begin singing it to an appropriate tune.
Later in the book, he describes how this was brought to an end not by the Francoists but by the Stalinists.
Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is one of the most popular non-fiction accounts the conflict. In what ways is Orwell's experience normal/abnormal for foreign soldiers who fought in the Spanish Civil War?
I've always been fascinated by the concept of intelligence agents in times of war, but never heard much from their play during the Spanish Civil War. I think I learnt most from tv series, so it's probably very romanticized. How did they operate and how were they organized for both sides of the conflict? Thank you!
What sort of connections are there between the Spanish Civil War and the First World War? Either in terms of combat operations and tactics, the role of veterans, or otherwise?
What exactly drew people to fascism? It doesn't seem like the most appealing thing to me.
Hi, I'm actually from Spain but don't know as much about history as I wish, so I got a few questions:
Why did the rebels win? This sounds simple, but did they control more forces of the spanish army than the republicans or were they just better at gaining the support of the civilians?
Why didn't external forces intervene further? I get they were as scared of communism/anarchism as they were of fascism, but besides sending volunteers did they provide any more help? Weren't countries like France and Great Britain scared of a possible union between Spain, Germany and Italy?
3)How much damage did the internal division on the "republican" side do? I mean there were republicans, but then there were some anarchists, communists, etc. was that one of the main reasons they lost the war or even if they had stayed together it would have been impossible to beat the rebels?
How did Franco exactly rise to power? Did he have something to do in the deaths of those that were above him? (If I remember correctly Mola or Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera were supposed to be the leaders)
What was exactly the intention of the war? They didn't want to bring back the king, so did they just hate the current government or did they intend to simply get power for themselves?
Lastly, where there any groups "in the shadows" financing or promoting this rebellion? Who were they? Besides other nations who were the main leaders or promoters of this rebellion (not just on the military side)?
Thanks, I know there are many questions but if you could answer just some of them it would be great!
Hope I'm not too late, but my favourite band - Manic Street Preachers - wrote a song "If You Tolerate This" that hit #1 in the UK charts in 1998. The song is inspired by stories of Welsh miners travelling to Spain in order to fight the fascists. What do you know of these stories? Was it just isolated cases or a large scale movement and if so what effects did it have?
Hey there! Thank you so much for doing this AMA. I'm very interested in what was going on with the anarchists during the war.
Again thanks for doing this. I hope not too many of my questions were rooted in false presumptions.
Who were the best fighters on the Republican side, and why? I know the Francoists had their Moroccan troops, who were pretty good, but what did the Republicans have? Who were their best formations?
As promised, I'm providing a full bibliography of all the works I am citing information from, as well as a few books that, while I might not be drawing specific info from, nevertheless have informed my general understanding of the war! I may add more to this later.
The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas - Simply the best, most comprehensive single volume history of the war. I can’t recommend it highly enough if you really want to learn about the war!
The Spanish Civil War by Antony Beevor - A pretty good introductory text to the war, but mostly a rehash if you already have a solid base of knowledge. Beevor has a very accessible writing style as well.
The Spanish Civil War by Frances Lannon - A quick overview of the war. Good if you’re in a rush!
The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction by Helen Graham - Also a nice, quick introduction.
The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade by Peter Carroll - An interesting and comprehensive history of the experience of the American volunteers with the International Brigades.
History in Dispute, Vol. 18: The Spanish Civil War Edited by Kenneth W. Estes and Daniel Kowalsky - A series of point-counterpoint essays covering a wide range of debated topics on the war. Quite a fascinating look at understanding the various issues, and just how politicized they can get.
International Brigades in Spain 1936-39 by Ken Bradley - A good, brief overview of the International Brigades.
Fighting for Franco • International Volunteers in Nationalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War by Judith Keene - A very interesting look at the much less known group of foreign volunteers in Spain, those who joined the Nationalist cause.
Blood of Spain: An Oral History of the Spanish Civil War by Ronald Fraser - A collection of tons of interviews, providing personal accounts from both sides of the war, recorded just at the end of the Franco era.
The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years 1868-1936 by Murray Bookchin - Not much on the war itself, but since I assume more than a few of you are here for the Anarchists, I would recommend it for a general history of the movement there.
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I never actually had reason to drag these out, but there are a number of good memoirs from members of the Abe Lincolns.
Madrid, 1937 Edited by Cary Nelson and Jefferson Hendricks - An amazing collection of letters written home by members of the Battalion. Absolutely fascinating.
Comrades by Harry Fischer - Fischer was a young ‘brigadista’ who served in Spain.
Mississippi to Madrid by James Yates - An African-American member of the Abe Lincolns, Yates stands as a testament to the racial equality experienced by the 100 or so black volunteers. Oliver Law commanded the battalion for a time, and is possibly the first black officer to command white, American troops in combat (even if not in the US military exactly).
Another Hill by Milton Wolff - Wolff was the final commander of the Abe Lincolns.
This is a great AMA so far. I hope i'm not too late. Do any of you happen to know anything about the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion? Why was the Canadian government so unwilling to recognize their service until recently?
What do you believe is the truth about Andreu Nin's death/disappearance? Also as a broader question (and perhaps one with a more concrete answer), do you believe the concentration of power by the Stalinist factions was necessary for the continuation of the war as a pragmatic move?
I've been planning writing a piece of fiction about the Spanish Civil War based on something I heard ages ago about much of the front (maybe in the south?) being so quiet that soldiers on either side openly fraternised on a regular basis. However I can't remember where I heard it and I'm starting to doubt it ever actually happened. Was this ever an occurrence or is am I completely misremembering?
I've often heard about Americans and citizens from Allied or neutral countries going off to fight in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republic (like in For Whom the Bell Tolls). However, the Nationalists also accepted foreign volunteers. I've always thought that this was an interesting aspect of the war.
How many (if any) of these citizens from countries like the U.S., Great Britain, France, etc. went to fight for the Nationalists? Are there any specific stories about these people?
What were the Allied-leaning countries' reaction to their pro-Nationalist citizens? Did they face scrutiny when they returned (if they did)?
What book (or books) about the Spanish Civil War would you recommend?
Sorry, I know these a lot of questions. Thank you for hosting this Panel AMA!
Thankyou for taking the time to do this!
As I understand it, the anarchists and republicans were assisted by volunteer fighters from other countries. How were these fighters treated on return to their home countries? and specifically Britain and Ireland?
What was the official view of the war from the countries where a lot of volunteer soldiers went, why was there no official intervention and support on the side of the republic? (Although I believe there was some support from Russia towards the end? What role did they play?)
What would life have been like in anarchist Spain before and during the war? (I know this is vague, if you can point me to further reading I would appreciate it).
What happened to the anarchists and communists after Franco took over? I've seen a BBC documentary where some of them were interviewed many years on, so I know that many survived.. but what happened to them and the CNT-FAI during Franco's reign?
I have often wondered why the Spanish civil war and the events that followed are not often taught to young people (at least in the U.S.) as in depth as the Italian and German regimes. I have an interest on how education works and was wondering why this is the case. I doubt most youngsters could even point Franco out in a picture. Is there a reason why this part of history is often overlooked?
EDIT: By this I mean 7-8th grade level. All that is taught to my younger siblings is Holocaust/Hitler/Atomic bomb stuff. Thanks for any responses.
I am currently writing a paper about the Spanish Civil War, and I am ecstatic at the opportunity to ask each of you questions. For /u/domini_canes : The Northern Campaign against the Basques provides an example of the Nationalists fighting against Catholic supporters of the Republic. How Nationalist propaganda frame this conflict to justify their offensive against fellow Catholics?
For /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov : In my research, some sources have related that American volunteers for the International Brigades were suspected of being communists after returning home. Were former volunteers ever denied entrance into the armed forces during WWII because of this suspicion?
For /u/k1990 : Did George Steer's reporting of the war ever lead to a lasting sympathy for the Republic?
For /u/tobbinator : Is there any evidence that the inner conflict in Barcelona in May 1937 was instigated by Nationalist agents?
German, Italian and Soviet participation in the form of volunteer units in the Spanish Civil War is well known. What lessons were these units learning from their experience, and were there any members of these units that went on participate in a notable way in the world war that followed?
It's been my impression during my rather limited research, that the Nationalists had basically the entire Spanish military backing them up. This has always made me think that this would make it nearly impossible for the Republicans to put up a fight.
If this is true (and correct me if I'm wrong), how were the Republicans able to put up such an effective fight for so long? How did they get training? Weapons? How did they not get steamrolled right away?
Guernica seared the phrase 'terror bombing' into many military theorists' vocabularies; and colored the second von Richtofen in a rather infamous light. The bombing of Guernica set the tone for many famous cities in the following Second World War; such as Warsaw in 1939 or Stalingrad in 1942.
Is the terror bombing of Guernica by the Condor Legion the first documented case of this tactic being used? Was it deliberate, like in Warsaw '39 or Stalingrad '42; did Guernica have war-important industries? Finally, the public at large has an inkling of the reaction to it (see: Picasso's famous painting) but how was it received internationally?
How was the populace approval of the anticlerical violence? Did they wholeheartedly took part in it or was the Catholic Church sill popular to them?
Can you tell us about Norman Bethune? How important was his contribution to the war? Have his techniques ever been imitated elsewhere during the war or during the WWII?
Why didn't the Spanish Civil War break out into a second world war before the actual Second World War? I know it's a very generalized question so I will try and make it a bit more specific.
I know that Italy and Germany were providing the Royalists with war materials and the Soviet Union was doing the same for the Republicans (or more specifically the PSUC), but both were doing it somewhat covertly. What was stopping Hitler from declaring war against the Republic and saying it was to defend against communism? Was it geography (i.e. no easy way to transport troops into Spain)? If Germany and Italy had declared war against the Republic do you think that France, GB, and/or the USSR would've declared war against Germany and Italy?
I have an Astra model 400 pistol that I found from the serial number was made in 1937.
When this pistol was manufactured, who was in charge of the factory, the Republicans, or the Loyalists Nationalists?
Who was this pistol most likely sold or issued to?
How beneficial was the contribution of the International Brigades to the Republican side? Did their contribution ever make any battle significantly harder for the Nationalists, or was it only limited to propping up morale (specific examples would be nice)?
Something that puzzled me when I was reading up on the course of the civil war was why the Nationalist forces never tried advancing through the eastern part of Castilla-La Mancha or Murcia. I'm not entirely sure, but I have the impression that the XYZ line guarding Valencia was located to the north of it. Was there some other reason why advancing through the south was not preferred, such as some harsh geographical boundary/terrain? Why did Franco just leave so many territories to the final offensive?
Why did the Spanish Maquis go through with the invasion of the Aran Valley? Did they have reason to believe that the Spanish people would rise up against Franco?
This is a great AMA, and I hope not to be too late for another question:
What happened with the decorations awarded to the Republican soldiers after after the War? Were they recognised by the Francoist Government or were they revoked? Is there any record where they can be looked up?
I have a personal interest in this question because my Granfather's brother received a medal after a battle, I don't remember which one, but I think it was a "Laureada". He died after the War in Ocaña's prison under "undisclosed circumstances" and I'd love to see him referenced somewhere.
This is one of my favorite topics, and I hope it's not too late for one more question:
Why did the revolutionaries lose the war in the end?
How would you view the book Homage to Catalonia? Do you feel it gives an accurate image of the events that it describes? Also, how visible were the Spanish maquis in the years following the war? Would it be a rarity or quite common to spot them? How would these groups go about, what kept them going and what did the government do to suppress them?
If I recall correctly, the international brigades contained of a surprising number of German and Italian volunteers.
How did those members come to fight against the side that their countries supported, and what happened to them when they returned home?
Thanks guys, great AMA.
I've always been fascinated by this topic, so a couple of questions;
My limited knowledge of the war is that it often split very closely related people; from neighbours to family members fighting on different sides of the conflict. How true is this? And how does a situation like that come about? Merely by political differences?
Was there any kind of geographical relationship to the way the country was divided? Catalunya and Andalucia are often indicated as republican heartlands. Although it wasn't as straightforward as that, were there general indications as to where the republicans came from and where the nationalists came from (in Spain)?
I'm fascinated by the Spanish Civil War, in large part because my grandmother was a refugee of the war at a very young age, leaving behind her family to escape.
Was the conflict a war of attrition? Did Franco really win the war, or did the Republicans lose it, if that makes any sense. As in, did the left do more to sabotage themselves than Franco defeat them tactically and strategically?
Would you actually consider Franco a fascist or more of a conservative authoritarian?
Very small chance this will be found but I was reading up on the war again and this question was burning at me so I had to ask it! What chance someone else is walking among the tumbleweeds here?
Considering the support from Mussolini and Hitler for Franco during the civil war, is it surprising that Spain played relatively little part in the 2nd World war? Were the provisions from Mussolini and Hitler not given on the condition of reciprocal support for the coming war? Or was Franco simply unable to provide any kind of resources after the civil war?