The Spanish Civil War

A Very Short Introduction

By: Helen Graham

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Amid the many catastrophes of the 20th century, the Spanish Civil War continues to exert a particular fascination among history buffs and the layperson alike. This Very Short Introduction integrates the political, social, and cultural history of the Spanish Civil War. It sets out the domestic and international context of the war for a general audience. In addition to tracing the course of war, the book locates the war's origins in the cumulative social and cultural anxieties provoked by a process of rapid, uneven, and accelerating modernism taking place all over Europe. This shared context is key to the continued sense of the war's importance. The book also examines the myriad of political polemics to which the war has given rise, as well as all of the latest historical debates. It assesses the impact of the war on Spain's transition to democracy and on the country's contemporary political culture.

©2005 Helen Graham (P)2021 Tantor

Excellent short survey

Graham has done a fabulous job of pulling together the political, cultural and social history of a very complicated, heroic and tragic era in Spanish history. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an introduction to the topic. I’m going to
Spain on a short trip and wanted a background. This is it.

The Spanish Civil War

In short, I was required to read this for one of my Spanish Civil War course in college. At first, I didn’t really know what to expect because the book itself wasn’t very big, so I assumed it wouldn’t contain a lot of useful information. However, I was wrong! All 7 chapters of the book specifically highlight a certain part of the war, whether it was pre, during, or post wartime. Altogether, I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in history and to who wants to learn more about the war itself!

An unbalanced history

Franco’s Spain clearly grew out of horror. It must have been a terrible place for the Republicans, and seems an impossible anachronistic dictatorship in the mid 20th century. This book is happy to point all of this out, as its sympathies clearly lie on the left. It does a poor job of showing the brutality of the left and the Republic in all its various schisms during this time.

Facism won

If you enjoy European history this is a book for you. I’m old enough to know that the Nazis helped Franco become dictator and that he ruled until the mid 1970’s.
Mussolini was also involved committing 75000 troops to help Franco. This was another case of France and England being so adverse to war they ignored what was going on in their own backyard. Having read about how terrible the Great War was I understand the reluctance of entering another country’s conflict. However that fear is exactly what dictators count on. Entering into war is not always correct as we experienced in Iraq , Afghanistan and Vietnam however sometimes it is the correct course as we can see now re the Korean War.
Franco was a facist who overthrew a democratic government and ruled for 35 years. It was an oppressive and ruthless regime which we along with the Europeans allowed to continue. Those who oppose helping Ukraine should read this book. It takes a long time to correct your mistakes once democracy disappears.
The author did a great job being concise and avoiding lengthy language to explain how events happened and why. It’s also a good example of how democratic bureaucracy sometimes gets in its own way.
Really good read, short and to the point.

Not the Communists you’re looking for

Title says enough, but basically a very one-sided and simplistic approach. Particularly unfair to the Catholic Church. Presumes liberal-democracy productive of socialism and secularism as the exclusively, eternally, and universally valid form of polity. Agenda-driven, one-sided and bitter.