The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge

A very informative secondary analysis of a Civil War that was in many ways a precursor to the events of WWII, with Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin all using it as a sandbox to test their new battleground technology and theory, without throwing their whole support behind it either. It's a cautionary tale about a fractured left/liberal wing that could not find a way to close ranks and accomplish the goals that they were elected upon. It condemns western powers that favored the long term prospects of capitalism and their own financial safety over the lives of the Spanish people, overly cautious and timid in the face of rising fascism. It indicts the Papacy, who was supportive of fascism for similar reasons, with the added incentive of show more maintaining traditional values. Of course, it also highlights the crimes against humanity that were executed against a hostage populace by a rebellion (a rebellion of their own armed forces) that sought to reign via terror and intimidation. Preston argues that the true history of the Spanish Civil War is still being fought in the written word today, as more information is uncovered about these crimes that were intentionally hidden by the Franco regime. No doubt there were also atrocities committed by the Republic, which is partly why this war remains so contentious nearly one hundred years later.

This is not a battle-by-battle history. Preston focuses on political analysis: about the failures of the Republic and how Franco rose to power with the rebellion, as well as the circumstances that lead to the war in the first place. I was particularly enthralled by his depiction of the global context within which both sides found themselves asking for (and with differing levels of success) receiving aid. This all being said, Preston doesn't go out of his way to formulate or enhance a narrative that does not already exist. He attempts to cover a lot of ground in small amount of space, in my opinion to generally positive success. Preston is honest upfront about his bias for the Republic, though with the facts provided it's easy to see why, especially given how long the Franco regime has enjoyed the support it has. As far as one-volume histories go this was really enjoyable if a bit dense. I'd recommend it. It will leave you wanting to know more (in a good way). show less

As the book which provoked my interest in the Spanish Civil War and, therefore, my undergraduate dissertation topic, I certainly owe Paul Preston some thanks. He cuts a gripping narrative out of the ordeal and gives a very welcome overview of events. His bibliographical essay is excellent, too. Nonetheless, I couldn't necessarily recommend this as a first read to someone not acquainted with the topic. His argumentation is decidedly partisan, particularly on the role of foreign intervention in the Civil War, and would leave one with an inaccurate impression of the factors at play.

An excellent run through of the Spanish Civil War. If you want military detail of each battle then this isn't the book for you but Paul Preston covers the political reasons for the Spanish Civil War, the politics during the war and the aftermath very well. This edition includes an introduction that brings us pretty much up-to-date, which I found extremely useful. The book reads well and makes sense of a complicated conflict, fought in different areas. Certainly a good place to start to learn about this part of Spain's history.

Más que un análisis militar profundiza en los aspectos políticos que llevan a la guerra y los objetivos de cada uno de los contendientes.

Manca estructura sobre els fets, de vegades vas una mica perdut; Un cop solventat això, la seva lectura es apassionant, curta. A cops sembla que a l'autor li manqui objectivitat però,... pot algú de seny dir res de bo del cop d'estat del 36 i els seus autors?