This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Perhaps the world economic situation
was partly to blame. During the war,
Spanish employers had expanded their enterprises, but had now to contract. They would fight labour now, since there was
a glut of workers; in the war, there had been a shortage. But in the clash of labour and capital,
between 1917 and 1923, a class war was to be seen which often came close to
outright conflict, and over issues other than economic: employers believed
themselves threatened by bankruptcy if not revolution, the anarchists believed
that they were on the brink of the millennium.
Since, whatever the views of the central government, the local military
authorities usually agreed with employers, and often arrested strikers, the
character of the conflict became more and more violent.” – Hugh Thomas, Chapter
2, Pages 40-41
“Another explanation for the conflict was that Spain was a
conservative country in which an under-exploited economy was kept backward by a
stagnant social structure, while a sophisticated political education and the
pressure of population made the old system unworkable. There had to be political change if the
resources of the country were to be creatively employed. But while radicals were prepared to overthrow
the social structure to secure changes, conservatives were prepared to use
force to shore up what they judged good in the old world. Some of the Left were impatient, the Centre
could not hold.” – Hugh Thomas, Chapter 12, Page 227
“So now there was to spread over Spain a cloud of violence,
in which the quarrels of several generations would find outlet. With communications difficult or
non-existent, each town would find itself on its own, acting out its own drama,
apparently in a vacuum. There were soon
to be not two Spains, but two thousand.
The geographical differences within Spain were a prime factor in the
social disintegration of the nation.
Regional feeling had sown the wind, and now reaped the whirlwind. Sovereign power ceased to exist and, in its
absence, individuals, as well as towns, acted without constraint, as if they
were outside society and history. Within
a month, thousands of people would have perished arbitrarily and without trial.”
– Hugh Thomas, Chapter 14, Page 262
Is This An Overview?
Spain had been struggling with various economic,
educational, agricultural, and territorial governance problems. The problems led to many different groups
wanting to gain power, to change Spain in favor of how they wanted Spain to
be. Each had grievances. Conflicts between the groups became more
violent. Burning the property and
buildings of perceived oppressors, of perceived sources of problems for
Spain. Groups that tore Spain
apart. Due to lack of reliable
communications, Spain was torn apart into a myriad of local communities.
The administrations failed as the government did not gain
the support of powerful groups. Some
groups were willing to overthrow the social structure to make changes. Others were willing to use violence to defend
their rights. Without sovereign power,
people behaved without constraint. Many
were murdered arbitrarily and without trial.
Each group that held power in a region, persecuted every other
group. Censored and murdered anyone who
opposed local dominant views. Due to
fear, people became less reliable sources of information, reducing information
about what was happening.
The international community was not necessarily welcome in
the domestic conflict, but Spain was a strategic region for geopolitical
influence. Various groups had ties to
foreign states, with various states wanting to influence who held power in
Spain. Different groups would be
supported with weapons from foreign states, that changed the course of the
war. Causes of conflicts were transmuted
into extremes of opportune battles for victory or survival. There were groups that wanted fascism. There were groups that wanted to resist
fascism, but used fascist means. The
outcome was fascism.
Caveats?
The focus of the book are the military details of the
Spanish Civil War. There is information
on the culture, history, and economy of Spain before the war, and how people
managed to live during the war. As Spain
was torn apart by a myriad of local communities, having diverse views. There can be difficulty in keeping track of
the groups, along with their ideology, who supported them, and how their power
changed. This book can be more valuable
for those who already have a background in Spain’s general history.
