The Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939

This short 96 page book (about half of which are illustrations) provides an excellent introduction to the subject for those who desire a basic introduction to the subject in only an hour to an hour and a half of reading. The book starts out with the brief social and political background as to why the Left and Right clashed in Spain and what visions each side had for the country. Then it discusses the fighting amongst each side as well as the fighting within each side (especially within the Left) along with the importance of foreign support of each side, a factor that played a very important if not determining role in the war. The book covers, but only in a very passing manner, the German, Soviet and Italian support provided to the Left and Right. One weakness of the book is its lack of discussion regarding why Britain and France played the "neutral" role they did (along with the League of Nations) despite the fact that it was self-evident to both that Germany and Italy were supporting the Nationalists. It should have been clear (and probably was) that the consequence of a Nationalist victory would be an additional enemy in their flanks. Yet they did nothing to support the Republic. The book is also a little weak regarding the Republic's diplomatic attempts to gain French and British support and its initial hesitation to obtain Soviet weapons and support and becomming more and more dependent on the Soviet Union as their cause went downhill. The book concludes by summing up the damage caused by the war in terms of causalties, economic damage and the Nationalist "purges" after the war as well as the "reforms" brought about by the Nationalists (i.e., the restoration of most of the large landholders, the reestablishment of "family values" [i.e., strengthening the Church, ending divorce, putting women "in their place", etc.]). It should be noted that the author definitely has a pro-Republic approach. This can plainly be seen by his descriptions of Republican fighters as "heroic", his mocking of the Pope for the praise he heaped on Franco, etc.

i like osprey books & this is no exception. clear & defined maps ,dates, the whole shooting match.

For a slim volume this book packs a lot of information. The Spanish Civil War is often called a prelude of World War II but in calling it that you really do it a disservice. The Spanish Civil War was a unique conflict in its own right, with many aspects, such as the International Brigades and the Condor Legion, which caused the war to have an impact far outside Spain's borders. This book gives a fairly nonpartisan assessment of the conflict, a treatment which is rare given the gut reactions many have towards the conflict based upon fascist and communist roles there. The photographs which illustrate are excellent as well but not overdoen, which explains how so much info got into such a small book.

This is a good book for who seek a brief introduction to the Spanish Civil War, but don't have time to wade through a 700-page history. Lannon handles this divisive war evenhandedly. She points out that both sides were somewhat co-opted by the movements of international communism and fascism and by the end of war, some no longer knew for what cause they were fighting. This book is subtitled, "1936-1939." Still, I wish Lannon had spent more time on the before and after of the war, rather than concentrating so much on the fighting. The book is well illustrated and designed, with posters, photos and maps on many pages.

Since the war ended in 1939, the Spanish Civil War has been obscured by romantic mythology created by foreign writers like Ernest Hemmingway and subsequent historians, who have tended to portray this conflict as, "the first great, heroic confrontation between fascism and democracy." Frances Lannon, an Oxford history professor, notes that in this traditional interpretation, "the Second Republic remains a great cause that was worth dying for." Lannon eschews this traditional depiction of the conflict in simplistic black and white terms, a fight between fascists and communists for the soul of Spain, and views the war in much more complex terms. Lannon's account is well written and rich in detail; her particular areas of interest are the role of women in both sides of the war and the role of the Catholic Church in the conflict. Overall, Lannon's book is an excellent primer on the war as well as representing a far more balanced and objective account than has come from other quarters. The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 begins with short sections on the background to the war. These sections are interesting because they demonstrate that both sides had compelling reasons to resort to violence. While the Republicans (encompassing such diverse groups as urban trade unionists, rural peasants, intellectuals, communists and anarchists) viewed the Church, monarchists and the military as obstacles to the development of more liberalized conditions in Spain, the Nationalists fought to defend the traditional order from what they viewed as the imposition of alien cultural values. Due to the period of violence and disorder that preceded the outbreak of civil war, Lannon notes that, "many ordinary Catholics concluded that the new state would not respect their religion or protect property." Rather than the simplistic political depiction of democracy versus fascist, Lannon shows that the conflict had a strong religious dimension, and thus the conflict also could be depicted as Catholics versus atheists. Indeed, once the civil war started, Lannon notes that, "Catholicism went underground in Republican Spain, as churches burned and religious images were destroyed." Lannon's section on the warring sides is a bit short at three pages, but she gets the relative balance of the two forces. Her section on the fighting is 32 pages long and again, gets the main points, but without embellishment. At heart, this is more of a social history of a civil war, rather than a purely military history, and some readers may be disappointed by the short shrift given to topics like the German Condor Legion or the International Brigades. The text is complemented by nine maps: Spain in 1936, the first defense of Madrid, the route of the African army in 1936, fighting around Madrid in 1936-1937, the Battle for Madrid in November 1936, the fall of Malaga, the war in Vizcaya, the Battle of the Ebro, and Spain in July 1938. Lannon clearly likes the colorful propaganda posters prod