The Spanish Civil War (1939-1939) was one of the bloodiest internecine conflicts of the modern era, resulting in a repressive and brutal military dictatorship which lasted for almost forty years. Starting with an account of the background to the wat, Sheelagh Ellwood traces the history of the Second Republic (1931-1936), culminating in the electoral victory of the Popular Front in 1936. The author then charts analyses the dramatic chain of events...