Ralph Lohmann

24 de marzo de 2009

The War in Spain; A Different Perspective

"The Spanish Civil War is one of the comparatively few cases when the most widely accepted version of events has been written more persuasively by the losers of the conflict than by the winners."With that comment in "The Battle for Spain," a revised update of his 1982 history of that war, Antony Beevor ("Stalingrad"; "The Fall of Berlin, 1945"), effectively describes the state of its English-language documentation. This has been, essentially since Franco's victory in 1939, largely the preserve of Hugh Thomas and Paul Preston, both thoroughly competent historians, but each (particularly in the case of Thomas) a strong partisan of the Republican cause.Thomas' encyclopedic "The Spanish Civil War" (1961, with revisions) is the benchmark English-language history of the War. However, in a comparison between the two works, Beevor's account scores highly. Thomas was--and even after three updates of his history remains--an unabashed apologist for the Republic and (particularly) the International Brigades. His accounts are formidable if for no reason other than the numerous footnotes that begin with the words, "conversation with...." Thomas writes as a confidant of many--if not most--of the leading figures of the Spanish Republic. Too often, however, it appears to a reader that his acceptance of their assertions was uncritical.Beevor does not rely on Thomas' extensive network of firsthand witnesses, but this does not seem to be a disadvantage. (As a practical matter, the lack of such personal contacts reduces the incentive to write with one hand while holding an axe to a grindstone with the other.) While he examines in detail the political history and development of each of the warring factions--and subfactions, of which there were many, particularly on the Left--his is not a portrait in black and white. Rather, it compels the conclusion that neither Franco and the Spanish Foreign Legion nor Negrín and the International Brigaders were paragons of virtue. He addresses a clash of fundamental values and equally fundamental hatreds, demonstrating, to the extent that it is possible to draw a balance at all, that the quantum of evil on each side was approximately equal.His accounts of the battles, from the initial skirmishes to the fall of Barcelona and the final defeat of the Republic by the Nationalists at the Ebro, are refreshingly lucid because they generally avoid extensive descriptions of small-unit attacks and defenses in favor of broader overviews of the individual campaigns and their outcomes. (Of course, as a military historian, Beevor knows what air and ground combat forces actually do.)Particularly worthwhile are the detailed analyses of the successes and failures of the foreign participants: Hitler's "Legion Condor," Mussolini's varied blackshirt and army elements, and Stalin's tankers and fliers. (Beevor is at one with Thomas and Preston in providing an annihilating assessment of Mussolini's wasteful and inept involvement.)In addressing the uneven performance of the International Brigades (and the dictatorial controls exercised by their political commissars), Beevor's account is more realistic--and less romantic--than those of such famous-but-dilettantish bit-players as Ernest Hemingway, André Malraux, and Stephen Spender.He examines in some detail the internal left-right conflicts within the Falange, a party generally--and erroneously--viewed as both monolithic and a slavish imitation of the Nazis. In this connection, however, it would have been helpful had he explored more extensively the Falange as José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the original party chief, had envisioned it: as the true "nationalist-socialist" party that the Nazis never truly succeeded in becoming.(The word "Nazi,"--pronounced "nahtzi" in German as well as American-English--is the German contraction of "Nationalsozialist." The "national" in that context is best translated as "nationalist.")Put another way, José Antonio was no fascist. (Nor, for that matter, was Franco.)Beevor also rehabilitates to some extent Manuel Hedilla, the "left-wing" Falangista who assumed control over the party after the November 1936 murder of José Antonio by the Republicans in the prison of Alicante. He describes Hedilla's condemnation as a result of a speech on Christmas Eve of 1936 condemning indiscriminate attacks on citizens who had voted for the Republic, explaining that many had done so merely out of "hunger and despair," and noting that there were "right-wingers worse than the `Reds.'" (That, of course, earned him the implacable--and permanent--enmity of Franco.)Particularly valuable is his painstaking disentanglement of the fragmented and complicated components--PCE, FAI, POUM, PSOE, UGT, and others--that at various times and with varying degrees of competence influenced the internal politics of the Republic. He goes into considerable detail in describing the steadily increasing control of the PCE, the Partido Comunista de España, over the government and politics of the Republic.He complements that with a summary of the (far less complicated) Nationalist structure: Conservatives allied with the monarchist Carlists, an alliance championed by generals Franco, Quiepo de Llano, Mola, and the enigmatic Juan Yagüe, a "left-wing" [i.e., a more-or-less moderate-socialist] Falangist whom few would, then or now, associate with any degree of moderation. (At the end of the war, instead of naming Yagüe Minister of War, a position for which he was uniquely qualified, Franco, who never forgot anything he perceived as evidence of political unreliability, shunted him off to the meaningless job of Minister of Aviation.)"The Battle for Spain" is not an evening's reading, and is probably not for beginners. It nonetheless provides a new and valuable perspective on a conflict that was in so many grim ways a rehearsal for World War II.Ver más

72 personas la encontraron útil

Amazon Customer

18 de enero de 2012

Historic and Prophetic

Having heard stories of the Spanish Civil War from my father who was a merchant marine officer and had his ship stopped frequently and raided for cigarettes, I've always been intrigued by the personalities involved in the war. Anthony Beevor's book is most certainly the best book I've read written on this conflict. It lays excellent historical context and provides interesting political analysis and information derived from Nazi and Soviet sources.Most books on this conflict are written from a pro-Republican perspective. I have yet to read one from a full Francoist viewpoint. Beevor's writing is generally evenhanded but he certainly devotes more time in the book to Republican matters. This may be due to his sources but there were a few instances where I felt he clearly sympathized with the Republicans.Beevor writes clearly about the human aspect of all the parties involved and their desires for a better life for themselves, their families and their national/regional loyalties. While each regional group within Spain clearly had their loyalties to their state, I never got the feeling they did not consider themselves Spanish. And there lies the tragedy of this and all civil wars. When civil discourse breaks down and armed conflict begins, there are no winners.A few things stood out for me. They are observations that I think have near universal application in our world. First I appreciate all the more the religious freedom we have in the US. Regardless of your viewpoint, faith or non-faith, the Spanish Civil War highlights the evils of state religion and the oppression that can result. Secondly, the war demonstrated how the politicalization of classes, outside of one's culture, is dangerous. Ethnic diversity that does not blend into and impact the dominant culture, but chooses to remain separate, breeds extremists. Thirdly, it demonstrated how political reforms that seek to reverse injustices or inequities done without consideration for political dialog and most importantly; time, are doomed to fail. Fourth, it demonstrated the need for people to carefully consider giving their allegiance to a political party or a bunch of power-hungry people. Charismatic political leaders tend to be dangerous. Lastly, people desire to be self-determining and free to make decisions without outside influence. History clearly validated Spain's desire to be a proud and self-determining people through its non-violent radical transformation from authoritarianism to parliamentary Republic.From a political standpoint, I was intrigued by the Soviet advisors whose quest for power always seemed to end in their demise. Sometimes it seemed safer to be on the battlefield than an adviser to Stalin. In the end, I think the Republican's lost the war largely because of their over-reliance on Stalin and their fractured ideology. Without Germany and Italy's assistance to Franco, they probably would have. Clearly they were outgunned by the Nationalists, but the incompetence of Stalin's political officers on the ground and their selfish motives seemed to create confusion and chaos that helped splinter the military command and any national will to win the war.The book is very engaging and I could not put it down. My only difficulty reading came from the fact the book is filled with European "alphabet soup" that made it hard to follow. Europe has a long history of using abbreviations for political parties and their associated wings. The author provided an index of abbreviations and terms and I found myself flipping back and forth (which is a little harder on the Kindle which I used to read this book) However, at times I found myself lost as to what side he was referring to(Republican or Nationalist) in the narrative.I mentioned this book as prophetic in my title. I kept thinking of the political polarization of my own country, the propaganda and class warfare being played by the two main political parties and the willingness of the people to place their hopes in politicians. I see great similarities in the rhetoric today as is expressed in this book. We fought a civil war 125 years ago and it's my hope that anyone who reads this book will use it as a motivation to reflect on what can happen when we ratchet up the divisiveness and place our hope in a charismatic leader to save us.

Michael Valdivielso

31 de julio de 2006

Mad Delusion Of Propaganda

The Battle For Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 is a book that focuses on not just the causes of the conflict and military actions taken during it, but also on the ideals, goals and politics that shaped the two sides.The facts of the war have always interested me and the author does a good job of adding new and updated information. I knew that the German pilots used the war to try out new tactics, like flying in pairs and mass bombing, but I didn't know that the Stuka dive-bomber was first used in the Spain or that the 88mms were used in Spain against ground targets as while as enemy aircraft (I thought the German 88mms were first used against ground targets in the invasion of France). I knew Germany and Italy helped the Nationalists while Russia and Mexico helped the Republic but had no idea that Hermann Goring sold weapons to the Republic or that Ford, Studebaker and GM supplied 12,000 trucks to Franco!I did not know that Franco offered to enter the Second World War on the side of the Axis. I knew about the Spanish Blue Division but not about the thousands of Spanish Republicans who fought for the USSR or the French resistance.First person accounts from Russian sources add new perspectives. Now, in all the sad detail, we can watch the infighting between socialists, anarchists, republicans, Basque nationalists, communists and so many other groups within the Republican Zone. We can watch the lies, the back stabbing, the tactics of terror, the dehumanization of the enemy, the string pulling, the blackmailing, the killings and the consequences of said actions as the war rages on. And the National Zone isn't a paradise either, with war trials that started almost with the first shot and did not end till sometime in the late 1950s.The book also touches on European events and how the nations of the world reacted to (or failed to react to) the Spanish Civil War. Nothing is in a vacuum and the book makes clear the complex balance of power that the European powers were trying to weave to keep the peace. In the end the crumbling Republic would find itself a sideshow with the clouds of another World War forming on the future horizon.The amazing part is Antony Beevor's skill in linking all the major events, one by one, without being too heavy handed. His light touch allows us to swiftly understand the problems each side faced and how each side dealt (or did not deal) with them. And the aftermath that followed.

Amazon Customer

11 de agosto de 2021

Education gap filled

Mr. Beevor's book filled a huge gap in my knowledge & understanding of the Spanish Civil War. The text is well written with helpful maps & listing of political groups (with acronyms), plus many pages of citations. A hideous, terrible war thoroughly described. It's not simplistic a la For Whom the Bell Tolls. Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is next on my list, then Mr. Beevor's Stalingrad... Highly recommended.Ver más

Jordan M. Poss

30 de noviembre de 2012

An informative slog

Until reading Anthony Beevor's history The Battle for Spain, the Spanish Civil War was a conflict I knew about almost entirely by proxy--as a "dress rehearsal" for World War II. I knew about the Condor Legion by way of Luftwaffe history, about Spain's post-Civil War neutrality by way to WWII diplomacy, and Franco's Fascism by way of its relations with Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. What I didn't know much about was the war itself--who fought, why, for what, and how it began and ended. Beevor's book changed that.But The Battle for Spain is tough going. A number of other reviewers have said they gave up within a hundred pages of beginning it, and my momentum certainly flagged about a quarter of the way in. Beevor launches into Spanish political history, barely pausing to orient the reader. Pre-war Republican Spain had dozens of political factions, all of whom Beevor includes in the story along with hundreds of named figures from each. The book is awash in acronyms, from the CNT, FAI, and UGT to the POUM, PSOE, and PSUC. Prior knowledge of the war and its key figures is necessary to get the most from this book. Only rarely is the reader given a character sketch of an individual, something to remember them by as the story progresses. Generalissimo Franco is the only figure of whom I can remember reading a detailed portrait. Only by about page 300 had I gradually, simply by reading the same names dozens of times and occasionally consulting outside sources, become able to keep straight who was who and how they related to the other figures.But the book picks up considerable steam at about the 100-page mark, once a lot of the politicking between Carlists, Anarchists, Falangists, Communists, Liberals, Libertarians, and the military has devolved into open warfare. By the end of the book, once some names among the hundreds (if not thousands) mentioned have stuck, the course of the war and its catastrophic ending for the Republicans is clearly and comprehensibly told.The real strengths of the book are in the sections on the military campaigns, as these are often the passages with the clearest writing. Beevor writes well about combat conditions and the course of the war's battles. The sections describing the gratuitous destruction of Guernica and the battles of Teruel and the Ebro are probably the best in the book.Another great strength is Beevor's detailed discussion of outside involvement in the war. Beevor's treatment of the political wrangling around the foreign Non-Intervention Committee is pretty foggy most of the time, but his work on German and Russian involvement is excellent. He spends a lot of time on the activities of the Russian secret police, the NKVD, which arrived with the Republicans' Soviet advisers and immediately set about their usual "policing" activities, including show-trials, summary executions, "witch-hunts" of political enemies and "Trotskyists," and--even worse--assisting the Republicans in creating their own version of the NKVD, the SIM. The SIM was so powerful and so permeated with Communists that when the Republican head of state, Negrin, attempted to crack down on them near the end of the war, his efforts came to nothing.The German involvement was primarily limited to the Condor Legion, a detachment of Luftwaffe pilots who tested, with scientific detachment, new methods of warmarking, from innovative dog-fighting technique in the superb new Messerschmitt fighter, dive-bombing in the Stuka, and terror-bombing civilian populations. The Germans also provided armor and artillery, and their observations of the combat in Spain--during which the Republicans tried and failed to follow through with what are recognizably Blitzkrieg techniques--were eagerly noted and put to terrible use within months of the war's end.Beevor also gives time to the plight of civilians, especially in the Republican Zone following their loss of Catalonia, when starvation carried off thousands.But the book is still a welter of names, organizations, units, and towns, often coming in such rapid succession that it makes the head swim--as I said above, Beevor assumes a vast amount of prior knowledge on the part of his readership. The maps are inadequate; there are several pages of them at the front of the book, but they mostly deal with individual battles or Spain as a whole--there is only one map of an entire front, that in the north--and would be much more helpful within the body of the book. On top of everything else, there are numerous typographical and editing errors, and the style is often clumsy (to the point of obscuring the meaning of sentences) and haphazardly organized. At one point about a quarter of the way through, Beevor described a Republican figure doing something in battle, jumped ahead in time to discuss his recall to the Soviet Union and his execution during Stalin's purges, and then mentions the figure--and his actions in Spain--again within two pages. It's not an insurmountable problem, but it's jarring.My initial rating of the book was two out of five stars, but I realized that, despite the difficult slog through mountains of unfamiliar names, I now understand the general course of the war, the major players and factions, its relation to events outside Spain at the time, and its outcome. The Battle for Spain may be difficult, but it is certainly informative and, given time and determination, will reward the effort you put into it.Not recommended for newcomers to the Spanish Civil War.

Dino Masic

27 de diciembre de 2019

One of the best sources of information on Spanish Civil War

Very well written book on the Spanish Civil War, unbiased, concise and easy to read and understand for professional and lay readers. Anthony Beevor paints a vivid picture of social, political, economic and military situations on both sides of the conflict.I would have liked a little more social background on the Nationalist zone as the war progressed, but due to the authoritarian nature of the regime I can understand why there were no such tremendous social upheavals as in the Republican zone, and therefore there were no reasons to devote more time to this aspect of the conflict.Rating of four stars is mainly the result of technical issues with the book, and do not concern the content at all. Lack of hyperlinks for the footnotes is one problem, and the other one are some grammatical errors in the later chapters, mainly with names with specific Spanish characters in them. Other than these two minor issues the book is very readable.One more minor issue was that all the maps for key battles and stages of the war were presented at the beginning of the book instead of in the chapters dealing with these particular topics. I mention this only because all the other books by the author group their maps within the chapters and make it easy to understand the situation at a glance.Having read Ardennes, Arnhem and Second World War by the same author, I can only conclude that the Battle for Spain was the book I enjoyed reading the most. Well worth your time and money. Looking forward to reading the rest of Anthony Beevor's works.Ver más

2 personas la encontraron útil