I intend to do reviews of three books (of the estimated 15,000) on this subject, and this book by Paul Preston leans heavily to Republican (mostly Communist) side and against the Franco Nationalists (Fascists). (Note that I did not find the book on Amazon, but there it is available at Abe Books.) The author writes, “…there is little sympathy here for the Spanish right, but I hope there is some understanding.” The book is liberally sprinkled with words such as “bourgeoisie,” the French word defined by Marxists as the social class which exploits workers and “proletariat,” the workers. The second review will be about the Soviet manipulation of those opposing Franco that, in my opinion, resulted in emptying the Spanish treasury and victory by Franco’s forces. The final review will be about George Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia.” Orwell fought as a soldier in the trenches of the Trotsky Communist army, and the book gives an excellent insight into the miserable life of the soldiers and the complicated agglomeration of factions involved in the war.

One common thread in the books and articles I’ve read, regardless of point of view, is that Spain was used as a training ground for World War II. The armies of Germany and Italy on the Nationalist side and the Soviets on the Republican side used the conflict to test their equipment and train their military people under conditions of war. The German Condor Legion firebombed the almost completely military-free Basque town of Guernica to test their planes and train their pilots in dive-bombing during the 3-4 hour bombardment that destroyed the town. Ironically, the allies later used the same firebombing techniques to destroy the German city of Dresden, which also was a not a military center.

There were several years of political strife that led to the war. The book has a couple of chapters about the unrest in the country. The economy had decayed into a desperate depression, and the workers and peasants had little to lose. A strike by miners brought action by the military, and the conflict spread quickly. The allegiances within the two sides were complex. Simplistically, the Republican side consisted of several Communist, Socialist, and Anarchist organizations. The Nationalist side controlled most of the Spanish military and represented the Falangists (fascists), middle class, landowners, and Catholic Church. It was a brutal war, and thousands of people were tortured and executed by both sides. The Nationalists killed people suspected of supporting the Republicans. The Republicans destroyed Catholic Churches and executed priests, factory owners, landlords, and public officials.

Franco’s Nationalists believed they would win quickly, since they had most of the military. However, they underestimated the resolve of the Republicans. They might have even lost quickly if the Italians hadn’t provided air transport and ships to bring Moroccan troops and Legionnaires across the Mediterranean. Both Mussolini and Hitler quickly engaged in supporting the Nationalists with men and equipment, and Stalin wasn’t that far behind in supporting the Republicans. Franco’s troops were threatening Madrid about three months after the beginning of hostilities. Soviet military equipment and advisors began arriving (and Spanish gold flowed the other direction to Russia), and the life of the war was extended. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted to support the Republicans, but was concerned that would cost him Catholic votes. He did quietly authorize sale of military equipment to France with the understanding that Nationalist Spain was the ultimate destination. Thousands of liberals from the United States and other countries around the world travelled to Spain to fight in the International Brigades (called the Abraham Lincoln Brigade for Americans) for the Nationalists. “In total, 59,380 of them had come to fight against fascism in Spain…9,934 …of them died and 7,686 had been badly wounded.” The liberal press portrayed these people as heroes who were fighting to save Spain from the unjust tyranny of fascism. The conservative press usually portrayed the war as being caused by the creeping cancer of Communism.

The most startling aspect of the war is the story of how Stalinist Communists turned on the Trotsky Communists and the Anarchists. Stalin succeeded at taking control of the Republican military command and planted false news reports that the Trotskyites and Anarchists were secretly supporting Franco. He directed anyone who didn’t agree with his policies was an “enemy of the State,” and thousands who had been allies were imprisoned or executed. The Communists tortured and executed the Anarchist spokesman and also reportedly executed 2000 Anarchists from just two villages. The Stalinist focus of executing anyone who disagreed with doctrine dictated by Stalin ended any chance of a Republican victory. The end of the war didn’t end the executions. Franco is said to have imprisoned 2 million people after the war, and executed 200,000 of them. Not everyone mourned the Republican defeat. Pope Pius XII greeted the Franco victory with a message beginning, “With immense joy…”

I can find no support for either side in this war. I do have empathy for the soldiers in the trenches on both sides of the conflict and the citizens of Spain. The author writes that the average person in Madrid had little interest in which side won, but had to endure three years of war.