Brilliant Analysis of the Spanish Civil War (Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 - Antony Beevor)

Member Name: Immlang

Product:	Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 - Antony Beevor
Date:	13/09/08 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Scholarly, detailed, insightful, breaks new ground

Disadvantages: The length and detail could be off-putting

It's funny how things work out, sometimes. I was in the eightieth minute of queuing with my sons at Alton Towers for what turned out to be a 20 second ride when the family in front of us made some comparisons with the Warner Bros Theme Park near Madrid. A little while after that we found a "free" Ryanair flight to Madrid (it was before the taxes and charges and Ryanair "options" went silly) so we went. We'd been fancying a few days in Madrid for a while anyway. There are direct trains from Madrid to the park - and we had a marvellous time; we struck real lucky because it was early in the season and there were simply no queues for anything so it was a case of ride until you can ride no more.

Now the funny thing is, the Warner Bros Park (It's called Parque Warner in Spanish) is located in a sleepy little town just south of Madrid, called San Martín de la Vega, and San Martín de la Vega was not only the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Spanish Civil War, it was also one of the fiercest fought by that part of the International Brigades led by Tom Wintringham, who came from Grimsby where I work.

All of which brings me to "The Battle for Spain". This is an in-depth description and analysis of the Spanish Civil War, fought in the years 1936 to 1939 between the forces and supporters of a legitimately elected but ineffective left-wing government on the one hand (the Republicans) and the broadly right-wing rebel alliance (the Nationalists) ultimately led to victory by General Franco on the other. This war was no more pleasant or honourable than any other; it was characterised by brutality, terror, demagogy, external political interference on a monumental scale, vested external interests, mass murder, torture and humiliation and persecution for decades following for those unlucky enough to have been on the losing side.

There have been many analyses of the Civil War, but Beevor's is outstanding. A serious and renowned academic, he uses material, particularly from recently opened Russian archives (the Stalin government was a key player in the course of the war) to shed new insights on a very complex topic. In spite of being a heavyweight academic book it remains readable throughout, though I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the Civil War - its 500 pages of dense text are too long and too detailed to serve that purpose.

Generations of "A" level and degree students have considered the impact of foreign intervention in the Civil War, and Beevor sheds light into these as well. For example, it is chastening to learn how the British government publicly espoused non-intervention while quietly supporting one of the sides. It is somewhat scary to learn how an American oil company extended credit to one of the sides. For anyone wanting to learn about Realpolitik this is a good primer. There are other examples, and Britain and the USA are far from the only countries with memories of this time they would rather forget.

Among the work's many other highlights I would draw attention to the detailed descriptions of the main strategies employed by both sides and of the ensuing battles. In Chapter 19 Beevor describes the Battle of the River Jarama, just south of Madrid, part of which was fought in and around San Martín de la Vega. And yes, he does mention Tom Wintringham, even though he does not mention that he hailed from Grimsby, where there is a school and a road named after his family.

If you want a serious, gripping read, consider giving this one a try. It is often available at a big discount in supermarkets now.

Summary: Essential reading for those wanting to go a little further with Spanish history