By the end of the spanish civil war in 1939, an estimated onefifth of the nations catholic clergy lay dead. The phenomenon most characteristic of the first phase of the civil war was the absence of power, of a. Use this page to print a pdf version of each chapter of stalin and the spanish civil war. Organizing support for the republic, and soon, leading the republican forces in the civil war, became the main work of the communist international comintern during that period. So called because their members initially came from some 50 countries, the international brigades were recruited, organized, and directed by the comintern communist international, with headquarters in paris. Germany, italy, and the soviet union intervened actively in the war, using spain as a testing ground for their military equipment and techniques and their political ideologies. As source, the voluminous propaganda output of the brigades themselves consistently adhered to and rein forced comintern policy in its specifically spanish and in its larger. Guernica fuelled the will to resist in the basque country. On the 31st of december 2011, the comintern sh decided to implement the yearplan2012. The spanish civil war, which coincided with the great purges in the soviet union, stands at the center of this grassroots history. Brigades within the cominterns popular front strategy during the spanish war was that of an extremely potent propaganda instrument. In conformity with the kremlins decisions on its spanish policy in september 1936, the comintern launched a fullscale drive to recruit an international army to fight in spain. At the start of world war ii, the comintern supported a policy of nonintervention, arguing that the war was an imperialist war between various national ruling classes, much like world war i had been, but when the soviet union itself was invaded on 22 june 1941 the comintern changed its position to one of active support for the allies.
Home analysis by country europe spain printerfriendly pdf 1936. The line of the comintern on the civil war in spain banned thought. Dan, 1931publication date 1982 topics communist international. Sovietspanish cultural relations prior to the civil war i. O ne hundred and sixtyseven scholars from 54 nations have contributed their time and knowledge to improving the accuracy of a new electronically searchable database to the archive of the communist international. The stalins policy in spain was not only for idealism but for fear of the nazi regime threat in europe. For this reason, as the author argues, the participation of the comintern into spanish civil war was not only political but military support to the republican cause. A brief history of the spanish civil war by alfonso casal on march 17, 2011 0.
Pdf version june 2001 by eddie conlon much has been written about the spanish civil war but the contribution of the anarchists has been either totally ignored or reduced to a few footnotes which were often composed of blatant lies or generalised slander referring to wreckers. Remembering the forgotten red terror acton institute. Dan richardson views the brigades in the wider context of both the complex politicalmilitary alignments of loyalist spain and the broader soviet comintern strategy during the popular front era. The comintern and the spanish civil war carr, edward hallett on. Payne offers the first comprehensive narrative of soviet and communist intervention in the revolution and civil war in spain. Volume vi of the series iz istorii mezhdunarodnoi proletarskoi solidarnosti, covering the years 193845, which has a.
The phenomenon most characteristic of the first phase of the civil war was the absence of power, of a central direction. History changes as historians uncover new facts and reinterpr et. As far as the spanish civil war was concerned, however, britain and france adopted a formal policy of neutrality, which in fact cloaked extensive behindthescenes efforts to ferry arms and supplies to the nationalist side. Export a ris file for endnote, procite, reference manager, zotero, mendeley export a text file for bibtex note. The institutional framework of soviet cultural policy that some spaniards had their attention fixed on the young soviet state was in no small part the result of soviet efforts to gain influence on the iberian peninsula. Germany, soviet union, and italy tested new weapons of war in prelude to world war ii, especially aircraft and tanks both germany and soviet union wanted spanish civil war to go on and on estimated that between killed and expatriated, spain lost over 1 million people of which over 200,000 died from malnutrition. For this reason, as the author argues, the participation of the comintern into spanish civil war. Germany, soviet union, and italy tested new weapons of war in prelude to world war ii, especially aircraft and tanks both germany and soviet union wanted spanish civil war to go on and on estimated that between killed and expatriated, spain lost over 1 million people. Comintern statement directly concerned with the outbreak of the spanish civil war, the incorporation of austria in germany, the anticomintern pact, the munich agreement, or the outbreak of war in 1939.
Soviet and comintern policy in spain prior to july 1936. Carrs fastidious and formal approach, with its concentration on documents resolutions, reports, programs, can be helpful when a historical record. The spanish republics diplomatic mission to moscow. It was fought between the rebel nationalist army led by gen francisco franco right wing, and aided by nazi germany, fascist italy.
Comintern and spanish civil war in spain pozharskaya. In this vein, some 8 manifesto of the communist international to the workers of. Waterfordmen in the international brigades in the spanish civil war1 emmet oconnor decies. Strikes and demonstrations spread throughout the country. At present, the ideological construction of the comintern sh, the paramount task. Spanish civil war was a military revolt against the republican government of spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. Dan richardson views the brigades in the wider context of both the complex politicalmilitary alignments of loyalist spain and the broader sovietcomintern strategy during the popular front era. Republicans loyal to the leftleaning second spanish republic, in alliance with anarchists, of the communist and syndicalist variety, fought against a revolt by the nationalists, an alliance of falangists, monarchists, conservatives and catholics, led by a military group among whom. The international brigades and the spanish civil war. Much has been written about the spanish civil war but the contribution of the anarchists has been either totally ignored or reduced to a few footnotes which were often composed of blatant lies or generalised slander referring to wreckers.
For many international communists, the war came to define both their life histories and political commitments. Enrique lister, after a threeyear sojourn in the soviet union where he attended both the lenin institute and a. The opening in the early 1990s of the archives of the communist international made available to scholars around the world a tremendously rich resource. The international brigades in the spanish war 19361939. For the right, the civil war represents the dangers of left wing. Mar 17, 2011 home history a brief history of the spanish civil war. Since the publication of the groundbreaking the spanish civil war and the british labour movement in 1991, tom buchanan has produced a wealth of work on various aspects of the impact of the spanish civil war on britain, and especially the response of the british left broadly conceived this is his third book on the subject but, unlike the previous two, it is a collection of ten essays. Refugees of the spanish civil war and those they left behind. International communism and the spanish civil war by lisa a. For this reason, as the author argues, the participation of the comintern into spanish civil war was not only political but military support to the republican cause volunteers, weapons and ammunition.
The 20 million pages of comintern records, located at the russian state archive of socialpolitical history rgaspi in moscow, provide documentation on the history of political, trade union, and leftwing cultural activities in scores of nations where the comintern and affiliated communist parties operated during the period from 1919 to 1943. The comintern and the spanish civil war paperback 1984 by edward hallett carr author. Brigadas internacionales were paramilitary units set up by the communist international to assist the popular front government of the second spanish republic during the spanish civil war. The accession of fascist dict ators to power in europe, especially germany where the communist party had previously enjoyed its strongest following, alarmed the comintern and josef stalin. Jan 31, 2008 since the publication of the groundbreaking the spanish civil war and the british labour movement in 1991, tom buchanan has produced a wealth of work on various aspects of the impact of the spanish civil war on britain, and especially the response of the british left broadly conceived. The comintern conducts an effective campaign throughout europe to recruit volunteers for the coming struggle. On july 17, 1936, elements of the spanish army raised the banner of revolt against the government of the republic. Spain, at the dawn of the 20th century, was caught in a crisis of identity and purpose.
Nonetheless, a dogged propaganda campaign in the west, and the dictatorship of generalissimo francisco franco who is still dead, have swept these slaughters from public memory. It is estimated that during the entire war, between 40,000 and 59,000 members served in the international. The spanish civil war 193639 1 nationalist forces introduction t he spanish civil war was the curtainraiser to world war ii, and the major focus of international attention in europe in the late 1930s. Comintern statement directly concerned with the outbreak of the spanish civil war, the incorporation of austria in germany, the anticomintern pact, the munich.
He documents in unprecedented detail soviet strategies, comintern activities, and the role of the communist party in spain from the early 1930s to the end of the civil war in 1939. In spain the comintern faced an unusual combination of circumstances, in which four factors may be identified as the most salient. He arrived to that conclusion after the conversation with hitler during his visit to berlin on august 5, 1936. The spanish civil war 193639 2 republican forces the second spanish republic i n 1923 the kingdom of spain was poor, backward, socially rigid, and mired in an unpopular war in spanish morocco problems for which the political class clearly had no solutions. Volume vi of the series iz istorii mezhdunarodnoi proletarskoi solidarnosti, covering the. International communism and the spanish civil war by lisa. In the prewar theatre of the second world war, the spanish war was the training field for new military tactics. Refugees of the spanish civil war and those they left. So called because their members initially came from some 50 countries, the international brigades were recruited, organized, and directed. Spanish civil war 193639, military revolt by nationalist rebels, supported by conservative elements within the country, against the republican government of spain. Pdf international communism and the spanish civil war. The international brigades were recruited and organised by the communist international the comintern. In this first indepth study of the politics of the international brigades in the spanish civil war, r.
The red terror and the spanish civil war by julius ruiz. As noted above, this was not technically just the soviet union, but in reality was a treaty of hostility against the ussr. The european great powers and the spanish civil war, 1936. Comintern statement directly concerned with the outbreak of the spanish civil war, the incorporation of austria in germany, the anti comintern pact, the munich agreement, or the outbreak of war in 1939. The spanish civil war, the soviet union, and communism on jstor. Within the framework of the comintern the major direct responsibility and role in the operation went to the communist party of france. Nov 06, 2017 by the end of the spanish civil war in 1939, an estimated onefifth of the nations catholic clergy lay dead. Sovietspanish cultural relations prior to the civil war. This was a symbolic closure for the episode of the latvian volunteers in the spanish civil war scw. The organization existed for two years, from 1936 until 1938. The recruitment of the international brigades was coordinated by the communist party in paris. Psoe partido socialista obrero espanola or spanish socialist party. Army in spain during the civil war, its effectiveness and appeal were undermined by the russian style of its application.
When spain exploded into civil war in july 1936, a conflict whose roots were deep in the spanish past became the arena for the violent political passions that. In france, the discredited government collapses and plunges the country into social and political turmoil. Approximately 50,000 spaniards were extrajudicially executed in republican spain following the failure of the military rebellion in july 1936. This book deals with one of most controversial issues of the spanish civil war 19369. Further hostility arose between germany and ussr in the spanish civil war. The outbreak and dimensions of world war ii in the eastern fronteclipsed it. However, after 1945, the spanish civil war began to be understood as the prelude for wwii. The spanish civil war, the soviet union, and communism on. A brief history of the spanish civil war the red phoenix. When spain exploded into civil war in july 1936, a conflict whose roots were deep in the spanish past became the arena for the violent political passions that divided europe north of the pyrenees. The line of the comintern on the civil war in spain. Comintern and the spanish civil war by svetlana pozharskaya the battle for spain, the spanish civil war 19361939 by anthony beevor a short history of. The spanish civil war, the soviet union, and communism. Had it been so, the ministry would have resigned and a military junta would have assumed governmental powers.
Comintern and spanish civil war in spain pozharskaya ebre. The spanish civil war by julian casanova the spanish civil war by stanley g. Historians now accept, contrary to the contemporary propagandist claims of communists and fascists, that the spanish civil war was initially a domestic affair, and that foreign interference before the outbreak on 17 july 1936 was negligible. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides.
This aspect of comintern discipline is revealed most clearlyif least harmfullyin the repetitiveness and rigidity of the verbal formulations used in its literature, which give it its deadly dullness. The international brigades and the spanish civil war r. The comintern sh searches for voluntary translators who translate our most important theoretical publications in as many as possible languages of the world. To set the record straight this pamphlet was produced. Thepronunciamiento,however, was not a complete success. The international brigades and the comintern in the.