The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge - Softcover

Preston, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007232071 ISBN 13: 9780007232079

Publisher: William Collins, 2016

Synopsis

UPDATED EDITION
A rousing and full-blooded account of the Spanish Civil War and the rise to prominence of General Franco.

No modern conflict has inflamed the passions of both civilians and intellectuals as much as the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39. Burned into our collective historical consciousness, it not only prefigured the imminent Second World War but also ushered in a new and horrific form of warfare that would come to define the twentieth century. At the same time it echoed the revolutionary aspirations of millions of Europeans and Americans after the painful years of the Great Depression.

In this authoritative history, Paul Preston vividly recounts the political ideals and military horrors of the Spanish Civil War – including the controversial bombing of Guernica – and tracks the emergence of General Franco’s brutal but extraordinarily durable fascist dictatorship.

About this title

Review:

‘[Preston’s] economical style, together with a telling choice of quotes and mordant use of irony, serve his purpose admirably...it is founded upon a vast knowledge and will not easily be refuted.’ History Today

‘Not just a detailed description of events but a real interpretation of the causes and course of the war. By allowing the actors of the great Spanish drama to speak, he captures the dynamics of the civil war.’ La Stampa

‘Paul Preston’s book throws new, definitive light on the conflict.’ L’Unità

Synopsis:

No war in modern times has inflamed the passions of both ordinary people and intellectuals in the way that the conflict in Spain in 1936 did. The Spanish Civil War is burned into European consciousness, not simply because it prefigured the much larger world war that followed it, but because the intense manner of its prosecution was a harbinger of a new and horrific form of warfare that was universally dreaded. At the same time, the hopes awakened by the attempted social revolution in republican Spain chimed with the aspirations of many in Europe and the United States during the grim years of the great Depression. This is a full-blooded account of this pivotal period in twentieth-century European history. Paul Preston vividly recounts the struggles of the war, analyzes the wider implications of the revolution in the Republican zone, tracks the emergence of Francisco Franco's brutal (and, ultimately, extraordinarily durable) fascist dictatorship and assesses the ways in which the Spanish Civil War was a portent of the Second World War that ensued so rapidly after it.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Collins
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0007232071
• ISBN 13: 9780007232079
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 381