The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century: a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica.
This was Antony Beevor's first work of non-fiction, pre-dating his international bestselling STALINGRAD and BERLIN: THE DOWNFALL 1945. Now, more than 20 years later, he has substantially rewritten it drawing on masses of newly-discovered material from the Spanish, Russian and German archives. His account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the coup d'etat in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939. And he succeeds especially well in unravelling the complex political and regional forces that played such an important part in the origins and history of the war.
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9780143037651
014303765X
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Add a CommentA thorough deconstruction of this bizarre war. While the complexity of the conflict and its numerous factions and figures can be overwhelming at times, the storytelling of Beevor allowed me to persevere through the confusing bits. I found this a very rewarding read.
This is a text book, not an interesting read as the layout is to complex. Got the gist of the conflict but was difficult to follow. Also many Spanish terms could have been translated for easier reference.
With the myriad of names and acronyms this book can be a bit of a tough read at times. More so than Beevor's other books. Very informative and interesting nonetheless.
If you want to understand what happened during the Spanish Civil War you will find it in this book. Beevor does a great job and the book is very informative. It follows the politics leading up to the war and follows the war as it progresses. The book has maps that update you on the progress of both campaigns. This book covers an important period in history that some say was the beginning of WWII.