The Spanish Civil War has provoked a massive amount of historical
writing, including several acknowledged classics. Fraser, the
author of two previous oral histories of Spain, uses this technique
here to restore the "atmosphere" of the struggle rather than to
provide another straight narrative. Having interviewed over three
hundred participants from all social levels and political
persuasions - except "leaders" or those who have written memoirs -
and from all relevant regions of Spain, Fraser integrates the oral
material with his own words, and alternates between descriptions of
specific "episodes," profiles of individuals ("militancies"), and
more panoramic views of events. This arrangement gives us three
levels of access to the history. Monarchist student Juan Crespo,
for example, first appears as one participant in the first battle
outside Madrid, where, he recalls, he and his militia colleagues
soon got fed up with the cold and the fleas on their "outing."
Crespo reappears later, in a profile, where he discusses his
"ideals" of Spanish unity ("The Catalan and Basque autonomy
statutes were the last straw") and strong leadership ("The Spaniard
cannot be democratic") - sentiments that still echo today - while
admitting a sympathy for the Falangists, the fascist party behind
France, and a lack of faith in God. "Militancies" like this one
point up the difficulty of forming stereotypes in categorizing the
various factions of each side, and especially of the less
well-known right - Dionisio Ridruijo, a Falangist, explains that
"you could be a revolutionary and still be a conservative, a
non-conformist and a conformist." The larger motifs include
recollections of adjusting to the daily round of civil war, the
horror of mass executions, and the freedom/coercion of
collectivization. The political and personal struggles between and
among anarchists, socialists and communists in the Republican camp
are already familiar, but these personal testimonies ring with
authentic exasperation - one man recalls seeing anarchist unionists
shoot a radio receiver over which an anarchist minister was
appealing for peace among the left. A model of what can be done
with oral history, and a valuable addition to an already rich
literature. (Kirkus Reviews)
We discover what civil war, revolution and counter-revolution actually felt like from inside both camps. The contours of the war take shape through the words of the eyewitnesses. The atmosphere of events is vividly recaptured. And though the lived experience of the participants is revealed the uniquely tragic essence of all civil war. 'Fascinating and brilliantly unorthodox.' Hugh Thomas, author of THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO.
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