A Second Note on the Spanish Civil War Series

This is how we will proceed

(A poster commemorating the Asturias Rebellion of 1934, in which began as a miners’ strike led by the Spanish Socialist Party’s (PSOE) unions in the region of the same name, and which then morphed into an open rebellion against the conservative-led CEDA Spanish Government)

Previous Note

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I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from readers regarding this subject, so naturally we will be doing this series exploring the Spanish Civil War and the events that led up to it. We’re going to kick-off these series beginning tomorrow as I am just about done with that entry. In the meantime, I’ve decided on how to proceed with this series. Without further ado, this is how it will most likely look going forward:

Phase 1 - Pre-Civil War

1. A general survey of Spanish History up to and including the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic and its first government (already done)

2. The Conservative Backlash - the CEDA-led government 1934-36 (to be published tomorrow)

3. The Popular Front - in which a new wide-ranging coalition from the far left to the centre takes power

4. The Republican side on the eve of the Spanish Civil War - a look at the key groups and figures on that side of the upcoming conflict, from the liberal Republicans through to the Socialists of the PSOE, and on to the Communist and Anarchists

5. The Nationalist side on the eve of the Spanish Civil War - monarchists, conservatives, clericalists, fascists, and right wing military figures

Phase 2 - The Failed Military Coup

1. a standalone essay on the fateful events of July 1936 when the Spanish Military attempted a coup d’etat to overthrow the Spanish Government, but failed to do so

Phase 3 - Civil War

1. the violent and chaotic first months of the war including the Red and White Terrors

2. Anarchism in action - the anarchists of Catalonia, Aragon, Andalusia and elsewhere, and the internal debate that divided them into two camps: idealists and pragmatists

3. The May Days - Stalinists cleanse the Republican side their POUM and Anarchist rivals, taking charge of much of the Republican effort going forward

4. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade and other units in the International Brigade - volunteers from outside of Spain who flocked to the Republican side and fought for it

5. Celebrity War - a portrait of famous westerners who went off to Spain, ranging from Ernest Hemingway to George Orwell

6. International Volunteers and Allies for Nationalist Spain - Germans, Italians, Irish, and so on

7. The Grind - Nationalist forces slowly chip away at the Republican side until total victory in March of 1939

8. A Setting of Accounts - Little mercy for those who fought for the Republican side but didn’t manage to flee the country

9. The Importance of Understanding the Spanish Civil War - history, ideology, context, and trying to draw lessons from it for today

This is not going to be a sprint, but will instead be a marathon. This series will take us well into spring. You guys urged me to go as deep as possible into this episode in history, so I will gladly oblige by doing so.