| |
The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain
War, Loss and Memory
| Tom Buchanan |
|
|
| Tom Buchanan is Reader in Modern History at the University of Oxford
Department for Continuing Education, and
a Fellow of Kellogg College. He is the author of two
previous books and numerous articles on Britain's involvement
in the Spanish Civil War, as well as Europe's Troubled
Peace, 1945–2000 (Blackwell, 2005).
|
|
| |
 |
Explores the relationship between Britain and the Spanish Civil War (1936–9) |
 |
Explains the war's legacy and longer-term impact on Britain |
 |
Presents a chronological progression from the Civil War to the post-war Franco era. |
 |
Provides a sensitive discussion of the importance of loss and memory |
 |
Published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the war |
“According to these erudite, riveting
essays by Buchanan, the British public responded to the Spanish
Civil War of 1936-39 in a variety of contradictory ways,
some having no connection to politics. In many cases, these
contradictions were outgrowths of Britons’ stereotypical
views of Spain as a country of brutality and siestas. Some
earnest and adventurous young Britons were caught up in the
ideological conflict between communism and fascism. They
rushed to volunteer, founding, for instance, the Spanish
Medical Aid Committee (SMAC) in support of the Spanish Republicans.
SMAC was fraught with infighting and intrigue throughout
its attempts to provide relief. Other Britons, such as promising
young artist Felicia Browne, just happened to be in Spain
in time to be swept up in events. Tragically, the young woman
was the first British volunteer to die in the conflict, shot
by nationalists while participating in a raid for which she
was, Buchanan writes, ‘sadly out of her depth’.
After WWII, British tourists, including former leftists,
now more uneasy about Cold War totalitarianism than about
Franco’s regime, rediscovered the beaches and villas
of sun-drenched Spain. Recommended.” Choice
The Spanish Civil War has had a profound and lasting impact
on Britain. At least 2400 Britons volunteered to fight for
the Spanish Republic (of whom more than 500 died), while
others provided medical assistance, visited Spain in delegations,
or covered the Civil War as journalists.
In this collection of three of his published articles and
seven new essays, all based on primary research, Tom Buchanan
sheds light on many facets of this complex relationship.
The book's central themes are the impact of loss on families
and communities, and the importance of Spain itself – its history and culture – in the way that the Civil War was understood in Britain.
Some of the chapters deal with individuals involved in the
Civil War, such as the writer John Langdon-Davies, the artist
Felicia Browne and the journalist GL Steer. Others pursue
somewhat neglected themes, such as the response of British
artists to the war or the role played by British medical
personnel. The final two chapters focus on the long-term
impact of the conflict on British politics and on Britain’s relations with Spain since 1939.
 |
| |
List of Contents to follow |
Publication Details
| |
ISBN: |
|
9781845191269 h/b |
| |
|
|
9781845191276 p/b |
| |
Page Extent / Format: |
|
320 pp. / 229 x 152 mm |
| |
Release Date: |
|
January 2007 |
| |
Illustrated: |
|
Yes |
| |
Hardback Price: |
|
£49.95 / $65.00 |
| |
Paperback Price: |
|
£16.95 / $32.50 |
| |

|